BFP after IVF - the journey continues (part 2)

[HopefulllHolly]

SENSITIVE CONTENT

Continuation of previous thread for anyone with a BFP following IVF to support with anxieties and other worries that come along with pregnancy after infertility.

@AnnieStar12
@DippyDuck19
@DogMummy87
@Edf
@Fluffyted
@Leaf86
@LouP87
@Natty2
@SETTC87
@ThePeachGoose
@jas1996
@lemonyfox
@oliviagrace2307
@summerchild92

Please tag anyone else I’ve missed accidentally!

@HopefulllHolly sounds like you have a busy few weeks.
the colour I'm going for is more green than a sage green. I saw it on a YouTube video and really liked it.

@AnnieStar12 I usually go for F&B but as my panelling is only half the wall on 1 wall as a feature, seemed ridiculous to spend that much on paint.

As for movements hopefully they'll become more regular. I'm 25 weeks today and I'd say they've only become more regular in the last 7 days. But then he will have the odd day where he's really quiet.

@Natty2 keep hydrated. Honey lemon ginger will also help. Hope you feel better soon.

@HopefulllHolly I love Christmas too!! My partner isn't as fussed, like most people 🤣 I'm so excited this year because we will be so close to meeting our little ones ❤️❤️
Being cosy is also my favourite thing throughout the winter!!
@ThePeachGoose sounds like your Christmas will be so special this year!! We also love doing all the activities just the two of us, your lavish Christmas meal sounds fab .. we are going to my in-laws for Christmas dinner this year (we alternate families each year). I'm so going to miss the cheese board though!

@Sierra26 I hope you're doing ok! The spotting is never fun, brings so much anxiety out.
I've kept a diary of my pregnancy (totally sad I know 🙈) but I re-read the beginning this morning and I'd forgotten that I had spotting on day 9 (after transfer) right up to day 15 (after transfer) which was test day for me. I rang my clinic in a state on day 9 and they told me to double dose all of my progesterone until 2 days after the bleeding stopped. So I was taking 2 pessaries in the morning, lunchtime & night. I took my vaginally as I was on Utrogestan which can only be taken vaginally. But might be worth double dosing or asking your clinic for the best thing to do to help.

@DippyDuck19 awww bless you - that must have been scary!!! I'm glad your baby boy is doing well with an amazing heartbeat!! 🩵
I'm so paranoid about the kicking, I'm keeping a diary to remind myself - but lots of times if I'm busy I don't always feel my little one or notice she's moving 🙈

I love the paint name for your nursery @HopefulllHolly!! 🤣
I'm a proper pink girlie and I thought I'd deffo paint her room pink but we chose "Egyptian cotton" which is like a green, grey, brown, taupe, creamy colour, so totally different to what I expected. And will add pink (lots of!) using accessories.
We've also put the cot & nursery furniture up!!

@AnnieStar12 I'd deffo use it as an excuse to paint a colour!! If you want to 😊
Even my midwife told me at my 24 week appointment not to worry about movements too much until 26 weeks! But she did say that if you feel uneasy or can't feel the baby move much then deffo ring the antenatal clinic to get checked out.
Maybe your placenta is hiding most of your baby's little kicks.
I'm 25 weeks now and still don't feel my little one 100% of the time. Some days she will have a party in there and others she's just giving out a little flutter here & there.
I'd deffo go get a scan though, as it will make you feel so much better!!

@Natty2 sorry you're feeling poorly! I drink honey & lemon (though sets off my acid reflux 🙄) but the hot honey drink helps!! I think, might just be a psychological thing lol.
And if I need to I just take paracetamol but that's medication so that's not helpful to you, sorry!
I hope you feel better soon!! This time of year & the weather brings out all the colds 🤧

I had my 24 midwife appointment on Friday last week and it was soooo much better than I expected!! Much better than my lousy 16 week one 🤣

I saw a different midwife who was amazing. She covered everything including the birth plan, checking if I know all the options & medicine they use etc and to what to expect. She spoke about any worries I had and gave advice but mainly she just said go with your gut on all things!

She measured & felt my bump - my baby girl is tucking herself right into the bottom of my bump, she could feel the head (which was nice but a little weird), listened to the heartbeat and she's beating at 137 per minute.
The only thing she said is that baby girl is measuring a week behind so she was only measuring at 23+5 weeks instead of 24+5. But nothing to worry about.

I also had the Anaesthetist ring me to ask what my birth plan was and what medication I am & aren't allowed to have during labour and what their plan will be.
I didn't have a birth plan 😂😂 as I thought that was ages away so had time. So I just listened to her advice & made my birth plan from that & what the midwife said.

It's crazy how things suddenly change & come together!

We had a right faff on the weekend trying to choose our car seat.
We went to John Lewis to get advice from the car seat experts - but they weren't actually that helpful and told me that if I wanted one to fit the bugaboo donkey pram we have that had limited options of what to get.
So I was panicking thinking we have to get a new pram 😂 we went for a coffee and a saw a mum pushing the donkey with the car seat I wanted on there so I stalked her around the shopping mall so I could ask her how it worked 😂😂 she was lovely and laughed about it all but I felt like a right idiot. Whilst having coffee I contacted bugaboo directly to ask their advice and they told me what will work with what attachments.
So then we went to mamas & papas the the lady in there was sooo much better & more helpful and told me to order the attachments & come in with my empty pram and see if the car seat fits. So that what we are doing on the weekend!

@DippyDuck19 Glad that the baby is doing well! I look forward to feeling the kicks more regularly, but these kicks sound like both a blessing and a curse, don’t they? You’re reassured and connected when you feel them, and a mess when you don’t. And they always advise you to go in every time you don’t feel them for a while, so that should make for an interesting and busy third trimester.

@AnnieStar12 we’ve just had our house re-painted last summer and used about 4 different brands of paint. I personally loved F&B because it’s so thick and it already looks done after one coating, but I always apply two. Their shades are gorgeous. One thing I don’t like about F&B (and Lick for that matter) is that their paints go off much quicker because of their low VOC, whereas when I painted with Dulux in my previous house, I used the paint for years after for touch-up’s and it lasted well.

@Natty2 in addition to what everyone said, I would also suggest Sterimar to flush your sinuses a few times a day since you can’t use any sort of decongestants. Or a nebuliser with saline solution if you’re coughing, which will be useful for when the baby comes along too (though maybe more at the toddler phase).

@LouP87 congratulations on no gestational diabetes! and a healthy baby ofc

@Fluffyted oh the cheese board, yes, Christmas won’t be exactly the same. While we can’t have everything on the cheeseboard, I am still planning some baked camembert this winter 😏 Oh wow! Things truly kicked off with that birth plan and it sounds like your maternity is on it! I’m pleased to hear that things are starting to come together, even the car seat + pram situation lol

Hello ladies, may I join you? I have received incredible support other threads while going through IVF and would love to now join a BFP thread.

It’s really exiting to read this thread and hear about so many positive stories!

It’s still very early (4 weeks) so I am definitely anxious. I have been having some abdominal cramps almost constantly over the last few days but I don’t know if that’s normal. It’s not super painful but it’s not comfortable. I have no bleeding or other symptoms so I assume this is normal.

@ThePeachGoose warm camembert 😍😍 literally the best winter food!!
Yes indeed, and tbh I feel much more prepared now & didn't get a chance to overthink everything like I usually do so that's a bonus.

Welcome @YellowTack & congratulations on your pregnancy!!! ❤️ it's so exciting. The early days are full of anxiousness but I guess that's what being a mummy is all about ☺️
I had some cramps at the beginning, I think it's just the little embryo nestling in deeper & your womb kicking into action, but if you are worried deffo talk to your clinic about it.
Is this your first round of IVF? Will this be your first baby?

Loving reading everyone’s updates - it’s so lovely to do and plan the nursery. 😍 Number 2 will share with number 1 so the only thing I have to do in ours is re-organise the wardrobe to accommodate two kids. We went for white walls, wooden shelving, dark mustard curtains and sage green painted wardrobes. We added more colour with bunting and kids artwork/books so luckily it’s quite gender neutral. I also think we are going to buy the cot from day 1 and then get a Moses basket to stand in there for the first couple of months (which we can also take downstairs for naps etc). We co-slept a lot with number 1, which I’m not averse to doing again given how tough the sleep was, but he’s still now (at 16 months) a really bad sleeper in his cot. I’m wondering if we persevere a bit more with number 2 in her own sleep space that it might not be as difficult.

@Natty2 sorry to hear you’re poorly! Same here, I’m on day 1 of what I think is going to be a head cold. Honestly think the best thing is rest and sleep and stay really hydrated. I don’t feel too bad so far, but expect it will hit me later.

I did my first yoga class since being pregnant today. Quite a milestone as I was too nervous to exercise in my last pregnancy, but it was sooo lovely. My pelvis feels better for it and it wasn’t too much at all. Definitely plan to make it a regular thing if I can.

I wondered if anyone on their second + pregnancy will need to get (or has thought about) a double buggy? I may have asked this before, pregnancy brain has forgotten. We live in an old house with narrow hallways so I think it’s going to have to be a tandem / in-line one, but I still want to have the ability to use it on dog walks or more rurally if needed. Currently looking at the phil&teds voyager as I like that both babies can have a view, but I honestly feel like I have looked at so many at this point that I can’t decide.

@DippyDuck19 glad baby boy is ok and just in a different position. It’s always scary until you get that reassurance though. I am sure I will be in soon - the only thing that has held me back so far is that I am still sub-24 weeks and have been telling myself that baby is still very small and they wouldn’t encourage me to go in yet. 🙄 I can’t wait to get to that 24 week mark, but then I also know I’m going to be more concerned about movements / patterns than I am at the moment !!! Can’t win!

@YellowTack welcome and congratulations! Yes - cramping is super normal, I had it with all three of my pregnancies. It was never bad enough to need paracetamol or anything - if it gets worse than mild ish period pain, definitely get checked.

Thank you everyone! It's been dragging since Sat now but I do feel abit more human this afternoon! I've had lots of honey and lemon and I hear you @Fluffyted on the acid reflux! It was so bad last night

@AnnieStar12 I hope you start to feel more regular movement soon, baby is probably hiding away and moving around at night when you're asleep! Let us know if you go for the private scan. It's such a long wait until the next check up so I'd be the same!

@HopefulllHolly 😂 yes mine have felt very low down so far! It's so subtle at the moment so doesn't quite feel real yet 🥰

@LouP87 glad all is well, and no diabetes 🙌

@Fluffyted glad you had a much better midwife appointment and sounds like it's starting to get nicely planned out!

@YellowTack welcome and congratulations! We all completely understand the anxiety. I had period like cramps quite a lot at the start, and was convinced it hadn't worked. But it's all normal. Keep us posted!

@Leaf86 oh no hope you recover quickly. I've been in bed the last few days but do feel like I'm turning a corner now. Glad yoga went well! Will you go every week?
I've really enjoyed going to Pilates but was so scared at first to do anything more than just walking!

@Fluffyted this is my first positive since starting to conceive more than 2 years ago so it will be my first baby. I feel really lucky as this was first fresh transfer from my first IVF round. I can’t wait for my viability scans in 3 weeks that will hopefully give me a bit of reassurance!

@YellowTack welcome and congratulations! I remember having little cramps / dull aches around that time too, and they were very low in my abdomen on the left side, sometimes in my groin. They came and went. But I mentioned it to my consultant and he wasn't very concerned, he said it's probably the ovaries still swollen as it was a fresh transfer, and it apparently takes weeks for them to come back down. But always a good idea to speak to your consultant / clinic when you have something that worries you.

@Leaf86 well done on your first pregnancy yoga session! 👏I love it and it's totally safe and recommended. I've upgraded to weekly PT sessions now (with lots of maternity modifications, my PT seems versed in it) and it's nice to be able to work out again. I monitor my heart rate on my Apple Watch during the session, take lots of breaks and drink sips of water throughout - some ideas in case you want to do more but are afraid to. But yoga is just as great for those achey bones.

@Leaf86 your nursery sounds lovely!!! 😍 I love how you added colour into it will bunting, books & kids artwork.
In an ideal world all of our babies will sleep like angels 😌🤞🏼but I highly doubt that will happen! Hopefully baby 2 will sleep much better in her cot for you, we are also planning on persevering with the moses basket & cot to hopefully get a good sleep routine. But who knows if it will work or if we'll stick to it 🤷🏻‍♀️
I need to start some sort of exercise. I keep forgetting to 😅 I really want to but I'm so tired in the evenings I just don't even think about it. Yoga sounds good.
A friend of mine has the Icandy peach (I think it's the peach - it's a double tandem one) and she loves it. Got quite good suspension for walking, though it is a little heavy. I'm not sure how good it is off-road though.
The city jogger tandem is also quite good, but again a little heavy. I think the city jogger is better for off-road walking than the Icandy.
That's all the knowledge I have for tamdems!

@Fluffyted I'm paranoid too. Think it's knowing I have an anterior placenta but I don't want to use that as an excuse to not feel him. I don't care if I'm going to be a pest to the hospital lol I need that reassure and better to be safe than sorry!

Glad your midwife appointment went better! Sounds like you got a lot covered! I have mine on Thursday. Hoping they measure my bump. People keep commenting I'm huge. Although the measurements aren't meant to be accurate in terms of baby growth.

@ThePeachGoose the midwife said to me they don't have a pattern until 26 weeks and even then it can change. I feel like baby has had a pattern for the last 2 weeks so not feeling him for 8hrs was definitely different to usual! Feel like it's going to be a long 15 weeks now until he's potentially here!!!

@YellowTack welcome! Congratulations on your bfp!!! Definitely understand where you are coming from with the anxiousness, It does get better! I had cramps in the early days and probably right up until 12 weeks! Then it changed to more stretchy pains. So all normal as baby is implanting and growing!

@Leaf86 is rather be safe than sorry and get checked but felt like I was making a fuss over nothing as was 24+6 at the time. Past 26 weeks they monitor with CTG. under 26 weeks is just the Doppler. Baby has had more of a pattern over the last 2 weeks but the midwife said it will change 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Leaf86 I am not going for double buggy but mine is older than yours. It’s taken us so long to get pregnant that there’s gonna be a three year age gap. We still use the buggy everyday, but we’ve decided to get a buggy board and do a combination of baby in buggy/toddler on buggy board and baby in sling/toddler in buggy.

I know from friends with twins that the mountain buggy range are very popular for double buggies.

@Natty2 @ThePeachGoose thanks!! Yes I think I will go every week, it was just a normal vinyasa class but I heavily modified. I think I’m also going to add in a swim or one other class so that I’m doing two structured things a week. We walk the dogs for a couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday and running after little one feels pretty intense these days too. 😅😂 it’s all a LOT more than I did before, which was lie on the sofa like a sloth and watch Netflix. 🙈😂 I had to take my Apple Watch off as my really bad stats were making me feel worse haha!

@Fluffyted that’s so great re the midwife appt. I have mine on Monday and was psyching myself up for what I thought would be a quick bp check and urine test! Maybe it will be better than that. Must
make it feel a lot more real! Thanks so much for the buggy recommendations, will take a look at those. I think the baby jogger may well be too wide, but I have heard great things about the brand.

@DippyDuck19 not at all!! You are never making a fuss, I know I will be exactly the same in a week or so. My consultant told me they have some women in twice weekly for checks for no other reason than anxiety and that is totally fine - whatever makes mum feel better is best for baby. You also never know if baby actually is in distress, so it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry.

@AnnieStar12 thanks ! Sorry, our posts crossed. I like the look of the mountain buggy too, but assumed the side by side would be too wide. Will double check! We did wonder whether to do buggy and sling combo, but I struggled post c section with the sling until later on. It’s also nice to have somewhere to put the baby down and I think our first is probably a tiny bit too young for the buggy board, but otherwise agree that single plus a buggy board is far more ideal!

Thanks all for checking in, my betahcg was 7893 which i was told was a strong positive so that’s reassuring. No spotting for 4 days now. I’m 5+5 now so all I can do is wait for private scan next week!

welcome and congrats @YellowTack sounds like we’re in similar positions. This was my first ever BFP too after a couple of years TTC. The ladies on this thread are a great source of reassurance and information!

im rubbish at keeping up with everyone’s updates though as you’re all so much further ahead than me 😂 but it’s honestly so lovely to see names I recognise from previous threads, and to see how everyone’s pregnancies are progressing ❤️

@Sierra26 glad your hcg is looking good and that you've had no more spotting. Hoping the next week until your scan goes quickly for you.

Oh gosh I’ve missed loads - London was very stressful and long - wouldn’t recommend!! 🤣 I’ll try and reply to everyone, so no doubt it will be a long one!!

@LouP87 Oh he’s a big little boy already - that’s good! You must be taking very good care of him 🥹 Growth scans would be good as more opportunity to see him in the second half sprint. Glad your 25 week appointment went well and no diabetes too!
😅As soon as I said about baby not moving she basically stopped being sneaky and kicks constantly now - I can finally see my tummy move with them sometimes too which is funny, I wonder if I’ll be able to see the feet and bum sticking out later down the line. Can’t really work out where my placenta is now as I get movement all over.

@ThePeachGoose Glad there’s a fellow Christmas lover on here! Your plans sound perfect - we’re with my other half’s dad and his partner this year which is usually incredibly chaotic and stressful (last time I cooked to try and calm it down but it was hell 🤣). Like @Fluffyted we alternate with parents. So I’ve put my pregnant foot firmly down and said we’re going out for Christmas lunch so the stress is minimised. We’ll probably only be there a few days anyway and then back to ours to see some of my family hopefully. Part of me secretly wishes we were just doing a party for 2 this year like you and soak up the last Christmas as a two.

@Fluffyted Awww glad baby girl is safely tucked up in there! Mad how they are already asking about birth plans - I can’t remember what you are choosing again? I’ve got some notes on my phone (I have a note for everything lol) of my preferences after reading a brilliant book called The Positive Birth Book. It’s been soooo helpful - if there’s any birth questions people have I’d definitely recommend it!

@Natty2 How are you feeling? Hope the cold has passed quickly?

@Leaf86 Your nursery sounds cute with those colours. I said I wasn’t going for pink and still love the Pigeon colour I am deciding between too, but even the bunting I’ve got is quite girlie. Little girl might not like pink like me 🤣🤣 Glad the yoga class was a success - I do feel a million times better after going to my pregnancy Pilates even though I really have to psyche myself up before going every Thursday, especially now it’s dark and cold! It’s been a good way of meeting other ladies having babies too and chatting about their experiences. Last Thursday it was just me, the teacher and one girl who was due a couple of days after the class and I was so excited for her. Can’t wait to be at that stage, or even just to Christmas so I can stop work and focus on my nesting activities and naps on the sofa watching nice films! My house is also old and has narrow hallways - my other half keeps threatening to move our console table in the hallway (I’ve only just panelled and decorated the hallway and it looks gorgeous) so I have that battle on my hands. Really though I think we’ll put the pram in the car a lot and just bring in the bassinet if baby has fallen asleep on a walk - so that’s my stance on it currently!

@YellowTack Welcome and congratulations! I think I’ve linked the first thread of all of us when we first got our BFPs to the start of this thread - you can see how anxious and worried we were over cramps, bleeding and those early weeks. But yes, cramps are normal - I still have random ones now I question like - WHAT IS THAT PAIN?! But baby is fine. ☺️ We’re all here if you are having a wobble though!

@Sierra26 Glad everything was all ok with baby and hopefully you can put the anxiety to bed for a few days until it comes back again.

Question for all - has anyone been to a sling library before? There’s one near my Pilates studio I am going to waddle down to try but was wondering if it’s better to wait until baby is here to do that so I can see how comfy they are with weight in? Or do they provide something like that to test with 🤣🤣

Im plodding along now - reached the 24 week hurdle and i’m now allowing myself to be 100% excited and positive. Obviously there are moments when I worry but I’m trying to stop myself. I have been SO EMOTIONAL though. Last night I cried because I was hungry and didn’t know what I wanted, I then cried because I felt like my partner wasn’t prioritising me and the baby (literally ludicrous as he’s doing so much the poor guy) because I had asked him to do a weekly shop with me and he pushed it to today instead and that was why I was hungry and we had nothing I wanted in 🤣🤣🤣 VERY emotional and unreasonable!
I’ll be glad when this week is over as we’ve had lots to do - tomorrow the coving people come and we’ve had to empty our bedroom of furniture and relocate to sleep upstairs in the spare room. It’s not been fun as the beds are smaller than ours and I am really bad with insomnia and I’ve kept him awake all night too. 🙃 Then we have to paint the ceilings and coving this weekend which I am not looking forward to. Is anyone else getting very overwhelmed and stressed by little things they wouldn’t usually or just me?! God help my partner if these emotions get worse - I am usually a VERY calm and chilled out person so this is very foreign territory for me now. I feel like a proper crazy lady 🤣🤣 My other half was laughing about last nights dinner tears this morning (too soon pal) and I ranted that the only reason I am more emotional is because I’ve got his crazy DNA in me and that if I’m like this it’s his fault 🤣 Honestly I don’t know how to control myself!

Sorry very very long post - hope I haven’t missed anyone! When’s everyone’s next appointments? I have my 25 week appointment the week after next, wondering what it will be like and what I’m measuring as I feel like I’ve got a bowling ball down my top now. Hope everyone is ok today and feeling good! 😊

Hi all, I’ve been a bit quiet recently which I guess is good as anxiety is down! I am also procrastinating on rooms as I am moving my little one out and decorating her a big girl room so our nursery will be largely untouched and the stress will be sorting out her decor (which I have a horrible feeling will involve peppa pig!)

it’s lovely to see everyone’s updates and things progressing so well ❤️

an update from the mh side should anyone be experiencing anything in the background, I got referred to talking therapies (in person sessions) and am 3 sessions in, the wait list was very small due to being preg and it is super helpful, we are considering what to do after these sessions but is great to have the support and to realise I’m not bonkers!

25 weeks today and next midwife appt on Tues next week- the I believe if I remember correctly they see you every 2 weeks till birth so a down hill slope 😊

also a Christmas lover here and spending with my fam this year which is even better!! 😂 can’t wait to get the decs up!!

@edf great you had the talking therapy, hope that was helpful. Good luck negotiating decorating with a toddler!!
Great you got another midwife appointment, mine don’t see me until 28 weeks (so a 12 week gap since my 16 week appt). And then it’s every 4 weeks after that, so I feel I will hardly see the midwives at all. I seem to remember many more appointments in previous pregnancies so my hospital must have stripped back.

My update is I got a private scan last night as still not feeling any consistent movements which is stressful as I’m 22 weeks now, so just wanted to see baby’s heartbeat and know that it is moving in there. All was well at the scan and really pleased I went as defo helpful to see the baby moving eventhough I couldn’t feel it. Could see the big fat placenta between baby and my tummy which is cushioning all her kicks and wriggles.

@AnnieStar12 Thats good news baby is all fine, hopefully seeing it’s ok and not feeling anything will help you feel less anxious. It’s only this week really that I’ve felt kicks that are hard enough to feel regularly so hopefully you aren’t too far behind. I haven’t a clue where my anterior placenta is now! Might be quite high up or more on one side as I definitely feel her on my right side and low down more than on my left. Hope you feel calmer now ☺️

@Edf Awww bless her, my parents used to hate a theme when I was little, I’m sure you can get her onboard with a subtle peppa-ing rather than the whole room 🤣
Really glad your sessions have been helpful with everything. You’re definitely not crazy! It’s mad how you feel so many emotions but have no real control over them in pregnancy. Are your friends being kinder now?
Yeah I think the norm is every 3 weeks from 25 weeks then from 34 weeks it’s every 2 weeks so I feel like it’s going to fly by. Sounds like we all have lots of house stuff and organising to do anyway which will pass the time very quickly!
Lucky you are with your fam this year which is always nicer - I’m looking forward to next year with my family at my parents new house with baby who will be nearly 1! I love babies that age - too cute! 🥰
Really glad you’re doing ok x

@HopefulllHolly wondering the same thing about a sling library! Am not sure if baby needs to be here so you can trial what suits.

@Edf glad you are finding your sessions helpful! You're definitely not bonkers! Pregnancy hormones have a lot to answer for!!!

@AnnieStar12 pleased your scan went well and hopefully you get some reassurance that baby is moving away yet you can't feel it. When I saw the placenta on the scan I was amazed at how thick it is!!!

I had my 25 week midwife appointment today. All good. Heard baby's heartbeat again 🥰 he started moving when she was listening. He jumped from 145 beats to nearly 190 and then settled again. Midwife said this a really good sign to hear heartbeat increase when he moves and then settle really quickly. It's like us running or doing some exercise.

@Leaf86 you sound quite active already with yoga, dog walks and a toddler! lol Apple Watch introduced a new mode for pregnancy where it doesn’t alert you for anything under 120 bpm and is generally more mindful of the changes, but yeah, maybe best to stay away from it altogether

@Sierra26 omg congrats! 7893 is an amazing hcg value at 5+5 so I don’t think you should be worried. your pregnancy is progressing nicely, but smart to have the tests done with all the spotting. fingers crossed for next week’s scan!

@HopefulllHolly your post about your crazy DNA made me laugh. It sounds like you’re quite busy in general so probably not looking to add one more thing in, but something that I’ve found quite useful at balancing my hormones, emotions and anxiety has been acupuncture. Especially after a few sessions I feel so much more balanced. But then again I haven’t reached your stage yet so who knows if the acupuncture will still do the job lol Working out also helps me to release the rage or the anxieties. Poor you!

@Edf such good news that you’ve been prioritised for talking therapies. those usually have such long waits! i’m pleased you’re finding them helpful

@AnnieStar12 how frustrating that you could see the baby moving but not feel them. hopefully once they get more forceful you can feel them even through the placenta

@DippyDuck19 so pleased to hear you had a positive 25 week midwife appt and that your baby is so active and healthy!

On my side, I’m 19 weeks today and patiently waiting for my 20 weeks scan which is on the 14th. I’ve been feeling little kicks all week, but I would have confused them with muscle spasms if I hadn’t worked out what they are last weekend. It’s cute to get some feedback.

I don’t know about you ladies, but I’ve been terrible with my Kegels and convinced that I was doing them wrong as they always felt hard to do and uncomfortable, so this week I went to see a physio for a pelvic floor assessment and it was very educational. I was indeed doing them wrong, putting too much of my whole body into it, really squeeeezing in there to make it count lol But I learned how to squeeze only the pelvic muscles during the session, without engaging the abs or any other part. It’s important to stay relaxed and breathe through it apparently. Lesson learned. Before the assessment, I really tried to understand, I even downloaded the NHS app Squeezy and followed their instructions and schedule, but the pelvic floor physio was not a fan of the app. She said that the relaxation part is just as important as the squeezing and you should allow just as long or in my case double the time to fully relax the pelvic floor. I’m personally terrible at focusing on one muscle and flexing that one alone though, which may not be an issue for other people. Anyway, I’m posting all my lessons in here in case it’s useful for anyone else.

Another thing I learned during the pelvic floor assessment is that the physio can actually insert a finger into the vagina and feel the pelvic anterior and posterior muscles, when I contracted and when I relaxed. Now funnily enough, the exact next day, I wake up to a funny discharge that looks a lot like thrush. Now I have no clue whether it’s been brewing in there for a while, or whether the lube she used caused it or just pushed it over the edge, but now I seem to have something new to deal with. It seems pretty common in pregnancy with all the hormonal changes, but I really wanted to get a swab done today to be sure. Because right before my IVF round I had a discharge that presented like thrush but in the end was gardnerella, so I had to take antibiotics and it can be quite problematic for conception and pregnancy. I really hope it hasn’t come back!

But today I went to the Maternity Assessment Unit for the first time, now that I’ve graduated from the EPU, and everyone has been absolutely lovely. I called in and they told me i can come in for a swab at any time today and we’ll learn in 3-5 days the result, but that it sounds like thrush so they just gave me a pessary and cream to use tonight, to treat it early if it's that. And if it’s not that, we’ll know in a few days what it is. Clearly no issue is too small for them, which is reassuring, especially for those days when I can’t feel the movements.

Hope everyone has had a good week otherwise and lots of fun plans for the weekend.