Pregnant (IVF) Worriers

[Dildals]

Hi everyone,

This thread is for all you incessant worriers out there, not necessarily limited to IVF-ers, although I get the feeling the people who have had trouble TTC are more prone to worrying than others!

A few of us graduated from the IVF thread (link below) and are having a go at our own thread to get out of the other IVF-ers hair! So get your roomy jogging bottoms on for some virtual hand holding, mutual symptom spotting and staying sane until the next scan date.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1691674-Excellent-Egg-Buddies-continued-Anyone-having-IVF-ICSI-in-Jan-Feb-and-March-2013-please-join-us

fairy pretty pleased with it myself! Running gives you more of a workout though, and it's nicer to be outside, rather than stuck in a pool looking at a line on the floor. Not to mention smelling of chlorine for hrs afterwards ...

I just had to stop running, the pressure on my pelvic floor was just getting a bit too much. Am doing Kegel exercises pretty much every waking moment.

I went to my first pregnancy pilates class today as well. It felt adequately challenging, not too much not too little, but lots of little sore bits now walking home, muscle below my tailbone (does that even exist?) and sort of around my groin/ovaries? how random .. who was the pilates afficionado again MrsH or expatal? Is this normal? I haven't hurt the babies have I? I am ashamed to admit I have googled this just now ... I assume it is just because all my stomach & surrounding muscles are expanding and stretching ...

I also had a chat with the pilates instructor at work (who, incidentally also does the boxing class, what a combo!). He's more than happy to take on a pregnant woman with twins. Good stuff. So we'll try him out on Thursday.

My colleague married a midwife, who works at the King's labour ward ... what an excellent choice! And he's given me her email address AND she's happy to answer all my questions about twin births. How incredibly kind and fabulous. Looking forward to that, in a strange way.

keep good going on the scan, it's fabulous isn't it to see the heartbeat!

Yes - house, country, job....

Hi Carlie congratulations- 16 weeks is just brilliant. Have you felt any kicks yet? I'm clueless, BTW, at 7.5 weeks, so if it's too early for all that I've not said it to worry you.

Dildals, you should feel your muscles but not really feel sore and if you're sore under your tailbone the instructor wasn't supervising you enough - I guess you did some pelvic tilts - something like that? You shouldn't use your tailbone area to rise but your muscles instead. Did the instructor talk you through that? If not, make sure you mention it next time and ask to be shown. This is what all of pilates builds on so good to get it straight from the beginning.
I imagine that it might make you a little sore generally as you're making two in there so everything must be changing very quickly. Great that your work instructor is happy to take you on. Really stress with him that this is a very precious pregnancy and doing immaculate scissors isn't really high in your priorities.

God, what a bossy post. Sorry, in work mode.

Thank you keep. Not felt anything yet, apparently any time from now onwards I may feel something. That will feel like another huge step! Have an appointment with the MW later today so am hoping she'll confirm that and hopefully we'll hear the heartbeat. I think the MW can hear it from now any way? Everything is new!!!!! I feel like I have a question for absolutely everything!!

In regard to exercise -I've been doing an aqua natal class and love it. Its fun and nice to meet other mums to be, as well as making me feel like I've done some exercise!!

Ooh carlie how exciting, I hope you hear the heartbeat today!

Hi Carlie! Sorry for missing you out. Congrats on your pregnancy - 16 weeks is great! Good luck with your apt today. Hope you get to hear the heartbeat.

Hello Ladies
I'm back to earth with a bump and have just spent an enjoyable half hour or so reading all that has happened in my absence.

First and foremost congratulations to Mariana! How absolutely wonderful. I must admit that your description of your lovely little girl being asleep on your lap made me cry. I wish you all loads of best wishes and many happy times getting to know the new addition to your family.

Keep Congrats on your scan. What a relief! Such good news. Isn't it amazing to see the heartbeat?

Fairy and congrats to you for your nuchal scan results. Again such a relief. I'm glad that you are enjoying being pg now.

Carlie and Tanlee Welcome to you both. Lovely to have you on board.

Dildals can I ask you which prenatal pilates class you attended? I might sign up!

MrsH I hope that your scan goes well today. I think that you will be in there now.

Expat, I hope that your scan was ok. How lovely to live in Belgium. I am desperate to move now. After being in a tiny Cornish village, London is quite a challenge. Thank goodness that I'm off work this week.

Have I missed anyone? I hope not but hello to everyone else if I have. I'm glad that you are all well and things are progressing nicely.

AFM, I had my booking appointment with the MW yesterday. Amazingly she came to the house and apparently all my appts will be at home. She was absolutely lovely and I am very relieved to have abit of support. She will see us through now to birth and beyond. She mentioned having a home birth if I wanted. I'm not sure I'm ready to think about that yet. She said we don't have to decide until the day if I don't want to.

I have the Harmony test and 1st scan at FMC on Friday and then have to go back 2 weeks later for the nuchal scan and Harmony results. Then I have the NHS 12 week scan the week after. I really hope that the results are ok and then I think that I might relax abit. Only a little bit mind!

Well I'd better get some lunch. Its good to be back with you all and speak to you later.

love
Shazza xx

Shazza I have been wondering how you are. I'd be happy to swop places with you - I really miss London. My anomaly scan isn't until next Thursday - it will be just under 21 weeks then.
How many weeks are you now?

Hello
Welcome newbies and welcome back Shazza!
Well, first hurdle completed, mini-me measuring correctly and yolk sack and heartbeat looking super. I was so grateful to the sonographer, she'd barely got the wand inside me before she pronounced that she could see the heartbeat! It really was amazing. DH got a bit teary. I thought I would, but instead I just wanted to punch the air
Still long way to go but today is a GOOD day.
Thinking of going in for a private scan at 10 wks to check everything still fine. I must admit I know next to nothing about nuchal and Harmony tests, can someone explain it if you can be at all bothered?? Xxx

Hurrah! A GOOD day indeed! Great news MrsH, very happy for you. I don't really know the details of the harmony test so will leave that to an expert.

Fab news mrs! I don't know much about the harmony test either but I think it's a test of the mother' blood that can identify chromosomal abnormalities rather than just predicting the likelihood or having to have an invasive test like amnio.

Hi MrsH - fantastic news!

At your 12 week scan they take blood, to measure your free beta HCG and PAPP-A levels, and do the scan to measure the nuchal fold (the scruff of your neck), check for a nasal bone, look at the bloodflow thru the heart. The outcome of those plus your maternal age, whether you have done IVF or not, have multiples or not is then put in to a computer programme which spits out a probability. This is about 95% (I think , it was 90% accurate for twins) accurate for singletons.
It really only becomes worthwhile looking at further tests when your probabilities come close to the 1/150. This is because the diagnostic tests (which would give you certainty) have a risk of miscarriage of between 1-1.5% (1/100 - 1/150).
The beauty of the Harmony test is that they can give you an accurate diagnostic of downs etc via a blood test, so no risk of miscarriage. The Fetal Medicine Centre is doing a 'deal' (which is not on the net) of scan + test for £180.
Your chances, based only on maternal age, go up substantially the older you get.
So it depends a little on how old you are and whether you are happy to trust the NHS! My scan was so thorough that I didn't bother with a private scan, but Harmony wasn't going to work for me anyway cos of the additional fugitive I am harbouring.

For now just enjoy the good news before you start worrying yourself sick about the next step!

Yay!!! Well done Mrs!!! :) it's totally brilliant, isn't it? I have another scan at 9+4 private medicine and understand you wanting another Pre 12/13 weeks.

Hey shaz hope you had a good holiday. How are you feeling?

Hello everyone

MrsH brilliant news. So exciting! And such a relief. I have decided to have the harmony at FMC as dildals explains below cause at the grand old age of 42 I'm nervous about the results. The £180 covers 2 scans and the bloods. You have to do it between 10-11 weeks. I'm going for a dating scan (much like you have just had I think) and blood test tomorrow (I'll be 10 wks tomorrow) and then in 2 weeks time I go back for a nuchal scan and the results of the bloods. I've also got my NHS scan booked for the week after.

My midwife had never heard of harmony. So I'm going to do the NHS tests as well as back up.

I'm praying that the results will be ok and then I might be able to start to go with the flow abit. Although Mr Shaz commented on how calm and happy I am at the moment

Have a good day girls. Im enjoying this not going to work lark just abit too much.

X

Morning all, glad to hear of good news for some of you, a little reassurance makes the world of difference doesn't it!

I had my 16 week MW appointment yesterday, we got to hear the heartbeat which was just what I needed. Although a trainee MW was checking for the heartbeat whilst my regular MW was asking me all sorts of questions about weight, sickness etc at the same time. I don't think she realised how desperate we were to just listen to it and enjoy it. She's lovely, I guess its just her job so she must listen to little heartbeats all day long!

One thing that has confused me though......my due date had changed based on the results of my 13 week scan. The fertility clinic told us the due date wouldn't change at all as we know the date the embryos were transferred etc. It's only been brought forward 5 days, but that also dated me a week ahead, so I'm actually 17+3 and not 16+3 like we thought. Does anyone know why this might be or had a similar thing? Its nice to be a week ahead obviously, just unsure which date to go by?

That's great you heard the heartbeat Carlie. I think I'd go with the original dates, as you know exactly where you are. I guess the issue would come if you went over and they'd want to induce you a week earlier than otherwise. Did you explain/ask the midwife? Maybe she needs to check with someone as she'll just be going by the usual rules of size etc.

Hi all.
Carlie, this happened during my 12 week scan too. I was put as 13,6 weeks. My ob told me that it's because that was what the baby was measuring during the scan but the original due date would not change.

I completely understand those who want another scan before the nuchal one. I was a complete ball of stress by the time the nuchal scan came around and lost it completely when we saw the baby. It's a long time to wait when your insane mind is insisting that there's nothing inside your belly and you've imagined the whole thing.

carlie I would ring midwife and discuss the due date again. As keep says, the due date can become an issue if you go over and they start pressuring you to be induced. It's up to you of course but is rather avoid that if at all possible. The egg collection date really is key because that is when the baby was conceived, regardless of how big it is now.

Hello Everyone
Hope you have all had a good day.
Carlie, the MW said something to me about the possibility of my dates changing and to be honest I can't remember why now. So much information to remember. I would ask as well. Best to be clear rather than worry unnecessarily.
Got my Harmony bloods and 1st scan tomorrow at 10. Mr Shaz can't make it cause he has a meeting with a gallery than can't be changed. So my mum is coming. She is thrilled to have a chance to see Shazlett, they didn't have such things as scans in her day, and I don't have to go on my own. Suddenly my head is full of 'what ifs' again and I'm worried about it being bad news.
Oh on another note, the constipation is much better (thanks for the prunes tip Fairy) but I'm burping like a sailor! Is this normal? I never usually burp.
Have a good evening.

Shaz xx

shazza I burp all the time too. It's your uterus expanding upwards and squishing your stomach. Just another aspect of the magic of pregnancy!

On the plus side I have finally used my last progesterone pessary! It's farewell to fanny candles and bye bye bum bullets! I never ever want to see you again!

I have eight more days fairy, till 9 weeks. Can't wait either!

Good luck shaz! Enjoy!!

How can they change the due date if you've had IVF? My ob was very clear that they need to know the real date which is established when you're first pregnant from IVF. The scans automatically adapt according to the measurements but they can't change the original date. I would call the MW and check this because it could impact several scenarios later in pregnancy.

I have a new neurotic fear. This will sound like stealth boasting but it isn't. I have never suffered from constipation apart from in very early pregnancy. I was like that when I was pregnant before too. I thought I was just lucky but now it's occurred to me that perhaps my prog levels drop dramatically so I don't get constipated and maybe that's what went wrong last time. Also, if I am not is the baby absorbing anything? Will I sound like a loon if I ask to have my prog levels checked?

Shazza, Harmony and scan today! Good luck!