Over 40 and pregnant with twins

[Hobbes39]

Hi - I'm just looking for people in the same boat and can't find a thread already...
I'm 41, 42 soon, and currently 7w pregnant with twins - after multiple rounds of IVF. I have a 5.5 year old DS (naturally conceived - if only we'd known how hard it would be to have a sibling!).
I'm obviously delighted, but utterly terrified of having additional risks - on top of my age - with this very much wanted pregnancy. I'm scared there will be something wrong with them and just scared for their safety....
Just wondering if anyone else wants to come along for the ride with me? I'm v conscious that this may all go wrong yet, but 🤞 these ones stick!
I haven't even got to the stage of the scary part of actually having 2 newborns at once - I just feel that's so far off still...

Brilliant scan pic. What’s your official due date?
I’m due in August with an induction date of 31st July. My last babies were 9lb 8oz and 9lb 9oz, I make them big and bouncy. My eldest has just turned four and is beginning to stretch out and loose the extra weight which fascinating to watch😊
Sadly I’ve put on most of the baby weight in my thighs 😂 gone from a bmi of 22 to 28 in three months. But my bump is still quite small.

Wow - 26 weeks - not too long now! I can imagine it must feel uncomfortable - Are you doing anything differently to try to help? I feel quite 'heavy' down there at the end of the day already, which had freaked me out, as worried that the babies are going to fall out...🙈
I'm still really tired, but queasiness has pretty much gone now. I'm nervous about the NIPT - worries that I'm beginning to believe this might happen, but scared still that something will go wrong. I don't know if we will find out the sex, given the long road we've had to get here I really don't mind either way, I just want them to be healthy and happy.. but I am def curious, so will see later on...! NIPT blood test can tell you sex if you have singleton, but with twins they can't distinguish between the 2 babies, so from what I understand the NIPT could tell me if it's 2 girls or if one or both of them are boys, but wouldn't be able to tell me if one of each or if both boys. My DS would like a sister, he's always banged on about baby sister, but I'm sure he'd be delighted with baby bro too!

@Runningbutnotscared - were your first 2 twins as well?!
Funnily enough what you said about doing some marathons - I'm not a runner, but I had agreed to do a half marathon this year in a bid to give me something to focus on other than infertility... bought myself some fancy new trainers just before getting my BFP! Needless to say they are still looking v shiny and new and unused!!

@Hobbes39
No, no twins in my family. These two are down to my advanced age and my body just throwing out eggs.

So funny that your ds wants a sister, very cute. Have you told him your pregnant? Have you told him it’s two?
I told my ds and, in theory, he’s quite excited. I’ve also bought him a bike for the twins to give him to make the transition a bit easier!

@Runningbutnotscared - no not told him yet - holding off til NIPT results.
I'm too scared to tell him yet in case there is something wrong & it would break his wee heart as he's been desperate for a sibling for a long time now... (he's 5.5) we had a v basic chat with him a while ago about how it's not always that easy for some people to have babies and that while we would like to have another one we might not be that lucky - he said "me too, I'd love to have a baby brother or sister especially sister" ❤️
I've no idea why he'd prefer a sister - hopefully he won't be gutted if they are 2 boys!

Hi all - not posted on here in a while but had a question for you @CritterTamer and any others...
I'm just over 16w now and I have a really heavy feeling low down in my vagina (sorry tmi, but have to ask)
I'm slightly worried about it as I'm scared these babies are going to come out too soon.. 😬
Anyone else had a similar feeling ? I'm doing keegals as often as I can..! I just feel like everything is squished down down there - I have to move when I pee to be able to completely empty my bladder too... should I contact my midwife or is this usual with multiples?! Thanks x

Hey @Hobbes39 - yes I felt similar from around week 14 to week 20, the pressure pains were low down around my cervix and the very bottom of my uterus and it started getting difficult to walk comfortably. I remember feeling similar to you. It turned out that I did have a low lying placenta which was pulling away around my cervix and the doctor did that could be causing the discomfort (it also bled) and an 'irritable' cervix and uterus. At 20 weeks I felt better and the scan showed that placenta had started to move up. All that low down pressure is back now though lol - I suspect it is here to the end now! Since around that time I've also only been able to fully empty my bladder by leaving forward a bit after I think I've finished a wee lol - that one gets worse not better lol!

Not me but my grandmother had twins at 43 56 years ago!

Congratulations

Hi hobbes can i join you? Although I'm 29 and not IVF I'm 18+4 weeks with twins and can say that the heavy feeling you describe is what I'm feeling at the minute too.

Thank you @CritterTamer - that's reassuring to know that you had a similar feeling - I don't remember feeling like this til MUCH later on with my DS, but it's good to know you had it and are out the other side - will see what midwife says at my next appointment (not til 1st May) anyway!
That's not such good news about the peeing tho!! Its a nightmare - and am concerned about getting an infection if I don't empty fully... but again will mention to midwife just in casebut wont ring her in a flap!
@boodles101 - hi, thanks for reassurance too - are these your first babies or do you have older DC? I feel worried it's cos my pelvic floor never fully recovered after my DS (5), but hopefully it's just one of those things and I guess 2 babies are extra heavy! X

I already have a 2 year old DS so yes could possibly be pelvic floor as I had a few issues too but they resolved after a few months.

@CritterTamer - hi - saw your post on the other thread and wanted to pm you, but can't actually work out how from the app... can you tell me more here about what happened for you? If you arent happy to discuss here maybe if you Pm me I can reply?! Thanks! X

Hi all. my DH and I have just found out we are pregnant following a 5dt of two fresh embryos. I had some mild OHSS that had abated by transfer although there was still some fluid showing when they did our transfer but they did it anyway. I am 42, nearly 43, and this is our second round of IVF. We were lucky enough to have 5 blastocysts with two that were the highest grading you can get. Both were implanted because of my age. A week after transfer I was on my knees with OHSS. 10 days on and after daily blood thinning injections and other medication my OHSS is calming down. However, I am now panicking about pretty much everything: OHSS and the increased risk of pre-eclampsia; my age and the risk of chromosomal deformity; the increased risk of having twins; the risk of miscarriage; the impact of my BMI (it is high at the moment) absolutely everything. The clinic who undertook our IVF seem more concerned about the fact they did a fresh transfer, and of two embryos, when I was showing fluid from OHSS. I have my scan on 13 April. Today, my weight dropped by 2 kilos and my OHSS seems much better which is now making me worry about a missed miscarriage that is being concealed by the progesterone I am on. I am a very pragmatic person normally and it is not as if we didn’t go over all of these issues before we began IVF again and before transfer. I am worried I am going to spend this pregnancy terrified.