Pregnant after Ivf, feeling weird

[Leegray80]

Hi ladies .
I am finally pregnant it's been a 10 year plus journey and now 8 week. I know I should be happy and excited but I feel nothing , I'm grumpy. My body has gone into a bloated mess people can tell I'm pregnant becuase I look so enormous . It's not how I expected to feel. You see all these gorgeous pregnant woman and I feel like a box on legs. I know I am totally lucky to be in this position and not ungrateful at all. It's just not how I expected to feel. Is this normal? Thanks Lee

Congratulations! I think it's normal esp at 8 weeks. most women i know were not glowing a gorgeous at 8 weeks. they felt awful!! Plus all your hormones are all over the place.

huge good luck and congrats :)

Do you have ovarian hyperstimulation? I had it (mildly) and looked about 4-5 months pregnant at that stage because of all the extra fluid.

I was an enormous bloated mess at that stage but it calmed down at about 10 weeks and I went back to "normal" before the bump grew. I'm not sure how much the bloating was due to the IVF and how much early pregnancy hormones but it did settle and the pregnancy bump looked and felt very different (and much nicer!) than the bloat.

Very many congratulations on your pregnancy. It's okay not to enjoy it all even though it's something long wanted. I hope you feel brighter soon.

I'm currently 22 weeks with an IVF pregnancy and felt awful for most of my first trimester. I had a huge belly and couldn't tell if it was pregnancy or IVF related, I had lots of excess hair growth, and had constant fatigue and nausea - not to mention from 8 weeks till 12 weeks I was bleeding on and off the whole time all during the height of Covid so getting medical help was really difficult.

Now I'm well in to my second trimester, I feel a million times better and my belly is actually about the same size but its baby this time rather than bloat. Hang in there, it does get better. IVF pregnancies have a special level of anxiety but hopefully it will be worth it. Sending you lots of positive vibes.

Congratulations! Don't worry- sounds normal to me. Pregancy is stressful, hard work imho and hormones are all over the place.

Thanks every one. It's probably just the hormones making me feel flat

To be honest, the first few weeks are the worst - you feel nauseous, bloated and extremely exhausted. The good thing is that if you have these feelings, it means the pregnancy is progressing. Basically, you just have to go with the flow when it comes to pregnancy (I've had four pregnancies! Three babies and one miscarriage). It's a weird, magical time, full of ups and downs - but a rich part of being a woman and a mother - an experience which will link you to so many other women, both present and past! Good luck and congratulations!

Oh crap I’ve had three rounds of ivf with two pregnancies from it.

Your body has been pumped with so many hormones Plus the new pregnancy hormones so it’s completely normal for feel like an alien.

I hated being pregnant, it really didn’t suit me. Grumpy, fed up tired. I balloon massively , my boobs grew in to a ridiculous size and were ridiculously heavy hitting my back and have big babies, my hips suffered and I felt like a hippo. It was one of the factors that put me off going for my last egg.

It will be worth it when the babies here honestly!

@Leegray80 firstly congrats! I'm 11+1 after an FET and have been feeling very similar - completely understandable after how much it has taken you to get this far. I think the mix of pregnancy hormones, extra meds and the constant worry about something being wrong makes it worse. As pps say, hopefully will improve after 12 weeks.

There is a thread running for a few of us in a similar situation if you wanted to join us to chat and get some support
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/3970776-BFP-through-IVF-Thread-to-calm-the-nerves

Congrats! And 100 times yes, totally normal, I was really bloated at that stage too. The bloating should subside soon and then around week 16 you'll start seeing a little round bump.

I also went through a feeling nothing stage, felt completely disconnected. I honestly found the first trimester the hardest because of how the hormones made me feel. I felt sick, weepy, tired and overwhelmed. I'm overdue now, but still feel better than I did in the first trimester.

Don't put too much pressure on yourself to feel a certain way, this is a totally new experience.

I guarantee that most (if not all) the pregnant women you've seen have been through a bloated/puffy stage our bodies are incredible 💪