BFPs following IVF to take symptoms & scans

[Justawannabemam]

Hi everyone.

I've started this group for us to chat about our symptoms, scans and any other pregancy related issues after getting a BFP following IVF/IUI/ICSI.

It is by no means to leave anyone out of the previous groups we have been in, where we all offer advice and help during an IVF cycle.

We all know hearing people's positive pregancy news can be heart breaking. I just found on the group that we are talking scans, symptoms, signs and positive tests I'm very conscious that those currently mid cycle may get upset.

We can all still give advice but maybe we could use this group as our pregnancies progress.

I've tagged who I remember from the last group, please feel free to add others as they join us on this next phase of our journey or if I have missed anyone.

@W1ngingit
@Millymillymillymillymilly
@womaninkent
@xreadytoglow
@Bluehawaii29
@Bryterlayter1

Awww so happy for you @Overlyanxious glad everything went well. Hope your arms feels better soon! I had a huge bruise from one a couple of weeks ago.

@xreadytoglow @Overlyanxious great to hear you both had really good scans! So nice to see in good detail after all the gummy bear early scans I bet. Mine is in 4 days now, know so many people who had their scans this week, feel left out of the fun haha enjoy telling your friends and family the good news xx

Thanks @xreadytoglow

Thanks @Bluehawaii29 you’re so close to getting your scan.

I’m assuming I’ll get a letter at some point to tell me about the 20 week scan, but have my next midwife appointment booked in for 3 weeks’ time.

@Overlyanxious thank youuu omg it’s 2 days left of meds ahhhh this is crazy. Can’t imagine a life without them lol how did you do it in the end? Just stopped them all or pessaries for a few days after? xx

Hi! I’m so glad I found this thread.

I’m 7 weeks 3 days pregnant following my first round of ivf. I had a scan at 6 weeks as I was having ovary pain and it showed the baby is where it should be and is measuring for the correct dates. Also saw the heartbeat.

Ive taking crinone progesterone, for the past week I’ve been having brown discharge which weirdly started the morning of the scan (before the scan) so I don’t think it’s because of the internal scan. I’ve been reading up on it and it seems normal but I had brown discharge with my last pregnancy, didn’t think anything of it and ended up having a MMC at 12 weeks.

I have my 8 week scan next week from the ivf clinic but I just hate the waiting-I’m just so convinced it will be bad news. Has anyone else had this? How long did it last? Thanks x

@FruitTwistFanta hi I think it’s normal to have brown discharge in pregnancy even if you’re not on the pessaries. Have had friends who had it all the way through and gave birth to healthy babies. I had it a few times after scans mainly but then it usually stopped after a few days. I wouldn’t worry about it, I don’t think it was the reason for the MMC either. It may have been a coincidence. The pessaries are known to make the cervix more sensitive hence why it can bleed more easily after scans and the brown mucus discharge is definitely normal as far as I know as long as it’s pale and not dark.

@Bluehawaii29 yay only 2 days. I just stopped them all as I only had enough to take me to the day before 12 weeks. I felt a bit worried but it’s been fine and it’s lovely not having to think about them. I keep thinking I’m forgetting something though.

Welcome and congratulations @FruitTwistFanta I’ve not had experience of brown spotting but heard it’s normal. It may be that your body will always do that when pregnant which is why you had it with your MMC.

@Bluehawaii29 Wow can’t believe you have a bump already! Mine want remotely visible before 16 weeks, and only really become noticeable to others around the 20 week mark! Good you got to see family even if you were tired, and taking regular time off work sounds really good.

@Overlyanxious @xreadytoglow Congrats on scans!

@FruitTwistFanta Tentative congratulations! I only had brown discharge with my CP but a lot of us on here had fresh blood with SCHs. Bodies do weird things during pregnancy so I would try as much as you can not to worry and just take each day as it comes :)

Home today from break - weather wasn’t too bad though some rainy mornings. Still managed to get out hiking though and achieved more than I thought I might, so feeing quite proud of my body after this week!

Thanks everyone. I need to just stop stressing but it’s so difficult when I feel like it’s going to be snatched away at any moment!

@Bluehawaii29 good luck for your scan 😊 I can't believe how fast it's all come around! I'll be 14wks on Saturday, the time is flying by now. I tried to taper the pessaries off but in the end I think I only did an extra 2 or 3 days of only using one then just stopped. I didn't have any bleeding or anything after.

Hi @FruitTwistFanta congratulations 😊 good luck for your scan next week. The brown discharge sounds very normal, try not to worry. I'm not familiar with crinone, is that a pessary or injection? I was going to suggest if it's a pessary and if it's for rectal use also, try putting it up that way! It helped me after I had bleeding because of the progesterone irritating my cervix. Try and keep yourself busy until next week, the fact you've seen a heartbeat is a great sign.

Glad you had a nice break @2mumlife and you got to do more than you thought. Our bodies really are amazing!

We are busy busy busy with the house right now, just trying to get that into some kind of order so that we can move in. I'm really tired at the minute, way more than I was in first trimester, so finding the days more difficult! My bump is noticeable now in tighter clothing and in my work scrubs. The past few days have been incredible telling everyone. People at work are looking at my belly and saying they can't believe they didn't notice it before 😂! Insane that in a couple of weeks I might start feeling some flutters, if I'm lucky enough to start feeling anything that early. Fingers crossed 🤞🏼

@xreadytoglow yeah I know it’s crazy how time is flying now. Never would have imagined I’d get to this day with one day left of meds and scan on Monday. I’m going back in the Gp practice on Friday for the first time in over 3 months! I still wear scrubs too, wonder if anyone will notice.my bump shows more in tighter clothing too but generally have got rounder in that area and people who know me always remember me being slim so should be interesting what looks I get 😂
@2mumlife thank you yes I don’t know how the bump came already tbh, I was expecting it to be later as well but apparently it can happen in first trimester too. I’ve started taking weekly pics of the bump and saw a definite growth this week compared to last week. Regular time off work definitely needed. This week off went very fast but was nice to see family and had them over yesterday as well and chilled in the garden which was nice. This evening going to finally meet my husbands close cousin and his wife and kids for dinner and he will tell the news there. I’m feeling my energy levels are a bit better but last night woke up twice to go to the toilet which was not good and every day this week I still been getting up at 7am. Not sure when I will be able to have a lie in again!

Hey all

Firstly I must apologise. I know I have gone off the radar. But my mind has been in other places.

Weve had lots of scans the last couple of weeks. And the twins sharing the sac were behind. I went on Wednesday and nothing had improved. So I went back yesterday and our pregancy is continuing with one healthy baby due 30th October. Weve had lots of emotions, tears, anger . Rage but this morning feels like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We are forever grateful that we have achieved and expecting one baby, something we didn't even know was possible for us. And I can totally sympathise with anyone who has been in our situation. We've had 2 rounds first ended in CP , 2nd we transferred 2 and tested positive with 3 babies which we are now progressing with one.

I've not really caught up on the messages I think there are a few pages worth. I'll get round to it shortly. I hope everyone is well. X

To those who are still on this journey . Do not give up, you may think that it will never work. Take it from me I thought exactly the same. A little time to reset gather your thoughts and try again.

@FruitTwistFanta its difficult not to worry - I worry all the time. If you can find any distractions though that would be good.

@2mumlife that’s great you got to do a lot more hiking. What happens now you’ve had your 20 week scan? Do you have midwife appointments?

@xreadytoglow that’s exciting about the house. I also feel ridiculously tired as well. I don’t feel as nauseous but it’s still there a little bit. I’m so glad you are enjoying telling people. I’ve still got quite a few more people to tell. My wife is telling the world but I have anxiety about telling people, which I wish would just go away.

@Bluehawaii29 that’s nice you get to tell more people. I think my bump has reduced a bit since stopping the meds. When we told my MiL she said she thought I had been putting on weight but she was waiting for a few weeks before saying something. 3 months is a long time to have been away from the practice - will definitely be a shock for them to see your bump.

@Justawannabemam you’ve been through a lot and all those emotions are expected but I’m glad to hear you still have your singleton x

@Justawannabemam I'm sorry to hear your news. It must have been so difficult to go through these past 3 months. Congratulations for your singleton though, that's such good news and I hope the rest of your pregnancy is smooth sailing. 🤍

@Bluehawaii29 good luck for your scan today. Can't wait to hear all about it.

@Justawannabemam sending you big hugs and congratulation on your precious healthy singleton.

For me the 8th week came and brought vomiting lol I had only suffered nausea since the 6th week but now it's getting worst. I can barely eat because I don't feel like it. The only thing that helps is thinking so many studies link morning sickness with healthy placenta growth. To be honest, morning sickness has eased my anxiety.

I have decided not to have a new scan until the 12th week after my 7th week one. Most women don't have one until then anyway and I feel, after all the stress the other put me through, it's nice to just "relax" and live day by day my pregnancy.

That said I have a small bump already showing. When I touch my belly myself it is hard and from the outside it's starting to take shape!

@xreadytoglow How exciting to get into the new place :) I found telling people made it feel more real. I didn't show for ages, and only started feeling movements that I really could attribute to fetus at the 19/20 week mark. They weren't that consistent at first, particularly during the new, but the last couple of days (approaching 23 weeks) seem to have got stronger and a lot more noticeable

@Bluehawaii29 I'm glad you got to enjoy week off even if it did seem short - Im feeling the same, wish I had another week off! But then only a couple of weeks until we're off to Majorca so can't complain! I wake up more regularly in the night too -I do tend to get up and go to the toilet, but actually I think the waking up is more to do from lower back pain and going to the toilet is more an excuse just to move my back a bit really! Hope the evening with telling your husbands cousin went well :)

@Justawannabemam I've been wondering how you're getting on - it must have been such a tough few weeks, and such a mixed back of emotions. Hopefully with a bit of time you can now get the chance to enjoy your pregnancy after these rollercoaster few months

@Overlyanxious Its hard when one of you wants to tell everyone and the other is more cautious. I don't know how you're finding people's reactions - I've been really surprised how few people have asked any questions about how we conceived as a same sex couple. The only amusing one we had was an old flatmate of mine who is in her 40s but froze her eggs in her 30s who asked a lot of questions (she's really at the age where its now or never for her having a child). She also accidentally likened me to my DPs surrogate lol. So I have my last cervix check on Thursday (which I'm expecting to be totally fine) and whilst I'm at the hospital also getting to meet my midwife for the first time for the 22 week (though I'll be 23 weeks) appointment - my booking appointment was done over the phone, and then I've not had any midwife appointments because I was getting cervix checks at the hospital instead, so I'm looking forward to actually getting to talk to a midwife! I'm also should be getting my MAT1B form at the appointment so I can start progressing things with HR about maternity leave which is exciting, and I'm hoping they'll also give us info about how to sign up for antenatal classes so we can book those in, and I think we get to register for the baby box (a Scottish thing) at this appointment too. I then get to have a break from appointments at long last, and don't have any other appointments scheduled until 28 weeks, when I'm in for the GTT and start the IVF growth scans. That morning will be a long one, but at least DP can come as our 20 week scan was in the evening so she's still got one more paid time-off to attend antenatal scan, so going to use it to come to the growth scan and see how fetus is doing.

@2mumlife that's good that you haven't had many comments. We're also a same sex couple and unfortunately had a couple from a family member. She was far more interested in who the donor was and made a remark that the baby 'was nothing to do with' my wife, genetically speaking.
I've also found that work colleagues are very brazen about asking how we conceived, I've had a couple of questions about the donor too.. just really wanting details I wasn't planning on giving away. They're not doing it maliciously, they're just interested, but I don't think they realise how private that is. 🙄 I've been very gracious for the first couple of questions but I'm going to start being a bit blunt now. It's hard because I know they're so happy for me but, boundaries guys!

So lovely you're feeling more pronounced movements now.

@xreadytoglow I’m sorry you got that remark from a family member. I’ve had a few people ask about how you find a sperm donor but luckily not too many questions. Generally no comments really. I think being more blunt is good - I don’t think people realise how intrusive they are being. My 5 year old niece asked what we will call ourselves as it would be confusing if we both call ourselves mummy (we don’t have an answer for that yet). There are quite a lot of children in my family and they’ve always assumed we will have a baby and only 1 has asked us how two woman can have a baby (at the time he was really into the finding out how babies were made).

@2mumlife that will be good having a break from appointments. A baby box sounds exciting. That’s a shame your DP wasn’t able to go to the 20 week scan - but the growth scan will be good. It’s so exciting how far along you are. I can’t wait for my 20 week scan. I thought I had the appointment sent through today but it was one for my Rhesus Negative.

Hi everyone sorry been quiet. Just got quite anxious towards the 12 week scan and stopped meds yesterday so that was another big milestone. @Justawannabemam I’m sorry to hear about the two but am glad your singleton is doing well and hope you can start to relax more now x
@xreadytoglow thanks for remembering my scan today.
it truly was amazing. Saw baby waving and doing somersaults. Everything was looking normal and it was measuring 6cm so 2 days ahead of dates (12 week+3) and we got two beautiful pics framed. The abdo scan was much better this time and she was very very gentle and NT was normal thickness/ had my bloods taken as well. Brain also looked normal hemispheres and they did a transvaginal scan to check my cervix length which was also normal. Luckily no spotting at all this time so must have been the other sonographer who was very rough last time. Has restored my faith in sonographer at least and am looking forward to 20week scan now. Also told a lot of family members today which was fun x
@2mumlife well done on getting to the 20 week scan and hope you have a lovely break in Majorca!
@bajanbump yes I took a break from scans too although my last one was at 9 week +2 with the ivf clinic so 3 week gap this time but it was really nice watching the bump grow and living in the moment.

@Overlyanxious that's good. I figure the nosey comments will stop soon once the novelty has worn off. Such a good question from your niece! That's crossed my mind too but I thought that they will figure that out for themselves naturally as they got older.

@Bluehawaii29 glad you had a good scan 🥰 bet you're on cloud nine. I'm already counting down the days until my next one ..

@Bluehawaii29 congratulations on the scan and it is lovely seeing the baby move. I totally get your scanxiety. I was a mess last week. Also great that you didn’t get any spotting.

@Overlyanxious @xreadytoglow thank you both 🥰

By the way, I just thought I would mention I am donor conceived. My dad has an extra chromosome so unfortunately he was not able to have kids.

I've read some of you ladies have used a sperm donor so I would be happy to answer any questions about being donor conceived (if you have any)

I'm a late discover (found out in my 30s) but I think there's a lot of things that are common to all donor conceived people.

In my case tho (which is not always the norm) I never got mad at my parents and i think love them even more for the sacrifices they went through.

Theres also some challenges about this reality (not gonna lie) but I am learning to navigate them

Thanks @bajanbump I’ve private messages you