BFPs after IVF - navigating pregnancy - pt 2!

[xreadytoglow]

@Bluehawaii29
@Overlyanxious
@bajanbump
@2mumlife
@Bryterlayter1
@Justawannabemam

Thread two! We reached 1k comments! 🤍

@Bluehawaii29 Try not to worry if consultant is saying there is no reason to expect you wont make it to 30 weeks. You've got to prep sometime :) The third trimester for me has just been full of thinking bump can't get bigger (it does). I have lots of random tightening pains etc for weeks and all is absolutely fine - its just your uterus expanding, bits of ligament pain, baby getting cramped and possibly braxton hicks. Try doing some mindfulness if you start worrying to keep yourself as relaxed as possible. Great to hear you've arranged the c-section you wanted.

@Gigi89x I'm lucky I'm a side sleeper, but normally sleep on my right cuddling partner, so I've stuck with that. I've found the last few weeks though I've woken up a few times on my back (I think I maybe get stuck like a turtle turning in the night now lol)

@Overlyanxious I'm finishing work this week (end of Week 38) though next week I'm technically on annual leave rather than mat leave (not starting mat leave until my due date). I would say it's been fine but only because I work from home - I really think I would have been struggling if I needed to work in an office. Since 35 weeks or so driving has been really quite uncomfortable, and I've found several days in the week I've appreciated a nap in the afternoon, which has been fine as I have flexible working. But just to say if you can afford to take some annual leave before mat leave I'd recommend it, as I'm so glad to have made it to the end of working

@2mumlife aww thanks for your message. Yeah seems like third trimester gonna have it’s own challenges! Just gotta keep pushing on. That’s so exciting you have started mat leave essentially! Put your feet up now and enjoy the peace and quiet for a little bit xx

@2mumlife I can't believe you're week 38! I'm hoping I can just about keep going. I can work from home (I currently only go in once a week) and my job is pretty easy and quiet at the moment and I reckon will stay that way for the next couple of months. I have 2 weeks off in September so don't really want to take more time off. The September leave is because my wife has to request leave a year in advance to get time off and then if you try to change it, it can be too late to get an alternative.

@Bluehawaii29 your course sounds good

@Bluehawaii29 Third trimester is tiring and is when I felt physically more challenging. But its also nice because from 27 weeks baby can survive so you're really just giving baby time to get chubby and more robust :)

@Overlyanxious I can't believe it either. Honestly still really doesn't feel real, even with most things prepared and ready now. I've even been hand expressing some colostrum over the last couple of days for the freezer just in case. That's terrible your wife has to plan time off so far in advance! Are you planning anything for your September break? WFH will definitely make a difference in the final weeks of work

@2mumlife oh that's great you've been harvesting colostrum. No plans yet for my September leave. I have a 30 week scan next week so will see how that goes and then decide whether to have a small break or not.

Hi all hope you are good, I had my growth scan today, 28 week +2. Baby is measuring big so they said it’s good I chose c section :) she’s 1.4kg now so I’m pleased she’s gaining weight well. Got the glucose test on thurs and consultant follow up same morning x

@Bluehawaii29 glad to hear all is good with your baby and that's she's a good weight. I have my 30 week growth scan on Thursday - I still get some scanxiety. Hoping my placenta has moved up - but I know I may still need to wait. Sounds like you have a busy Thursday. x

@Overlyanxious thats really good, I didn’t know they do growth scans at 30 weeks? My next one is 32 weeks. Yes it’s a relief to know she’s a good weight and legs are long so I think she’s got our genes, 91% femur length lol
good luck for your next scan, yeah they never get easier. I’m not looking forward to Thursday, I always find all the appts come at once after such a long quiet period

@Overlyanxious I'd recommend giving the harvesting colostrum a go. First time I tried I hardly got any but I can fill a 1ml syringe now a day. Good luck for next growth scan :)

@Bluehawaii29 Glad everything is looking well. I wouldn't put much emphasis on growth scan, particularly the earlier ones - I was told baby was 'big' at 28 weeks, by 32 week scan (when the percentile lines start to spread out more) baby was pretty average and estimates have stayed that way. A women on my due date group was estimated a 9lb baby and it was only 7lbs 8 as well, so grwoth scans are notoriously inaccurate.

Not much to report here. Assuming I don't spontaneously go into labour today I've a consultant appointment tomorrow for them to push sweep/induction and I think to discuss extra scans if I go over dates. At the point where my NHS and IVF due date not matching makes a difference. Still pretty adament for now I don't want any intervention, at least until I'm 41 weeks based on IVF dates. After that I might consider options a bit - been doing some reading about increased risks after 42 weeks and trying to weigh that up with risks of induction etc and my own wishes to do labour naturally. Hoping baby decides to make a move itself still, but have a really strong gut feeling nothing will happen this week.

@2mumlife aww that must be a tough wait, would be amazing if it happened today but I hope whatever happens it’s for the best and you are in good hands. Keep us updated xx

@Bluehawaii29 I feel very much the same today as every other day to be honest, so really don't think anything will happen. Not really looking forward to next consultant appointments - I'm only 39 weeks, so I feel its absolutely expected / fine for nothing to have happened yet, and them trying to scaremonger with risks isn't going to be helpful. If I go off my IVF due date I'm not due until the 8th Sept (NHS have my as the 5th) and first time pregnancies are notorious for going over dates. So, I'm mentally giving myself until the 15th Sept and if nothing is happening by then, then maybe will consider sweep/induction. I just really don't want to have to go down that route though :(

@2mumlife yeah 39 weeks is really good still, you’ve reached the week that I’d be doing my c section. But 40-41 weeks is quite common for first babies so I think you waiting may be good to avoid induction, thought of induction freaks me out and one of the things that really put me off going down labour route as they kept saying we’ll induce you by 39 weeks

Hi all. Sorry I haven't been active lately but have been reading the thread so I'm up to date with news.

@2mumlife it's great that you are feeling relaxed about due dates. Most of my friends/ family's first babies came late. My sister's eldest made his appearance dead on 42 weeks. Wonder why your Drs are pushing for induction if you aren't "high risk"?

@Bluehawaii29 great news about baby growing well. Hope all goes well with glucose tolerance test and consultant this week.

@Overlyanxious hope all goes well with the scan, always exciting to see the little one.

@xreadytoglow and @bajanbump hope all is well with you both.

I'm currently in the 2 hour wait for the second set of blood work at the glucose tolerance test. Felt like a good time to update the thread since I'm stuck here at the surgery for 2 hours. I'm slightly concerned that I do have GD. I've had quite a few of the symptoms, fatigue, slight weight loss and the baby is measuring really big, over the 95th percentile, so we shall see.it's not the end of the world i just need to be very careful with what I eat.

I've started blood thinning injections this week (have 3 high risk factors), and get to continue those for 6 weeks post partum. Luckily, ivf prepares you well for ongoing injections. Saw the consultant this week, no firm plans yet. We'll discuss those at week 36. They have said they don't want me going past due date (as I'm over 40). So induction in week 39 but if baby continues to measure big, that may need to be earlier or I may need a c section. The appointments really ramp up at this stage don't they?

Might I pop in here for some reassurance?

I’m 33 weeks following IVF with PGD for a genetic condition which increases my risk of stroke and has links to early onset dementia, depression and anxiety. Today I feel like absolute shit. I’ve been up since 5am and can’t stop crying.

I had to go through so many tests and consultations to be allowed to have IVF at all, had to agree to an induction at 40 weeks. I was told it was high risk and frightened to death with statistics. Since I’ve actually got pregnant no one gives a damn. I got a letter yesterday with my 36 week scan appointment, the first contact I’ve had with the hospital I’ve had since 20 weeks. None of the consultant appointments I was told I would need have everything materialised. I’ve never even met a consultant and my care plan was signed off by a junior doctor I’ve never met who clearly has never heard of my condition, judging by what has been written. I’m in bits with anxiety and I’ve been referred to a website full of services I’m not eligible for, and told to “go make some little friends”. I’m out of area for my hospital so neither me nor my midwife can actually see my notes online. I feel like a voice in my head is just screaming at me to clean and tidy and fix things and work, all the time, and I’m doing to the point I’m physically hurting myself. I’m covered in bruises and I’ve badly pulled muscles in my bump, and I cannot stop and no one will help me.

And then I feel like I have no right to feel like this. My SIL is in hospital because her pregnancy has made her so ill. And mine was IVF so I ought to just be grateful to be pregnant at all. I’ve done an antenatal course and just had a weird impostor syndrome feeling the whole time, like other people were somehow more pregnant than me and I’m some kind of fraud.

To top it off, my best friend appears to have just ghosted me since I became pregnant. I have a couple of supportive relatives, but it hurts like hell that we’ve been friends for over 10 years and when I asked her for help she just stopped speaking to me. And of course SIL is in hospital so I’m trying to support her rather than burden her with my problems.

I don’t even know what I’m trying to say, I just need to get this off my chest!

@The3rdWatermelon sorry to hear you are having such difficulties. Were you supposed to be on a particular pathway? I was assessed as high risk at my initial booking appointment with the midwife at 9 weeks, so I was expecting appointments at 28, 32 and 36 weeks. If you were due to have appointments and they weren't scheduled for you, you could submit a complaint to pals.

Or is the concern that they haven't recognised you as high risk and therefore haven't planned for additional scans? I don't believe scans after 20 weeks or consultants appointments are offered (in England) unless pregnancy is assessed as having risk factors.

The anxiety you describe sounds horrid could your midwife refer you to the antenatal mental health team? You shouldn't be suffering like this.

@Bluehawaii29 I hate idea of induction. Its like the beginning of the slippery slope of interventions to me.

@Bryterlayter1 Its all because its an IVF pregnancy. Consultant has recommended induction at term the whole way through. There is slightly higher risks of negative outcomes for IVF pregnancies past 42 weeks compared to natural conception, but then I'm convinced part of that will be to do with the avergae age of women going through IVF, other medical conditions etc. So I've maintained my mantra that unless there is any suggestion THIS baby is struggling I don't want induced. How are you feeling about the blood thinners? There's a good page here about all the nonsence of inducing / having a csectio for babies that are below 10lbs which might be useful to read when considering options: evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-for-induction-or-c-section-for-big-baby/ Hopefully your GD test comes back negative!

@The3rdWatermelon I'm sorry you're feeling like you haven't received the level of care you were expecting. Have you thought about contacting PALs? www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/what-is-pals-patient-advice-and-liaison-service/ You have a right to feel however you're feeling. Have you considered reaching out to PANDAS or the Tommy's mental health support lines?

Thank you @Bryterlayter1

I have high risk written all over everything, and I had to have a long appointment with a consultant to get permission to go ahead with the IVF. In that appointment I was told it would be a high risk pregnancy, that there would be extra scans and consultant appointments, and they could only sign off for me to go ahead if I understood this and agreed to it. Then none of it has happened and I’ve been treated like an idiot for asking about it.

I’ve asked for referrals for anxiety and been told I could only have a referral if I had an official diagnosis of anxiety before I got pregnant. I’m sure that’s wrong, but I’m so tired at this point and I’ve asked for help so many times I’ve just given up.

@The3rdWatermelon hey sorry to hear you’re having a hard time. Would definitely recommend perinatal team. I’m with them for anxiety and they referred me to iapt for bump to baby well-being classes which have been great, they are weekly sessions and a small group of 6 of us, 3 of us are ivf pregnancies so just shows how it really effects anxiety in pregnancy. You don’t need to have anxiety before pregnancy to be taken seriously

I’ve just finished the sugar test and consultant appt for last fetal Fibronectin swab. Was negative yay so I’ve been discharged from prematurity clinic now and back with midwife at 32 weeks.
having stitch removed at 36 weeks under gas and air as they said waiting till c section at 39 weeks to have it out might be risk of tearing cervix off labour happens between then so don’t want to take that chance. Really pleased to have got this far and they are confident I can make it to full term x

@The3rdWatermelon yes it did seem from what you were writing that you should have been identified as high risk from the start. Perhaps complaining to PALS is the best way forward especially if you would like to be referred to the antenatal MH team.

@Bluehawaii29 good news about moving back to the midwife, all sounds like good progress.

@2mumlife I feel fine about the injections, it's nothing compared with how many injections I took during the ivf and during the first trimester (I was on 2x daily lubion up till week 14).

Unfortunately for me, the GD test have come back indicating I do have it (not terribly surprised) so I've now been referred to the diabetic midwife team. More appointments for me! 😕

@Bryterlayter1 thank you :) yeah just hoping for a smooth third trimester now xx
sorry to hear about your GD result, my hospital will contact me tomorrow if there is an issue. Was not pleasant taking the drink and felt quite jittery after. When I got there literally had to push them to do my blood test on time!

Heyyy guys! Sorry I've been so quiet on here. I'm having a very average pregnancy which I'm very grateful for. I had a scan recently for reduced movements which showed he is measuring around the 61st percentile for now and that he is breech. So fingers crossed he does some flipping around! He's always been head down up until that point which probably explains the difference in movements. I haven't been offered the diabetes check so no concerns there. I'm just plodding along now until he's here! Still feeling well physically which is a blessing because my job needs me on my feet for most of the day. We put up our snuzpod the other night and will tackle his nursery this weekend! I'll send photos 😊

@2mumlife I'd be the same as you regarding induction. I think they can be far too over cautious sometimes. Our bodies know what to do! 💪🏼 Looking forward to hearing your announcement and I hope baby comes before 42 weeks for you.

@Bluehawaii29 amazing news about your cervix and stitch! I hope that's taken some of the worry away for you.

@Bryterlayter1 sorry to hear that your GTT test is positive! I hope it doesn't affect things too much for you and you can enjoy the rest of your pregnancy intervention free!

@Overlyanxious how did your scan go today? Keeping fingers crossed that your placenta moves!

@2mumlife so exciting how close you are. I hope you can keep induction at bay. I think they do push them more now then they used to.

@The3rdWatermelon sorry to hear you've been having such an awful time. I hope you manage to get through to some of the organisations others have suggested and get the extra support you need.

@Bluehawaii29 that's great you've been discharged back to the midwife. You're doing so well.

@Bryterlayter1 sorry to hear about the GD.

@xreadytoglow the scan went fine today thanks - he's looking good. The sonographer was happy but I'm a bit confused about the percentile change in some areas from 23 weeks to 30. His femur has gone from 91st to 63rd and weight from 85th to 48th (but when I looked up average weight at 30 weeks he's just above). The others are all about the same. Placenta is still low lying, which I expected. Glad to hear all is going well with you. Fingers crossed baby moves - but there is at least a good amount of time.

hey @Bryterlayter1 my glucose screen came back positive. Wanted to ask if your OGTT has been done yet. They are saying they have to do another one now next weds where I fast from midnight before then take blood test Before drink then wait 2 hrs and then another blood test. It’s so depressing, just wanted one thing to come back normal and now this happens. Have you got any advice?

@Bluehawaii29 oh no! Sorry to hear that. Yes, it was the OGTT that I had done the other day. If they are getting you to repeat the test perhaps it was borderline? I wasn't asked to do another OGTT, I've just been referred straight to the diabetic midwife and am seeing her on Monday.

Fingers crossed it comes back within the normal range for you on Wednesday.

@Bryterlayter1 yeah basically my hospital does this screening test first and then if that flags anything up we have to do the OGTT test. Just a bit of a shock that it came back raised, really wanted one thing to come back normal :(