ERA/Alice/Emma infertility thread graduates/pregnancies

[seven201]

If you are a regular on the infertility board you may have seen the ERA/Alice/Emma threads for those going through those tests after lots of unsuccessful IVF or recurrent losses. This thread is for the ladies from there who are now pregnant. We can share our worries and joys.

I am useless at remembering who is pregnant from which thread so please do add yourself or tag others. @Janefx40 and @Faithhopelove83.

Also, if anyone who has fully graduated/had their baby, then please feel free to join if you wish. I don't want to tag individuals as I don't want people to feel obliged.

If you've also just had lots of failed ivf and/or recurrent miscarriages you are of course welcome too!

A little bit about me. I have a naturally conceived nearly 7 year old dc. Have been trying for dc2 for 5 1/4 years. One natural early loss, 5 failed ivf, 3 surgeries (main one being an adhesion removed), 2 natural pregnancies and early losses, 1 ivf pregnancy that got to heartbeat stage. This pregnancy is a letrazole round and I'm 9+6 (although measuring 9+0 but that's been consistent) so due early November. I've been spotting brown for the past 3 days but my scan was this afternoon, so reassuring (although still worried). I'm under the CRP clinic in epsom due to the miscarriages.

Good luck to us all!

Sorry I meant our 20 weeks NHS scan with DD was great but not with DS

@thislittlebird yes it's abdominal, I can't remember when I switched between transvaginal and abdominal but at some point before 12 weeks, it became harder to see things through the transvaginal scan. I am taking aspirin 150mg a day, this is the dose they recommend to prevent preeclampsia. Dr Gorgy wanted me to stay on inhixa until 34 weeks but my consultant said to stay on it until after the c section.

@Gardenlady543 that’s what I had here, baby aspirin, so I took 2 x 75mg last night. Not sure what to do but I might ask them at my scan.

I have the dreaded pregnancy teeth 🦷 . More gums, really, but a couple of my top teeth hurt and I went to the dentist today with my exemption certificate in tow and had a check up. She said it’s the hormones and it’ll only get worse and I might need a molar filling but they’d prefer I wait until after I’ve had the baby to have that done, she’s going to see me every 3 months which is good.

@Spin101 sorry your scan was not a lovely experience. My 12 week scan was like that. Luck of the draw on the sonographer I think. Also, sometimes the baby just won't get in a good position for that classic side profile shot and then when they get bigger they can't fit them all on the screen, just look at individual bits.

@thislittlebird sorry about the teeth. I had to have a filling when pregnant, which was annoying but ok. I took 150 of baby aspirin throughout and didn't get pre-clampsia this time, but did when on 75 with my older daughter.

@Gardenlady543 yes, the scans are usually 4 weeks apart. Good your consultant is doing it.

We're doing ok thanks. Baby is 3 weeks today has a weigh in tomorrow - hoping she's finally back to birth weight. I'm still not making enough milk for her (lactation consultant said it could be from all my medical complications) so topping up with formula and she has a slight tongue tie that's being snipped next week. The jaundice has gone. My blood pressure is now finally under control. C-section wise I recovered really well - i feel strong and my scar has healed up really well. I've had a bad cold for a week and a half so the sleepless nights have been hard, but loving having her here. Still in a building site but progress is being made and nearly water tight.

@seven201 that all sounds good, I used these on my scar after my surgery last year and plan to use again :)

Silicone Scar Sheets, Professional for Scars Caused by C-Section, Surgery, Burn, Keloid, Acne, and More, Drug-Free, Soft Silicone Scar Strips, Scar Removal 5.9"×1.6", 4 Sheets (2 Month Supply) amzn.eu/d/dUouTrI

@seven201 lovely to hear from you. The birth weight thing gets so stressful but try not to worry - she will get there. Topping up is great - best of both worlds. We topped both of ours in those early weeks. We only stopped because I'm too lazy to make bottles (and because DP made us buy powdered formula instead of ready made which is such a pain to make up!!). But now I'm tied to Leo 24/7 so wish we had kept going with mixed feeds in a way.

Glad you are enjoying her. Those early weeks can only be described as brutal but it will get easier.

Lots of love. Xxx

@Gardenlady543 that looks good, thanks.

@Janefx40 thanks. Weigh in went really well today so finally discharged from the midwife. She absolutely guzzles bottles down so I don't think I have a chance to get back to full breastfed, which I'm a bit sad about but I do really appreciate being able to escape from her occasionally. Definitely been brutal (and wonderful) but we're finally getting into the swing a bit.

For anyone doing some baby shopping... These weren't around when my older dd was born but I do recommend the love2dream swaddle bags. Comes in different togs for the weather. Means they don't startle themselves awake as much. Not cheap though, even on Vinted.

Also, this is really good amzn.eu/d/gYssD4J
I use it when baby wakes up in the night so I have full boobs - you attach it (by suction) to the boob not feeding the baby and collect milk. I get up to 30ml sometimes, which isn't far off what I'd get from a 'proper' pumping session.

Thanks for the tip @seven201

Everything was ok at 12 week scan, just waiting for the results from the combined test. Not much fun. NT was 2.0mm.

Someone at work just announced to me on a call that they’re pregnant and due mid May, it was sooo hard not to say me too!!!!! I just went ohhhhh congratulations and kinda had to stop myself from laughing with amusement. All very awkward! I’ll tell her in a week but I’m waiting to see if my tests come back ok.

How long did it take for your results to come back? They said 3-7 days but I don’t know if that’s from today (a week day) or from Saturday when I had the test.

Hi ladies, hope you don’t mind me jumping in:)
we recently found out out 3rd fet was successful, currently 5+3🤭
I’ve been experiencing lots of cramping so went for an early scan today. We saw 2 sacs in which one of them had a small heamatoma. Dr reassured me that cramps and slight bleeding it’s quite common at this stage.
not sure if I’m quite relieved tho!
did anyone experienced heamatoma in early pregnancy? Do you think is something to worry about?

Hope everyone is enjoying their pregnancies so far🩵

@seven201 I heard really good things about the love to dream swaddles, I have bought some on Vinted, I've got the 2.5 tog newborn size. But a bit worried as baby measured 2 weeks ahead on the head circumference at the weekend! I have only 0-3 month stuff so hoping the baby isn't so big none of it fits!! I have my NHS scan on Thursday where they will do more measurements.

Great news about the scan @thislittlebird :) if it helps I didn't tell most colleagues until I went to an in person event at 24 weeks, people had just seen me on video calls and they could only see my head before that.

Hi @CB2805 congratulations! 5 weeks is so early for a first scan so I don't think you ever see much at this point. Subchorionic hematomas seem pretty common from the groups I'm in, is that what they think you have? With two sacs you could be having twins! Was this a single or double transfer? When's your next scan.

@Gardenlady543 hi:) it is actually twins🤭one of the sacs tho seems to have heamatoma. Dr doesn’t seem very concerned either although I came across not so nice stories and studies about them!
next scan is next Tuesday, hope we will have a better look then🤞

ps how did you counted your weeks at early pregnancy? My dr counts as of last period but that doesn’t match IVF calculator

@CB2805 google IVF due date calculator and you should be able to put a transfer date in and it will calculate the weeks for you. I always get confused with how to do it in IVF.

@Gardenlady543 thanks I already done that but my dr calculates it from last period instead of that? It’s about a week difference

@CB2805 is this doctor a fertility doctor, because it doesn't work like this with IVF.

@Gardenlady543 yeah that’s my fertility dr. So weird isn’t? I’m doing treatment abroad so not sure if they do thinks different? Doesn’t make sense

Waiting for the call or lack of call for the combined test results isn’t fun, I’m wishing the next few days away! My SIL is coming next week, we wanted to have told them by now but just waiting some more. Hopefully no call will come, but I had the 12w scan on a Saturday and they said they’ll call me in 3-7 days, not sure if that’s working days or not.

@seven201 so lovely to hear your updates!! Hoping recovery is still going smoothly and feeding is going well now.

@thislittlebird is this the wait for the NIPT test or combined test? I thought combined test only took a few hours for them to do (or next day at latest) - can you chase them and say your anxious? Hopefully no news is a good sign, I had a call after a few hours but it was bad news and then had to move to NIPT testing which took about 5 days to come back

@CB2805 congratulations on the twins! I didn’t have bleeding so I can’t be helpful there but good to have you in the group!

@Gardenlady543 how are you doing pregnancy wise? I’m feeling ok, just more tired and breathless when walking

@AM08 your nipt was all ok I assume and their risk rating was inaccurate? It’s combined, they said I’ll get a call within 3-7 days if it’s high risk and a letter within two weeks if low risk. So not very fast. I obviously don’t want a call, it’s just hard to know when the 7 day period is over when I had my scan on a Saturday. Does it start from Monday? Not clear. I haven’t done NIPT because I wanted them to pay for it really, but if it’s low risk I will probably do it privately just in case.

@thislittlebird yep NIPT was low risk - I do think your in the clear if you haven’t heard back by tomorrow or sat as that is a week - is there anyway you can give them a call tomorrow? I would just say it’s making you anxious

@AM08 yeah possibly, I’m hoping you’re right but because they give the up to 7 days timescale you can’t help but think it could be up to the 7th ray, whenever that is. I’m confused about why my hospital does Saturday scans, my next one at 20 weeks is a Saturday too.

@thislittlebird why don't you just do a private one anyway, my results came back quickly, I did mine with concepto and the result took 6 days and was emailed straight to me, I'd be stressing myself with the the NHs system you have, especially the long wait for a letter if it's normal.

@AM08 erg it's the uncomfortableness at night time for me, it's just so difficult to get comfortable and worrying how I'm laying. Will be a big relief not to have all the additional weight on my abdomen!

@Gardenlady543 because of money tbh. We really can’t afford to do things they might pay for anyway, so I’ll only do it if they don’t offer. I would have done it earlier on but the cost has put me off.

@thislittlebird that's understandable, it's just shitty you have to wait for so long for the result :( are you definitely going to repeat if it's low risk?

@Gardenlady543 I think so :/ I don’t want to but I feel like I can’t put my mind at ease over it without that extra test. Although what if that comes back high? I don’t know, I hate this phase. I feel like I’ll be able to rest if we have the PGT-A, NIPT and combined. I’m not sure whether to tell people if it comes back low risk. SIL is coming for a few days next Wednesday and kinda don’t want to have to hide it when she’s here.