IVF pregnancies - Spring 2024

[thislittlebird]

Anyone here in a similar position? I'm feeling a bit of an odd one out on forums now where I don't feel pregnant pregnant and I don't feel infertile infertile, and thought I'd see if others were in the same, tentative situation. I don't feel like I'm ready to join the main May 2024 gang until I'm more confident this will continue.

I'm only 4 weeks 5 days :/

@Summerishere83 I’ve had a scan with the clinic and then 12 week one with nhs. The one this week is a private one.
my appointment with midwife tomorrow will give me NIPT results (nhs) but I had the bloods done when I was 12 weeks and I’m 16 weeks now so it’s been a long wait.
I thought my dates wouldn’t change due to ivf but mine have changed by 2 days already. Lol.
ive been on maternity leggings since around week 10. I couldn’t handle things digging in

@KG1244 I'm shocked by how big I am seeing as it's my first. My stomach muscles must be shot to shit!

@TheBirdintheCave @Summerishere83 I'm also measuring ahead but the sonographer stuck with my original due date.

@countrypunk right? I got some adidas ones on Amazon and they are so comfy. They look like they will stretch up to full term which will be good. I also measured a couple of days ahead which I find a bit confusing when I know my transfer date.

Anyone else been experiencing cramping in their lower stomach/near your hips? Presume it’s just growing pain….

The doctor who did my 12 week scan also moved my date, despite knowing it was IVF.

I still not showing, and using all my regular clothes.
Things have felt a bit tighter the past couple of days, but Ive been really bloated and constipated, so it is likely that.
I keep checking to see if theres a bump and there is nothing there!

However, I will be buying button expanders on amazon pretty soon, for when things really get tight.
I cannot bear the thought of maternity clothes, so I will not be buying any.

It looks like all IVF babies measure ahead at week 12, must be all the hormones we've been taking have given them a kick start:)

@ASGIRC I'm also bloated but when I lie down and suck my belly in the bump is clear (oddly, it's bigger on the right hand side:)

@CazzyM1983 gosh, a 4-week wait..but I guess it's one of those when no news is good news, otherwise they'd have contacted you by now.

@KG1244 I rarely have a day without any aches/pains at all but nothing concerning so it must be growing pains and fibroids (in my case)

I'm also going to book a private scan at 16 weeks to find out the gender and because there's absolutely no way I can last for 8 weeks until the 20-week scan without checking all's good 😅

Getting the wiggly flutters today! (17+3) It’s so lovely and reassuring!🤗

@thislittlebird I totally know what you mean, I’ve never been a fan either, but then it’s never been my party🫢 I’m gonna do a chilled one at my house with lots of Prosecco and cake, just an excuse for my friends to come together. The one who is convincing me said “It’s taken you this long to get here, celebrate the shit out of it!”
Very sorry to hear about the friend situation. Do the friends who you stopped contacting know what you were going through? In which case they should be understanding if you want to reconnect. And if they didn’t know you could explain? But that’s up to you on whether you want them back in your life I guess, or if you’re fine as you are!

@Summerishere83 Haha yes, when Im lying down is the only time I can see any sort of bump.
And even then, it is not clear, but it is hard, as opposed to my regular flab!
However, when I get up, it kinda shifts, and it goes back to being all flab, so I can button up my jeans with no issues.
There seems to be less fat between the hard bit and the outer belly, when I stand, so I guess she is growing in there!

But you have 2 growing in there, so it is natural that yours becomes more noticeable sooner!

I am nearly 19 weeks and still nothing. And I need it to stay this was for another 3 weeks!!! LOL

@ASGIRC I can’t believe you’re at 19 weeks and still nothing!🤪

@Summerishere83 I had a private 16 week scan for the same reasons as you! FAR too long between 12 and 20 weeks for me not to check!

@Summerishere83 yes I think it’s growing pains as they randomly appear and then disappear. I’m also planning to get a private scan at 16 weeks so I can check in with the little babe ❤️

@Misty84 I know! In my local whatsapp due date group Im one of the farthest along, but Im the one showing the least! And definitely the only one not purging my wardrobe of everything that doesnt fit, since everything still does. (I had lost weight prior to the pregnancy, so my clothes had a bit of room in them anyway!)

I also had a scan at 16 weeks, to find out the gender! No way could I wait until my 20 week scan (which is actually at 21 weeks!!)

Good luck with your scan @PollywithaP - hope it all goes well.

How is everyone else doing?

I'm getting really fed up with the cyclogest pessaries and the permanent greasy mess they make! Counting down to when I can stop them.

@WhatTheFudge0 Have you tried up the back door? It’s a lot less messy!

@KG1244 yeah, agreed, I’ve done that all the way through and it’s been fine and not waxy.

My trousers we’re definitely tight yesterday but maybe they’re just tight trousers and I’ve eaten too much 😭

I’ve measured behind and exactly on time so far. Would be surprised if it’s ahead by next weekend!

@CazzyM1983 4 weeks for NIPT? Blimey, I should lower my expectations. I was hoping to have results before the end of November when the SIL visits.

@Misty84 i’ll be ok without one, I just don’t really have a group of friends. A few individuals and no one who knows each other. The ones who did know each other probably heard through the grapevine that we’ve struggled and although I’ve been distant, so have they, and they’re all close to someone I dislike. So I don’t really see the point. It’s not like one of them reached out to me. Actually, one did and I’ve chatted to her a bit lately but I know she’s been going through PND. Plus we’ll probably move and have to make new friends.

Hi everyone! Hope you’re all good.

Had my midwife appointment and heard the heart beat! Obviously completely broke down into a mess lol
It was so amazing.

Had my NIPT results n that and as I expected i was anaemic but only slightly. Everything else looks ok at the moment.
so a good day today! Looking forward to getting my scan on Thursday now.
Hopefully things can continue to all look good.

@CazzyM1983 Aww that's great news! :)

I find it interesting that a couple of you have mentioned drifting from friends. I’ve also experienced that. One where she kept talking about her second pregnancy and I was finding it really difficult so decided to tell her that we were struggling to conceive and undergoing tests (this was two years ago), I basically barely heard from her again! Bridesmaid at her wedding obviously means nothing.. and a couple of others where distance kinda naturally happened but I always felt like it was because we didn’t have children which was so heartbreaking as it felt like another punishment for infertility.

With the NIPT test, I’ve done the nhs one but DH wants to do a private one. There are so many to choose from. For those of you that have done it, which one did you go for?

@CazzyM1983 ahhh yay! Fab news ❤️

@KG1244 Ours was a Harmony one. We had it back within a week.

@KG1244 mine was nhs. I’m poor after paying for ivf lol I’ll take any freebies I can get lol

@CazzyM1983 yeah I’m keen not to pay for it after all this ivf we’ve paid for. We have so much stuff to pay for if the pregnancy continues that I really don’t want to give them £500 if I don’t have to 🙃

@CazzyM1983 @thislittlebird I’m happy with the NHS but it’s something that DH is really worried about. It starts at about £270 near us which is still a lot of money but if it gives him piece of mind, I’m willing to do it and take the financial hit 😬

@KG1244 if you have a reason to need it then I’d get it. Can’t put a price on peace of mind. If DH is stressing that’s not good for anyone xx

@thislittlebird have you looked at childcare costs waaaaah I’m gona need another job lol

@CazzyM1983 don’t, I don’t even know how we’ll pay for it lmao. We may well move to Cornwall where the in laws are, not sure when exactly, but bigger house probably means bigger mortgage, house renovations, another car because we’re not in London, higher council tax because we won’t be in London anymore, just seems like a big con when you are childcare on top.

Before we get to all that we need to get a new bathroom, new (bigger) car, and furnish a nursery and buy baby stuff 🫠

I’ve done a month by month spreadsheet of what we hope to save vs what we’ve actually saved (this is month 1) and I think we’ll still have to add money to the mortgage since we blew our savings on ivf. On the plus side, I get 5 months full mat pay which is a huge help.

@KG1244 i’m also worried about it, just didn’t want to pay them and then the nhs offer it to me. I’ll take the hit if they don’t offer it to me, I will want to do it.

Oh and I meant to say in my post above, i we had plans for a nice holiday pre-baby but sunny holidays in winter are expensive because they’re long haul and limited to a handful of non-zika places so I can’t see it happening. We’ll have to do with baby holidays in future instead.

@thislittlebird We're planning a spa day and overnight stay before this baby comes :) When I was pregnant with my son it was 2020 and we had two foreign holidays planned but obvs that didn't happen 😅 We did get to go to Bath for a few days though which was nice.