IVF pregnancies - Spring 2024 (thread 2)

[thislittlebird]

New thread! Do tag everyone I've missed, I'm off out to see the new Hunger Games so can add more later but need to dash! @CazzyM1983 @KG1244 @countrypunk @Misty84 @ASGIRC @TheBirdintheCave @Summerishere83

@thislittlebird height of romance right? 😂just wet wipes but that app sounds good - I will definitely check that out thank you. Thanks for the words of reassurance re GT. I figured it can’t be that bad in comparison to what you have to go through for IVF! I completely get what you mean about induction. Really don’t fancy the drip and a very long wait to a wheel in for an emergency c section!

@TheBirdintheCave ah wow! How many weeks do you have left to go?

@thislittlebird Im dong well! Loving it, even if sleep deprived! My baby has been a bit constipated, so hasnt been sleeping well at night, which is challenging, but hopefully, things seem to be on the mend now!

Yes, I was in hospital for 3 days, which is standard here in Portugal after a c-section.

My reaction... As soon as they finished giving me the epidural, they told me they were going to tilt the table to the left, and that my BP might drop... It did!!!
They stabilised me, C-section was fine, but once they were done, BP dropped again, and again, and again, and for about an hour I had low BP, with all that comes with it, feeling dizzy, faint, nauseous... Couldnt hold my baby, couldnt even keep my eyes open. This went on for 30 minutes to an hour.
After that I started having high BP...

Then the next day I found I couldnt pee. which is also a side effect of the epidural (and any anesthesia, really). At first they had to empty my bladder manually with a catheter (which theyd take out the nigth before). But the next time I went to the toilet to pee, I still couldnt.
They told me to try again, as otherwise theyd have to put a catheter in again, and leave it is (tbf, at that point, I was all for it!!!), but that wasnt a proper solution...

Fortunately a few hours later I managed to pee! Didnt poop for another 2 days, but they let me go home before that happened, with a few laxatives, since I was passing gas.

The pain is 100% bearable! I am really surprised! Obviously, laughing, sneezing, coughing, are all painful. And getting up from the bed is a bit challenging to start with, but you just learn how to deal with it. Now, a week post op, I have barely any pain at all.

2 fellow IVFers from our July thread (you might remember them, @TheBirdintheCave: IVFFirstTimer and SH988) got induced and both had LONG inductions that didnt progress. First one ended up with a c section after 4 whole days, and only 3cm dilation, and the second one is still n the process, its been almost 3 days, and will likely have a c section tomorrow.

@ASGIRC I do remember them! Jeez induction is brutal. I'm sorry they've suffered so much :( Four days is just horrific!

@KG1244 I'm exactly the same as you give or take a day I think! Seven weeks to go.

@TheBirdintheCave It works really well for some people, but I mean... 4 days??????? Horrendous!

@TheBirdintheCave ahhh baby buddy ❤️

@ASGIRC have you found it difficult taking care of her whilst recovering from the c section? Pleased to hear you’re doing well xx

@KG1244 Not really! It was hard picking her up to start with, not because of her weight, or anything, but because of the angles. But that got much better after a day or two! Also, you find positions that are easier.

Otherwise, the only hard part is the lack of sleep! But that will be true for everyone, not just for people whove had c sections!

Honestly, the c section recovery has been a dream! I do have a weird pain in what I assume is one of the stitches, but Im getting them out today, so then will hopefully feel better (or if theres anything wrong with it they can deal with it and make me better! - the pain isnt constant, just with certain positions and movements, but also not all the time I make those)

Otherwise, coughing and sneezing are problematic, but hopefully most people will not get a stinking cold along wth their c section!!! LOL

@ASGIRC that all sounds really positive. Well I really hope that if I do end up having one, it works out that well. It’s so difficult to know when ultimately there are risks with all births so I think I will see what happens with my next scan in a couple of weeks and go from there. If he is still measuring pretty big I think I will just go for an elective c section

Thanks for sharing @ASGIRC

Good luck deciding @KG1244 . I have a similar decision to make depending on all my final scans and test.

I’ve 5 weeks and a couple days until my due date. I finish work last Friday. Using some annual leave before maternity leave starts. I’m not sure if it’s in my head but I’ve been feeling my baby move less since finishing work. Not so vigorous in his movements. I went Monday night to the hospital for a check and all is well. I can go back whenever I want or am worried and they will check again. Whenever I don’t feel the baby for a few hours I get anxious. Perhaps finishing work early was a bad idea. Perhaps he’s just in a more comfortable position or perhaps the stress of work and being hunched over a laptop had him move differently.

Trying to enjoy myself as I’m buying baby things, tidying up & finishing unpacking last few boxes after moving in Dec.

@KG1244 I mean, it wasnt all sunshine and roses, but my issues were with the epidural, so even with a natural labour that was likely to have happened.

Anesthesia is a potent drug, and the side effects are no joke.
It made my BP tank, which was definitely unpleasant, and I had trouble with peeing on my own afterwards (all systems stop, and then have to restart... it is not uncommon to have trouble with peeing and/or pooping after anesthesia. Pooping was fine-ish (ended up a bit constipated, so it wasnt easy to pass, but it worked! I did get given laxatives, but foolishly thought I could handle it without them... I could.. but it wasnt pleasant! LOL) peeing... not so much. but once it all started working, it was fine!)

I got my staples taken out today, incision seems to be healing well.
I am just a bit concerned with my uterus/belly getting back to normal... Something seems... off, but my doctor is on holiday in Malaysia and I dont even have an appointment booked...
Im sure it will all be fine, though!

@CollsR Maybe he's got less room? or found a different position? I went to the hospital assessment unit today and they listened for 30 mins but all was well. Baby is in a very awkward position, possibly breech (no scans for me, so it seems to be guesswork) and it was so hard to hold the pad things in place for half an hour. They were barely picking up a heartbeat for a while and then eventually found it right at the top of my pubic bone :/ I had to get dh to hold it after a while, very uncomfortable.

@KG1244 I've started using the app from today, still need to practice the technique a bit! How did GD test go?

@ASGIRC Is she upset at night or just not sleeping? Tiring either way, I'm sure. That BP situation sounds a bit stressful, glad it got better. Can't believe it's been a week already!

4 days is horrendous and not what I want to go through, if I can help it!

@thislittlebird Helps to know you had a similar check for a similar reason. But I am sorry you’ve had to go through this. I’m overweight, over 40 & had 5 abdominal surgery in my life so have scars that make standard checks harder. He hopefully is in a better position. 2 weeks ago he was transverse (sideways).

@ASGIRC Does sound like C-Section isn’t easy but doable. My decision is similar to @KG1244 … I don’t want to go through days of labour to then need a c-section. But I’m leaning towards trying induction for person reasons (I’ve had a lot of surgeries & want to try avoid another.)

@CollsR Maybe baby is just more relaxed, and so are you? Our due dates seem to be quite near but I don’t know for definite when the consultant wants me to deliver yet. I don’t have an appointment until 16th April for this. I’m finishing work 30th April and then have booked 2 weeks annual leave so hopefully will have a littyle time to relax before baby comes.
I’ve started washing the clothes for the baby and will be packing my hospital bag over the weekend.
@ASGIRC When tou say something feels off what do you think it is? Are you able to out your finger on it at all? I’ve had a C section already so might be able yo tell you if I felt the same. Although I didn’t have staples, just internal dissolvable stitches. Although my wound opened a little at one side around 4 weeks and got a little infected.
For anyone that is going to have ro does have a C section definitely take the laxitives as soon as you can after birth. You don’t realise how much you need your core muscles until you can’t use them!!!

Ditto the laxatives if you have a tear as well!

@thislittlebird Shes a bit colicky, so after a feed, she tends to be a bit uncomfortable. But most nights she sleeps most of the 3 hours between feeds! But waking up every 3h is brutal anyway! Cannot wait until I can stop doing it!

@CollsR that was my reasoning for en elective c section as well. I did not want to go through days of labour, and pain, and then ending up having a c-section anyway, so ending up suffering both!

@PollywithaP its the top part of my belly... I think it might be diastasis, but I cant feel it. Also, my belly button is still completely closed, even though my belly has gone down significantly. And again, the top part of my belly seems larger than the bottom.... Kinda like a B bump? (which I didnt have before)
But when I palpate, it all seems... ok. Not that I know what Im feeling for, but everything is soft and I cant feel anything out of place, as it were...

@ASGIRC Thankfully that stage is over with pretty quickly. I think it was about six weeks before my son started going for longer without a feed overnight and from there it was just better and better.

@ASGIRC Sounds normal really. My belly was very wonky after my section and I had an odd feeling like everything inside was moving around a lot. It was all jelly like and I felt really revolting! It might be a bit early to tell if it’s diastasis as things will still be getting back into place. I recall the Dr checking at my 6 week pp appointment, by having me lie on my back and tense my (non existent) stomach muscles. She could get two fingers in the gap and said I was healing well. As for the B shape it might just be where your tissue is naturally lying after the op. Things will settle as the swelling goes down and you become more active. Most people are left with a bit of an ‘overhang’ after a section which is very hard to shift!
In other news I have come out in pregnancy related hives and appear to be allergic to everything. They come up overnight and are huge, 5-10cm across. They are red and itchy but when I scratch them they hurt. I’m waiting for the Dr to reopen on Tues so I can get some advice. I am stating maternity leave on 1st May and honestly that can’t come soon enough. I just feel huge and uncomfortable!

@PollywithaP I’ve had hives off on and on throughout and they’ve mostly been a reaction to hot water for me and running cold water on my skin seems to help, but they’ve not been as bad as hives I’ve had in the past. When they have been bad I’ve used Eurax cooling gel and the occasional antihistamine, Loratadine. I’ve spent a lot of this pregnancy in an itchy and irritated state :/

The overhang, any idea what causes it? I’m sort of dreading my post baby physical state. I’ve been the same size and shape almost all of my adult life, it’s hard to get my head around the changes that will be coming to my torso. I can already see my boobs looking droopy from the weight, not loving that. And I keep expecting stretchmarks to kick in any minute now but none so far (touch wood).

@TheBirdintheCave 6 weeks sounds like a dream!

@ASGIRC every 3 hours sounds brutal. I think it’s the part I’m looking forward to least. I do not cope well on little sleep.

Anyone here with kids used Love to Dream swaddles? I’ve bought a second hand one for size 8-13lb on eBay, really didn’t want to buy new in case the baby doesn’t like them. I guess I might need a smaller size but I have no indication of how big this baby is yet so didn’t want to buy one just yet.

I’ve started packing my hospital bag, for those of you who’ve had kids already, did the bras you were wearing at 8 months still fit at full term? I’m not sure if I’ll need more. Also have no idea when to measure for nipple shields. I’ve got one nightdress only so far, not sure whether to get another in case I’m in longer (c-section).

Baby went a bit mental this morning, did about 100 kicks in a row while I was in bed, I’m guessing she’s practicing stretching her legs lol

@thislittlebird I used the love to dream swaddles, they were a godsend but I didn’t discover them until about 2 1/2 months in last time. At least I have a few newborn size ones this time as they are easier than swaddling with blankets/muslins.
I breastfed last time and I went up about another 2 sizes once my milk came in, but I got the Jojo nursing bras in M size which are VERY stretchy so grew with me.
You might not need nipple shields, I tried them but they were awful. Didn’t really fit and were very uncomfortable, so maybe wait to get some? Plenty of places do next day delivery! I can recommend Lansinoh Nipple cream though after every feed. You don’t have to wash it off before feeding and it’s very soothing.
If you are breastfeeding then a u shape feeding pillow is also a good idea, you sit down and put it round your middle on top of your thighs. Baby lies on it and it saves your arms from having to hold baby up all the time.

@PollywithaP good that you liked the swaddles. I don't really think I'm someone who is very good at things like swaddling so a zip up version suits me. I have only bought one but not sure how many and what sizes I'll need.

I have long term nipple eczema so I won't be able to do it without a shield, and have also had ops on both breasts (biopsy and large lump removal) so not even sure what will work yet, we're planning to combi feed. I'm already suffering from cracked, weeping nipples and that's beforehand so my plan is to try with shields, also see if expressing works, and also bring ready to feed bottles so we have all bases covered. I already have Lanisoh and it's fine, but hasn't done much for my nipple problems so far.

@PollywithaP Yeah, I think its normal as well, just... weird. But it is now feeling much more normal,a s well, so I just need to wait it out, I think.

My bladder is still not back to normal. I can pee, but it always feels like I have to concentrate to make it happen, and often the stream will stop, if I dont concentrate. And that is mildly painful as well.
I read up on it and seems to be normal, and could last a few weeks. Boring boring boring!!! LOL
Not to mention that I STILL need to pee every 3 hours, which was not my normal, at all!!

Pain today is almost gone! Almost 2 weeks post c section and I feel great!
Also back at my pre pregnancy weight, and Im still bleeding and still a bit "pregnant" (still cant button up my trousers, even though my belly is much smaller already)

@thislittlebird I am someone who, if left to my own devices, and no alarm, will sleep for 9h straight! But its not been too bad. I usually get about 7h per night, even if in 3 parts. I feel fine! Hope you will feel the same!

Hi all - just a quick message. Baby Nora was born 27/03/24 at 20:57 weighing 8lb 4oz after a gruelling 3 days of Labour. We are absolutely obsessed with her and I don’t understand how I got so lucky. Hope you’re all well!

@ASGIRC I'm the same peeing! Or it’s really urgent!

Congratulations and what a lovely name!!! @WholeZebra sorry to hear you had a long labour. Were you in hospital for the whole time?

Can ask, is everyone being told by their hospital that they don’t allow IVF patients to go beyond 40 weeks?