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

@KG1244 Eugh that is a hard decision. It's so difficult to plan when there's no fixed outcome either way (other than a baby!).

I’m a little late but huge congratulations on the arrival of baby Nora @WholeZebra

@CollsR great news that baby’s finally the right way round.

@thislittlebird sorry your hospital seemed to have glossed over some of your problems and you’ve not had the scans you should have done. I can only imagine how stressful that is. I’m really grateful I seem to have a very attentive team where I’m registered. I’ve had scans every two weeks since the beginning of March as there were concerns with the baby’s growth as he’d dropped to the 30th percentile and they thought I might have to deliver early. Thankfully he’s back in the 50th percentile now though. Can you call up triage or your day unit yourself to explain and to request they scan you?

I also saw you’re struggling with nausea.

I actually came on here to ask about that. I’ve not been able to keep any food down the past week, it’s worse than my first trimester morning sickness. I’m going to call triage today probably but wanted to see if anyone else has experienced the same.

@KG1244 im in the exact same position as you, I’ve been told I’m not allowed to go over 40 weeks and have an appt Tues to book in either c section or induction but I just don’t know which is preferable. They both have there drawbacks but I guess natural labour can come with its own problems too. Do you know which one you’re leaning more towards? Also is your baby still measuring big? How are you feeling generally?

@ASGIRC pleased to hear your now recovering well from the c section after a tricky experience with the actual op. How is Margarida sleeping? Is it still every three hours?

@Doughnut89 My nausea is back again. I’m eating little and often and keeping on top of it with a mix of gaviscon (in the bright pink bottle) and rennies after eating anything, as mine is caused by acid reflux, well that and my stomach being squashed!
I remember the consultant conversation c section or induction if baby had not arrived by around 39w naturally, with my last baby. I was not happy and begged to be left to 40, with induction booked at 40.2. However I went into labour naturally before that (after one of my horses kicked me) but after 14h of back to back contractions with no progress past 1cm and merconium in my water I was exhausted and had an emergency section anyway. Just because you have an induction booked it won’t stop you from going into labour naturally beforehand. Depending on your outlook i’d say hope for the best but prepare for the worst! This time i’m having a planned section as i’ve had 2x stomach surgeries since my last baby and the risk of scar rupture/blood loss is very high and I don’t want that risk.

@Doughnut89 She sleeps well enough! And yes, the pediatrician wants me to wake her every 3 hours, but thats untenable. Shes 3 weeks old now, and is staying awake longer after feeds, sometimes she falls asleep 40 minutes before the 3h are up. There is ZERO chance Im waking her up after that amount of time.

And just in general... Why would I wake a sleeping baby??? I still do it... because I dont want to risk harming my baby... But I hate it! And end up doing it every 4h rather than 3h.

@Doughnut89 Hey, good to hear from you! So I’ve got another scan on Monday to check baby size but I’ve got a feeling it probably won’t change…I’m leaning slightly towards a c section but either option has its worries. It’s so difficult!

@ASGIRC I imagine it’s not going to cause her too many issues if you feed her 4 hours rather than 3. Like you say, you don’t want to wake her if she’s only just managed to get to sleep and you’re still feeding her at regular intervals anyway.

@PollywithaP thanks for that, I’m taking gaviscon. It helps with the heartburn/ reflux however when that develops more into nausea that’s is often the problem but I’m now trying to eat smaller portions like you suggested but more regularly and it seems to be helping. Wow I can’t believe you got kicked by your horse whilst pregnant, that must have been incredibly scary!

@KG1244 I was leaning more towards a c section for a while as well but they mentioned recently that like @PollywithaP because I had surgery previously on my uterus when I had my septum removed it increased my risk of blood loss etc. They also mentioned that because of this I might have to have an active third stage where they deliver the placenta rather than waiting for it naturally if I have a vaginal birth. But I’m hoping they go into more details of both options at my appointment on Tuesday.
Keep us posted on how your scan goes on Monday and which option you decide to go with x

Hi all, ultrasound this morning went well. Baby size has not increased quite at the same trajectory so now in 88th percentile so just outside of big baby territory. I’m seeing the consultant next week so can discuss further with them. Tbh, I’m really still struggling to decide. It’s really not easy especially when it’s a decision only I can make!

Good luck with your appointment @Doughnut89

@Doughnut89 I’m having a scan at 36 weeks so I guess I’ll just “settle” for that. It’s very frustrating though. Glad the percentile went up for you. I think I’m one of the oldest here and they’ve checked bugger all for me, it’s frustrating. I’m seeing the consultant in ten days from now.

@KG1244 have they given you the pros and cons of each info? That helped me decide but then I was already keen for a c section.

Very bloody glad I have a c section booked now. I had piles develop, it was ok, manageable. Then I got a skin infection and had 11 days of antibiotics to get rid of it, and this resulted in severe diarrhoea which appears to have antagonised the piles. It’s got much bigger and worse and is incredibly painful. I’m now on the stronger ointment from the doctor and have to sit on a donut cushion. It keeps me up at night being so painful. So yeah, glad I don’t have to push a baby out, I’m sure the one angry haemorrhoid would be making new friends. I’m really hoping it goes away, I had no idea they could be so painful.

@KG1244 I'm glad you're not in big baby territory at least! I was on the fence between c-section and another vaginal birth due to my prior 3B tear BUT now that the decision is possibly being taken away from me (if baby stays breech) it's made me realise that I really want a vaginal birth 🙄

Scan is this afternoon so I'll know more then but unfortunately I think I can still feel baby's head under my ribs 😓I don't think I'm going to be one of the lucky ones where baby flips by themselves. We've decided we'll give the ECV a try though as I want to feel like I've done everything I can before resorting to c-section :(

@thislittlebird I have done a lot of research but still finding it difficult. I’m really worried about a long induction leading to a lot of intervention or emergency C-section which obviously would be really stressful. But then I also worry about the significant recovery time with a C-section and struggling to care for baby boy whilst recovering from surgery. It’s so difficult to know what to do and spoken to lots of people. I don’t have a lot of positive stories from induction to give me confidence. I also think peoples experiences vary so much and maybe I will be one of those lucky ones who goes into labour naturally a bit early and baby is out quickly (highly unlikely I know 😂 - those stories seem rare!).

@TheBirdintheCave sorry to hear the baby is still breach. hopefully your appointment today will help in terms of options xx

@thislittlebird. I’m sorry you’ve not had as many checks. If your antenatal care is at a hospital you can complain to the hospital PALS department. You can also wait until after your baby comes to send the email to PALS if you’re worried about your treatment after complaining.

@KG1244 My SIL had all 3 of her babies via induction. She lives in the US and it’s more common there & mostly it was to allow her to schedule mat leave more easily.

My baby is no longer breach and I’m going for induction as plan A.

A birthing plan can be a hard decision. You likely don’t have to fully commit to induction if you want to try it as plan A. Talk to your antenatal team about it. But I’ve heard of women who were willing to try induction up to a certain point of time (24hrs of induction with C-section if active labour hadn’t started) or certain point of medication (ie gel once). Also it can be easier to move from induction into C-section if you have an epidural. So talk about how early you can get one if you’re open to it. My local only does epidural that the mother can control… so I can have one and not use the drugs or rarely use so that I can still stand or maybe walk.

Think about how you would feel about going through induction steps for 24-48hrs with some contractions before moving to a c-section. Only you know how you feel. It’s okay if you choose a planned c-section.

Had my 36wk growth scan today, midwife and consultant appointment. Baby is transverse having moved from breach at last scan and consultant not happy with position. I am under strict instructions to call triage at any slight twinge, tightening, any reduction in movements and not wait as the risk of cord coming out before baby is very high. C section is booked for 7th May and i’m hoping it stays in until then 🤞

@PollywithaP I'm sorry your little one has flipped to transverse :( Is there no option for trying to turn them? Fingers crossed they stay put for as long as you need them to.

We were confirmed still breech this afternoon so are being sent to the clinic for our ECV sometime this or next week.

@CollsR thank you so much lovely, that’s all really helpful advice ❤️ I was thinking initially that if I go down the induction route, I would go up to pessary in terms of medication and then if that isn’t successful, request a c section. I think I also need to read up on some positive induction stories!

@PollywithaP sorry to hear baby is traverse but sounds like your hospital is managing it well so fingers crossed for you that baby behaves until 7th May

@TheBirdintheCave i swear breech babies seem so much more common now! How many weeks are you now? Sorry I’m sure you’ve said before, my brain is literally mush at the moment! Hope you get a date for your ECV soon

@KG1244 I'm 36+1 today so I think they're going to schedule it pretty quickly. And yeah weirdly there are a lot of breeches in my May Facebook group! It does seem odd!

Fortunately we see the midwife tomorrow so may have more news then. The sonographer contacted the breech team at the scan today.

@KG1244 That sounds like a good plan. I did an NCT course that went into detail of the stages of labour & also gave information on induction, emergency c-section & planned c-sections.

You can get that information many places but that information helped me decide. I really knew very little before the course.

I didn’t like the sound of sterile water injections in the back but was pleased to find out a TENS machine can offer the same pain relief using stick on pads & electricity pulses. So for around £40 I’ve hired a TENS machine that arrived this week (as I’m 37 weeks).

Random question for the group: I’m looking to start packing my hospital bag. Seems we will have a lot to take to hospital. I was thinking of using a large hard suitcase to hold most everything (stuff for baby, partner and me). I know we should have a private room & have been adviced to bring our own pillows and a blow up single mattress for my partner, plus all the other stuff needed.

@CollsR Makes sense to me! We have a small suitcase (one half baby, one half me) and a holdall type thing for my husband with snacks and a spare change of clothes for him.

@CollsR you get a private room? I’m jealous. My hospital has three but if other women need them or request them first then I won’t be able to, we have to ask on the day we go in :/

I wish we could take a blow up bed for DH but if we’re on a ward it doesn’t seem practical.

We have the changing bag with the baby’s things, a holdall for DH, a mini wheelie suitcase for me. Still need to work out how many nappies and stuff we need to take, will probably put it in the car in bags.

@thislittlebird I’m really lucky that we moved from North London to Kent while I was pregnant. We did it for my partner’s work but the hospital here only has private rooms with en-suites. They let the Dad’s stay. Very rarely the hospital is full and we will be directed to another hospital so that’s why I say “should”.

The birthing centre near here has private rooms with double beds for mum and Dad to stay and sleep after birth. I can’t use the birthing centre, but nice for those that can.

@CollsR Our midwife led unit has the pull down double beds for after the birth as well. I so hope I get to use one!

@TheBirdintheCave fingers crossed 🤞 A double bed after birth would be ideal

@CollsR Yup! Gotta get this baby the right way around first though 😂 We had our breech consult this morning and the ECV is booked for next Weds at 37+2 🤞🏻

@CollsR this all sounds great, I know I'll end up a crowded ward with weirdos being miserable :/ We get shafted round here in terms of offering.

I'm thinking the baby has turned???? I can't feel her under my ribs now but I can feel something sharp (maybe a foot?) frequently poking the middle of my belly.