IVF Pregnancy Club- spring/summer 2026

[pastelheart]

Wanted to start a thread for anyone expecting after IVF and due next spring/summer

I am finding it quite daunting after infertility for 4 years and then a round of IVF to now be FINALLY expecting in June 2026, can hopefully chat with anyone else in the same boat

@backtotheicsi🩷

Very interesting reading your birth stories and birth plans. I'm a first time Mum, and leaning towards a vaginal/natural birth (not sure what you call it). This is a very long awaited IVF pregnancy and I don't know if I'll ever be lucky enough to have another baby so I want to give it a go. But I also know I could be being very naive 😕

I'm definitely going to have to discuss it with my midwife. I've realised that even though it took me years to get pregnant and I had alot of time to prepare...I actually know very little about giving birth 🤦‍♀️

I am planning a vaginal birth, hoping for gas and air but open to an epidural if needed.

They mentioned at my ante natal class this week when talking about inductions that they normally don’t let women over 40 go past the 40 weeks so will need to discuss that with my midwife as would like to avoid induction if possible

@Backtotheicsi YAY CONGRATS ON YOUR LITTLE GIRL! I kept checking for your update and as always I am glad everything is looking good too 🩷🩷

honestly girls… I did it natural without pain relief and I didn’t feel accomplished after or whatever they say you will feel like… truth be told I was traumatised 😂 and nothing went wrong… I didn’t even have to have stitches but I was out of it from the pain I don’t actually remember my son being born. So ideal to want to sleep through it all with an epidural and minimal effort this time. Do whatever you feel is right for you and don’t listen to anyone else (apart from medical professionals obvs)

Hope everyone has had a good week! I got my hair done today and got something quite different so don’t recognise myself atm lol 😂 xx

@dubkitten, I have a vague memory that IVF pregnancies over 40 that go to 'term' delivery tend to be more like 37 weeks than 40? They can't all be inductions so I think we might go into labour earlier as well. Must as my midwife!

I was amused last night - DD suddenly sat up in her bed, eyes wide: 'mummy! But how we will look after the baby when I'm at school?!'

It's good to know she has a sense of who's going to be the responsible adult in this scenario, right?

Interesting thinking about birth and reading these birth stories. I was adamant that I wanted a home birth with my son. Until contractions kicked in! Then I was all give me the drugs just get them in my system 😂 I was also very much of the mindset that I wouldn't be controlled and talk of hospitals 'letting or not letting' mothers make final decisions was anathema to me. I ended up with induction, forceps, emergency c section, haemorrhage...this time I'd go elective c section. But it's only reading your posts that have me pondering this. I'm still just going week by week, surprised that I'm still pregnant at all! 11 weeks on Wed 🤞 Hope you all have a lovely weekend xxx

That sounds awful, @Sara237.

How are you doing with the sickness, btw?

@CloudyIvy55 i resonate with a lot of your message. Also waited a very long time and doubt I’d get a second (and still hoping for my first to keep going). I feel I can’t invest too much in the end of the pregnancy yet and certainly never did before. Maybe I’ll do what’s recommended? Or ask around? 100% in hospital though.

@SarahAndQuack my sickness stopped completely just before 12 weeks! So I think I had about 4/5 weeks of constant sickness 🩷 xx

@CloudyIvy55 I get that and really hope you get the birth you want whatever you decide. I realised I have been feeling like I should want a vaginal birth but really I have personally never had it on my list of things I simply must try so I doubt I would spend my life regretting it. So atm I am hoping to stay firm and get an elective c unless a doctor says something big that makes me change my mind. Hardly psyched for that option either though 😂

My main reason for trying to avoid a c section is due to not being able to drive for 6 weeks. I rely on my car an awful lot as I suffer from motion sickness when I passenger or on public transport

@dubkitten Makes sense! Ugh I hate motion sickness. Do you get it on all forms of transport? How rubbish.

Aaarrghh... I'm spiralling. First the first time in ages myself and my boyfriend got dressed up and went out for dinner, had a lovely meal, went to the pub after and bumped into some friends.

I went to the loo and when I wiped , there was a tiny spot of pink blood. Obviously, I've panicked, said I've got a headache and come home, leaving my partner at the pub.

I'm 16 weeks, do I call the EPU or shall I wait?

@pastelheart thanks lovely we are over the moon!

i think any way is the right way they people are comfortable with. I would be nervous of C-section but only because I’ve never had it and had a great birth with my lovely friend epidural lol but who knows. Definitely interesting hearing everyone’s stories.
i feel so rotten, I had a week of feeling ok until the afternoon and now I am back in the dumps. Just coming up for 15 weeks, fuming lol xxx

@CloudyIvy55 Ohhh so stressful. I think call if you are worried or you will only keep spiralling? I think it is bright red blood they worry about though maybe? So hopefully it is normal and fine.

@Backtotheicsi Great you had such a good birth last time. So hope for the same for you again! Do you mind me asking if you were induced before or not? If I do go the vaginal route I will def be asking for an epidural! That sucks that you still feel rough. Is it sickness? Have you asked your GP about meds? I am still on Xonvea and it has helped me a lot. Hope you feel better soon!

@CloudyIvy55 I'd have done the same even though we know light bleeding isn't necessarily a prob, it's scary as hell. Do you have cramping, more bleeding? When I had a bit of blood weeks ago I was told only to worry if soaking sanitary pads. How are you now? Sending hand hold xxx

Thanks for replying so quick! I've got myself in a bit of state. Haven't had any more spotting but it only happened about an hour and a half ago.

I think my EPUA is shut over the weekend so not really sure who to ring - or if I even need to ring anyone at all. No cramping. I guess I'll just monitor how it goes overnight.

@CloudyIvy55 id definitely give the EPU a call that’s there purpose to reassure and advise they will be absolutely lovely I’m sure!

@magpie234 yes i was induced which I think does help with things like epidural and decisions etc as I signed my paperwork as soon as they broke my waters and they were able to arrive in loads of time to do it. I am worried if I’m not induced this time I’m so scared things will progress too quick for an epidural and I am a massive baby I think I’m going to die when I’ve had bad constipation (sorry tmi lol) so defo not a meds free birth for me 😂
regardless though if you know it’s something you want push for it from the get go, I was so confident in what I said no one tried to talk me out of it!

a very early topic of conversation but I was wondering about breastfeeding advice? Any good pages etc? Last time I was adamant I wasn’t trying at all because if it failed or was hard I didn’t want to ‘waste’ my precious weeks with my newborn, I don’t feel like that this time and to be honest I cried every day from when my little was 2 weeks until about 8 months for regretting that choice to not try. So I’m going in this time 100% trying. I have no issue with bottle feeding my girl is amazing and I never worried it wasn’t enough for her but I just regretted not trying and knowing what they would have been like. Xx

Rang the EPU... spoke a lovely midwife who said not to worry and it sounds like I've got a bit of thrush so that's most likely the reason for a tiny bit of spotting. Got a midwife appt on Tuesday so keep an eye on it and mention it to her. I feel a little better I guess, going to have a good cry to get it out my system.

I'm normally a level headed and rational person but I seem to be losing the plot a bit with this pregnancy 🤦‍♀️😂

Oh, phew, I'm so glad you were able to speak to someone @CloudyIvy55! I think it's absolutely natural to be scared even if you are the most rational person ever. I did exactly the same thing myself two weeks ago - gush of blood (blood thinners! Stupidly I didn't realise they'd make it look worse than it was) and it was fine. The EPU were so nice to me and it made me realise how much of their job is reassuring people. They really do seem to be happy to do it. So you did the right thing by ringing!

@Backtotheicsi - I'm wondering about this too! When we did NCT classes before DD was born we had a very crunchy breastfeeding counsellor who was hellbent on telling me that as the non-bio mum I could induce lactation if I wanted ... I did not want! It was nowhere on my list of priorities. But I had a nurse check my boobs once (unrelated to any babies past or future!) and she said I might struggle as my nipples are tiny and it's stuck with me a bit. I'd quite like to just for the convenience factor. Bottles are such a pain, especially in the middle of the night! We ended up doing both bottle and breast with DD, because DP was good at breastfeeding but DD needed top-ups and she was tube fed at first anyway, so we figured no harm to carry on. And it was useful that anyone could feed her at a pinch, not just DP. So I'm really unsure what I ought to be thinking TBH!

Also, I am so sorry you're feeling rotten today. Anything you'd like to talk about? It's an emotional rollercoaster but we're all here.

@SarahAndQuack Sickness has eased last couple of days which is miraculous but also disconcerting. Urgh!
@CloudyIvy55 That's great you got through and are reassured. The worry literally never ends with this journey.
@Backtotheicsi You are looking ahead! I breast fed my son. It was the one aspect of new parenting I found easy! Not heard of nipples being too small for feeding before...I'm googling that one. My local children's centre had a specialist who helped with latch if needed. You're in a great position knowing how to do bottles too, I found the prospect of all that sterilizing and temperature checking overwhelming and breast feeding simple. Good you're open to options.

Ha! I relate to the 'disconcerting' bit. Mine has increased a bit (nothing bad; I know I am very lucky), but I keep on thinking 'argh, I don't feel anything; something terrible has happened!'

I googled how early it's possible to feel movements yesterday, thinking that'd be a reassuring point, but I bet it's one more thing to worry about! Thank goodness we're all in the same boat, or I think I would go nuts.

Yea anything over 30 mins and I’m queasy - can’t look at my phone or read a book or anything like that as it makes it worse. On the other hand I could drive for hours with no problem

So after two days of feeling better re sickness, I woke with a banging headache, took the iron tablet and was sick within the hour. Anyone else had trouble with these pills? I've got to take them for rest of the pregnancy. Unless it wasn't the pills, just me being a bit migraine sick. Who knows? 🤔 Urgh. Hope you're all ok. It's a bright, sunny day and I can barely function again. Fed up!

My body is not loving the iron tablets

Theyve not made me physically sick
But have made my tum hurt and made me feel yuck

Which dose are you on?

I'm in exactly the same situation and my first time on mumsnet!