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🩷

I ordered this cute wee keepsake for my fiancé, just waiting for it to arrive .. I thought it would be nice for him as he’s super excited (it’s his 1child as my DD has a diff dad) it a wee coin and you can send your own scan pic to be printed on it and it says ‘daddy, now you can carry me too, can’t wait to meet you’ on the other side ..he can keep it in his wallet or pocket .. av attached a pic, hope he likes it 🥰

Hopefully after 2.5 weeks in hosp

Hopefully il b home soon..

They are keeping a v close eye on me

I have 3 hosp appts next wk anyway

24 weeks today!! It still feels unbelievable to me 😂❤️

Yay @CloudyIvy55! Friday is my new week day too. I am 26 weeks today so not far ahead of you. Planning to have an elective c-section too (usually in 39th week) so maybe our babies will arrive on the same day?! Be fun if there were Mumsnet twins 😂

@magpie234😂 that would be fun! I seem to remember feeling you were miles ahead of me in the early days .... I guess in the early weeks of pregnancy, two weeks feels like ages but now two weeks seems very close together!

@CloudyIvy55 I think I thought I was further ahead too but then I have definitely lost track of how far along everyone is! I def agree about the first tri feeling like years… so glad that is long past us now!

@magpie234 I have been mulling over elective or vaginal. I am just so anxious about something going wrong and then I really dont want to go over as there is some evidence about placenta failing and stillbirth increasing post 39 weeks for IVF pregnancies -so section feels more controllable in terms of timing. But equally, I would prefer vaginal as the experience, if you see what I mean. I need to discuss it with my consultant when I see him next week I think. Have you had the conversation already? Not sure if i should have already as I am 31 weeks tomorrow but no one has asked me and I haven't seen consultant since I was about 15 weeks!

@worldwidetravel2017 you poor thing! Hope you can get home soon. You must be going out of your mind with boredom but so good they are looking after you so well and monitoring you and baby so closely.

You are using the baby wishlist in Amazon hopefully - automatic 15% discount if you setup the baby wishlist and buy from there. (In case others aren’t aware)

@FancyGoose I mentioned it at a hospital checkup the other day and they seemed chill and said can discuss it more further down the line. Not had the proper chat where they run you through the risks etc yet. Hoping am not going to have to plead a case as we have the right to request one but appreciate they need to make me aware of everything in case I was not the type A research addict that I am! For me it feels the obvious choice - control/calm/husband gets long pat leave so will be around to help me after/hospitals make me anxious due to past trauma so not the one for getting oxytocin going/past tailbone injury has flared up etc. I also am not bothered by the labour and vaginal birth experience and would in fact actively like to avoid it 😂. I hope to go in on a scheduled day and have my baby then get home asap to recover in privacy and peace. Diff pros and cons to both and nether sound easy. Is such a personal choice. Go with your gut!

Over here they said they would talk through options at 38 weeks but it was mentioned in the antenatal classes about not going over 40 weeks if over 40 years of age.

My BP started rising at 38 weeks so they planned an induction at bang on 39 weeks - my waters broke naturally the morning before the scheduled induction but I still ended up needing the oxytocin drip at my contractions weren’t really established 24 hours after my waters breaking. I went on to have a vaginal birth.

@dubkitten Have heard that too and also that they are more cautious with IVF pregs regardless of age (I am 36 and having extra growth scans and obs appts apparently cos of IVF). Have also heard the NHS are quite induction-happy generally. Not something I want personally but like I said I want an elective c-section anyway so not going to be a problem for me. I know some people wanting vaginal births find it frustrating though.

I’m in Ireland but never felt pressurised into the induction, they only wanted to do it because of my BP.

@dubkitten Good to hear. Obv in a lot of cases it is for the best!

Thank you

@dubkitten that is interesting to hear. If they would consider inducing me at 39/40 weeks that might sway me towards vaginal. You hear so many horror stories about induction though - but my SIL had one and she said it was smooth and easy so I know they're not always bad. How was your experience with the drip etc

@magpie234 sounds like you have thought it all through and know what is best for you 😊 hope they don't give you a hard time - as you say, you have a right to elect for it but I know there is sometimes some pressure! I wish I knew what my instinct was telling me 🤣 in some ways, I would like it if the baby was just breech or something as takes the decision out of my hand and I can't agonise over whether or not I am making the right one (as I know I definitely wouldn't want an ECV).

@magpie234 I'm doing a planned c section too - i booked the date in ages ago. Looking forward to it. A vaginal delivery scares me so much, plus, as a planner, I can't imagine just waiting around for labour to start. I want everything managed. 😂

@Nosejug Hope all has been well with you - was the second opinion helpful?

From the minute the drip went in my contractions really ramped up. I have a bad back generally and the contractions were all in my back so I asked for the epidural once they got unbearable - once the epidural took hold (took two goes 😂) I didn’t feel anything at all, not even when I was pushing

@FancyGoose Same with the breech thing but then I remind myself that I am allowed to want a c-section just because I want one. That is enough of a reason. It does def still feel like I am supposed to want to go for vag though - maybe me projecting but that is still the social and medical vibe I get. Have had a lot of people assuming I will be doing that so far. I am confident about standing up to any pressure from the ob if there is any but am also hoping not to have to! Nobody has to explain why they want a vag birth as far as am aware. I reckon your instinct will kick in.

@SamVan Cool! Jels you already have a date booked in. How did you manage that? Did you get any pressure? Not sure I will get mine until days before. Going to ask at my next ob appt in Feb. I am a big planner and am looking forward to it too! Or at least I am more excited than I am anxious whereas it would be the other way round with a vag birth for me. Remind me how far along you are?

I'm feeling very uninformed reading through these recent posts. I knew nothing about placentas possibly failing/still birth risks with IVF. I'm not even consultant led. Stressful reading as I was picturing a vaginal birth which happened whenever it happened but now I think I need to consider an induction .... 😬

I am still thinking I'm going to go for a vaginal birth. I'm really not keen on induction. But I will play it all by ear.

You're not uniformed.

I was realising today how much IVF (much as I am grateful to it) and infertility can set you up with a huge backlog of worries. A lovely woman at my DD's school asked how I was, and I said I was doing great but obviously nervy about my 20-week scan. She genuinely didn't know what I was talking about - she'd sailed through her whole pregnancy seeing scans as a lovely opportunity to have a look at the baby. And I know obviously there's a risk to having that approach and then being blindsided if something does go wrong, but the reality is that actually, mostly, things don't go wrong. I think it's so easy for us to forget that, because it's been so hard and precarious getting there.

Oof, and I got all philosophical there! Clearly a sign I need to sleep. Meantime, though, @zirafica, this is the pregnancy-after-IVF thread. Come on in!

@CloudyIvy55 please don’t worry, I’m not consultant led either! xx

Hello everyone as well!

I had a productive day and have ticked 90% off of our baby items list including clothes up to 3 months. Last big things we need to buy are Pram (already chosen) owlet and baby monitor! I feel much less stressed

i hope everyone’s okay, sorry I have had chance to read all the messages yet but will tomorrow xox