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🩷

@CloudyIvy55 No def not uninformed! Sorry if it stressed you out. Hopefully - and very possibly! - you will have the birth you want. They also cannot make you have an induction! I think @SarahAndQuack is bang on with her philosophising there - I have no doubt that the journey here has shaped how I think about pregnancy/birth/all of it. I never asked to be consultant-led and am pretty sure they are just being overly cautious tbh!

@pastelheart Oh amazing! I am making my list atm (a big spreadsheet more like) ready to do a big JL order to make the most of the discount code. Getting some Mamas & Papas nursery furniture too - found such a comfy chair! Finding it overwhelming but know I will feel less stressed once decisions are made and things start arriving.

@magpie234. @magpie234thats how I was feeling! So hence the massive shopping spree today! What colour scheme are you doing in your nursery? I got a free baby box from John Lewis (worth £150) so pleased with that, looks like it has some lovely stuff in it. We got our swing from JL, I think you had to spend over £150 to get the box xx

@CloudyIvy55 What you read on here isn't necessarily representative either so you needn't rule out a vaginal birth if that's what you're leaning towards or assume you'll need induction. Remember that the cohort on a thread like this will have people with all sorts of health issues as well as many older women, women with previous difficulties and women who've used donor treatments - all of which create higher risks of complications such as you refer to. It's the nature of the thread! And absolutely doesn't indicate that you'll have any of these issues or not have a straightforward experience. Many of us are also seasoned researchers now and have spent years researching various issues and IVF related topics. It's because we've often had to be the ones responsible for quality control in what is often a hideous process...just this week I had to inform a consultant about a risk he was unaware of related to my pregnancy which doesn't exactly inspire confidence! This thread is very diverse and that makes it very supportive and informative but if reading the spectrum of experiences is making you anxious maybe remind yourself that your pregnancy is unique to your situation and that sometimes ignorance is bliss!

How are people finding sleep atm? I wake every night between 3-5 and then have to be up at 7 for school run. So tired. I'm 19 weeks on Monday and it's not even movement waking me as I basically feel nothing! Been reading about pregnancy insomnia...might as well get used to broken sleep again but it'd be so nice to sleep through the night again!

@Sara237 my sleep is rubbish, I wake up every 1-2 hours for a wee 🙃 my hips hurt and I get pins and needles and cramp so easily. I get pain in my ribs too so have to keep swapping sides! Andddddd I also suffer with insomnia on a good day so I’m having a great time! I think I will get better sleep when the baby is here and keeping me up all night 😂 so you aren’t alone, I feel your pain x

Hi all!
thanks for inviting me @SarahAndQuack ♥️

I think I’m very behind everyone else, only 10w so still in my first trimester, looking at all your progress just makes me 😭😭😭 hope I’ll make it that far too ♥️ all scans so far (and by all I mean one lol) have been very reassuring so just waiting to finally get into the NHS system with it all!

I’m with st Thomas’ in London, they’re a bit further from us than two other hospitals but they have a children’s hospital attached and I quite like the safety and reassurance of that so don’t mind it being a bit of a commute.
funnily enough I’m going to have my 12 week scan before my first meeting with a midwife due to how busy they are, but I called and they reassured me this was fine.

we’re doing a c-section as I had a major fibroid removed 2 years ago with an open abdominal surgery (so basically have a c-section scar already) 😂 I think this puts me in high risk of uterine rupture, but as someone mentioned I quite like the idea of knowing when it will happen and all the horror stories of really traumatic vaginal births ending in c-sections after 27+ hours of labour don’t appeal to me at all. I’m also going to be 40 on my due date so hoping NHS classes me as high risk and I get consultant led care vs midwife.

it’s obviously super early for us but we’ve decided not to decorate a nursery as the baby will be sleeping with us for at least 6 months (as I intent to breastfeed). We also want to move house in the next 3-4 years (before they start school) so really not that fussed about getting things decorated. we have loads of friends and family that have had babies in the last year or so so hoping to inherit a cot, a pram and a child seat. No intention of buying anything on top of that atm (other than clothes, bottles, a pump etc but I class these as smaller expenses) as realistically expecting baby to be glued to me 😂

i’m fully employed but my company offers only statutory mat leave which for a healthcare company is appalling, but I’ve been saving for a while with this in mind so planning to take a year off (with 2 years worth of annual leave attached for the last 3 months), and since it’s a c-section and I’m fully remote I intend to work up until the day before as I don’t want to waste any leave that I can use to stay on mat leave longer.

excited to be part of this group!

@zirafica welcome! I think I remember you from the September IVF thread?? Congratulations!

I didn’t see my midwife until after my 12 week scan too, I had an online booking appt before the scan but that was just going through the questions and history. At my 12 week scan they took blood (for combined screening and as initial blood tests for pregnancy) blood pressure, height and weight etc. so don’t stress about not seeing midwife first, it was all fine for me!

we also aren’t planning on doing the nursery before baby gets here too, same reason as he’s going to be in our room for at least 6 months and our room is huge so have enough space. I also can’t decide what room with me his nursery… I have to choose between the guest bedroom or my dressing room…….. and it’s turning out to be a very hard decision lol

I hope you are feeling okay and 1st tri hasn’t been too rough for you, I know a lot of ladies here, including myself suffered with awful sickness so I hope that skipped you for the most part x

Definitely this. I do so much research on things now because of being let down in my past (including with fertility - long story but our issue turned out to be male factor that was dismissed by doctors multiple times in favour of lots of invasive tests and treatment for me… finally taken seriously and fixed after finding the lovely and excellent Jonathan Ramsay - and what felt like PhD level research on my part to have an extremely high level conversation with him! - but it meant I could probably have avoided doing IVF which is hard to just get over - sure the baby will help though as obv would have a diff one without it!). I also think this plays into why I want a c-section to try and take back some control. These decisions are as personal as they come.

@CloudyIvy55 I saw a great video clip of Keira Knightley speaking about her birth the other day and it was so refreshing. She basically said her approach was… the baby has to come out somehow! I found it helpful to watch any way.

Hi @pastelheart i remember you too! Yes I had my ER back in late August and then it was a waiting game of PGT-A results and then my periods to come etc etc! We finally had our FET beginning of dec and it stuck which I’m obviously over the moon about but also a bit in shock as I genuinely did expect to have to go through it a few times!
thanks for letting me know about the scan and the bloods, I was concerned I might be missing something but it sounds like the first midwife appointment is just admin and god knows we’ve been through all of that with the clinic a number of times!
im glad you’re in the same boat nursery wise. I know there will be loads of expenses I’m not expecting as is so I’m just delaying things until it crystallises what we actually do and don’t need. Like changing tables - all I’ve seen is people saying they’re a massive waste as you just end up changing the baby on your bed, the sofa, or wherever you are so I’m just trying to be rational and see what will and won’t be needed. I mean I’d love it if we had a baby that slept in its own room through the night but sincerely doubt that’ll be the case 😂 we’re also not finding out the gender so I reckon by the time we get to a spot where we have them in a separate room we’ll know a bit more about them and make it a bit more enjoyable. Plus like you we’ve got a guest room and an office and honestly the logistics of dismantling either of those is beyond my mental capabilities atm 😂
first trimester has been ok, thank you for asking! Mild nausea (mostly if I don’t eat regularly) and exhaustion but nothing major or concerning. Working from home is a lifesaver though, I have a friend who’s 5 weeks ahead of me and she has to go into the office 3x a week and hearing how tough it’s been for her makes me so grateful for my set up. I’ll even forgive them the ghastly statutory mat leave (maybe). How’s your pregnancy been so far?

@pastelheart Colour scheme I think just going neutral then adding lots of fun by way of pictures/bookshelfs/rug etc. There is a little fireplace in there I am going to paint blush pink though… just a little girly nod! Might add some cute wall stickers somewhere too. How about you?

@zirafica ahhh amazing! I have looked in to some of the ivf threads after September to see how others from September have got on and was really happy to see your positive in the December thread! I think we all feel shock when we get our positives… I’m still shocked now at 21 weeks, I go to my partner constantly- I can’t believe we are having a baby, I can’t believe it worked 😂

so I had a changing table for my son 12 years ago, and I 100% used it if I was upstairs and the storage on it was amazing. I think if you have the space then they are worth having but they aren’t essential

I pray we all have babies that sleep through from the second week 🙏🏼 that was my son… I won’t get that lucky again.

100% on the working from home, I do too and being able to schedule an afternoon nap was needed and luckily my team were understanding. All been good, I was sick and knackered up to 12 weeks but since then it’s been fine. I am a bit achey now and feel very round but am loving being pregnant and feeling him move, it’s my fave thing. I spend hours watching my tummy just to see a few kicks. Although last few weeks he doesn’t sit still! It’s constant! X

@magpie234i think when we do do our nursery, I would like to go for white and grey clouds theme (have seen some cute wallpaper with realistic looking clouds on it) our house is grey and white so will have to tie in with that! The pink fireplace sounds so cute! Pink is my fave colour but I am going to have to get on the blue train again aren’t I, I don’t think I have bought him a single blue item of clothing yet! X

@pastelheart absolutely loved reading that. So over the moon for you! ♥️♥️
we’re in a flat so luckily no stairs to manage - I do have a couple of drawer chests in the guest room so worst comes to worst I can buy that cushion to change babies for the top and it’ll do. I might get a bit more into nesting mode once I’ve gotten further down the line, it all feels surreal still (I love that it does for you too haha!)
on a side note, me and my younger brother are 12 years difference and it’s THE BEST age gap ever ♥️ congrats!!!

Hi all, I had my 16 weeks midwife appointment which was just at my GP. But she didn’t really do anything, apart from ask how I was and go over my future appointments, I asked does she need a urine sample /blood pressure etc and she said no, I am high risk for preeclampsia so I found it strange she didn’t want to check things as the last check was at my 12 weeks appointment which was 5 weeks ago ? (17+1 today) Is this normal ? Did anyone else not get anything checked at their 16 weeks midwife appointment ?

anyways on the labour side of things , I had an induction with my 1st child and all went well, she was delivered within 12 hours after my waters getting broke and getting put on the drip, no stitches or anything, so I am happy to get induced again (hopefully all smooth 2nd time round) not discussed a date this will happen yet as only 17 weeks but I am happy to go early, the midwife did explain that I don’t have to be induced or c section and that some ‘older’ ladies (as she put it) and ivf ladies have requested to wait and let it happen naturally and she said if I really wanted that it is a choice, but as I had a good experience with induction before I am happy to go with that, and like others have said, I know when baby will be arriving and none of the getting sent home as your ‘contractions arnt far on enough yet’ etc malarkey! Would rather they start me off ..😁✨

@zirafica I’m so he’ll of no stairs… we have two sets of stairs and I get so out of breath already lol 😂 yeah they have some lovely changing mats that go on the top now, I like the look of the snuggle one I think it’s called?
I had an ivf big sister when I was going through my cycle who I met through work, she went through 5 cycles and was 20 weeks with twins when I did my cycle. She just had her twins yesterday and says it still feels surreal now!!

oh that’s lovely to hear about the age gap! My son is really looking forward to being a big brother but he is at the age where his friends are obvs the most important thing in the whole world so I hope he is close to his little brother 🩵 he has already said he will baby sit whenever we want… and invite his friends around which is a hard not a freaking chance 😂😂

@AmberRose26 that’s strange, my 16 weeks appt she checked blood pressure and urine but didn’t do Doppler or anything. And we discussed future appts and when to call triage blah blah blah. When is your next midwife appt?

xx

I meant jell of no stairs… why doesn’t autocorrect work correctly on here. Makes me sound like I’m an idiot!

@CloudyIvy55 sorry if we scared you! It's probably better not to have googled every single thing that can go wrong to be honest - my anxiety is through the roof. A lot of the risks associated with IVF are still tiny in absolute terms and I think there is quite mixed evidence/schools of thought. Eg. NICE consulted a few years ago on making inductions at 39 weeks standard for IVF pregnancies because of the potential increased risks but then their final guidance didn't ultimately have it in because a lot of respondents (all medical groups and academics) disagreed that there was a risk or that it was justified. So there is nothing hard and fast about it - if there was solid evidence then it would be standard practice across the board.

I think it totally varies on whether youre consultant led as standard or not for ivf - i know loads of people who weren't. And as others said, age and other risk factors come into it too so please dont worry. You could always question whether you could see a consultant if it would make you feel better but tbh I have only seen mine once so far (31 weeks) and it was just a chat. The only good thing was he booked me in for some extra growth scans nearer the end, i think because of my anxiety (although they are now clinically justified too because of my double vessel cord but we didn't know that at the time).

I also know lots of IVF pregnancies who didn't get induced - chat it through with your midwife and see what you feel is best.

@AmberRose26 that seems strange. Every appointment i have had they do a pee test and blood pressure test. Even when I was booked into see my consultant and wasn't scheduled to see a MW, a midwife saw me first and did the above.

@zirafica welcome to the thread and congratulations!

@CloudyIvy55 sorry if we scared you! It's probably better not to have googled every single thing that can go wrong to be honest - my anxiety is through the roof. A lot of the risks associated with IVF are still tiny in absolute terms and I think there is quite mixed evidence/schools of thought. Eg. NICE consulted a few years ago on making inductions at 39 weeks standard for IVF pregnancies because of the potential increased risks but then their final guidance didn't ultimately have it in because a lot of respondents (all medical groups and academics) disagreed that there was a risk or that it was justified. So there is nothing hard and fast about it - if there was solid evidence then it would be standard practice across the board.

I think it totally varies on whether youre consultant led as standard or not for ivf - i know loads of people who weren't. And as others said, age and other risk factors come into it too so please dont worry. You could always question whether you could see a consultant if it would make you feel better but tbh I have only seen mine once so far (31 weeks) and it was just a chat. The only good thing was he booked me in for some extra growth scans nearer the end, i think because of my anxiety (although they are now clinically justified too because of my double vessel cord but we didn't know that at the time).

I also know lots of IVF pregnancies who didn't get induced - chat it through with your midwife and see what you feel is best.

@AmberRose26 that seems strange. Every appointment i have had they do a pee test and blood pressure test. Even when I was booked into see my consultant and wasn't scheduled to see a MW, a midwife saw me first and did the above.

@zirafica welcome to the thread and congratulations!

@pastelheart if it helps we’ve got 39 steps to get to our flat (yes 39. Yes I’ve counted. Many times lol) but luckily none in the flat. But managing a pram up and down those is gonna be awful 😂😂 I think this is the perfect age for your son to get a brother. I was just hitting puberty and the fact my parents were preoccupied with a baby was such a lifesaver, I felt like it gave me breathing space. I was also happy to babysit and help but my mum told me she doesn’t want a child raising her child so she really almost never asked (which I also really appreciated in hindsight). I feel like he’s my baby though, and despite it being difficult to build a bond up until he was probably 15 as we had nothing in common (and I moved away to uni when he was starting primary school), we’re thick as thieves now and he prefers me to our parents lol (as he should 😂). Honestly it gives you a chance to properly focus on your baby when they’re small and then the older one gets some freedom exactly when they need it!

@pastelheart my next MW appointment isn’t until I am 26 weeks … so 9 weeks away ?! But I have my 20 weeks scan in 4 weeks (I’ll be 21 weeks by time I get it) so I don’t see anyone for another 4 weeks yet ?! Which will be 9 eeeks since I was last checked ?! I actually have a blood pressure machine at home so I’ll check it myself later but still .. !? Seems strange I didn’t know whether I should contact the consultant and ask should I be checked for urine /blood pressure as the midwife didn’t do it ?!

and what lovely news about your friend having her twins ! So nice 💕✨

@zirafica Welcome and congratulations! It's so nice to read about the age gap with your brother and how close you are. My son is 8 so I wonder about this, I love that he's got to be an only child for so long and I also can't wait to see him be a big brother. His headteacher told me last week that he told her all about the baby and she kept saying how happy he was and that he was bursting with it! 😭 💕
Glad to hear your 1st trimester is ok, and I hear you re waiting for buying stuff. I need to save so much to have a year off so am looking on eBay etc to save some money. I had a changing table with my son as had c section so wouldn't have been able to bend over on floor mat. He was with me till 6 months then own room, then back at 14 months till about 2ish I think! It's so different this time as I don't have a spare room; will have to partition my big bedroom which will be interesting! Look forward to hearing your updates.

Oh @Sara237 that’s such a good point about bending over after a c-section!!! I’m so glad you brought it up it didn’t even occur to me! It was one of the most awful things after my fibroid surgery, I remember screaming in the middle of the night at my partner cause he put the toilet seat down (again) and I was really struggling bending over and lifting it.
thanks so much, that’s totally changed my perspective on changing table, 100% adding that to the list now!!!
I’m going to try to get as much as I can from friends and family as I just don’t see the point in buying new, best case most of this stuff will last for a year max and then it’s more junk to get rid of that you’ve spent hundreds of pounds on… and from what I see most kids don’t like any of the rockers, shakers, lullers or whatever they’re called. I’d hate to buy stuff like that and then it not be used so I’m genuinely doing the bare basics and then we’ll build on it as we go along.
Thank you for the welcome ♥️ and so excited for your 8 year old, that’s gonna be such a great gap too ♥️ I just think it’s so much easier when you’ve got a child you can reason with and that will understand instead of feeling abandoned and left out as a toddler. So much better for the kid and the parents!

@zirafica I think you're right regarding all the extras. I bought quite an expensive monitor before which was never used as I used to just fall asleep next to him during naps and we were together the rest of the time. Moses basket was good for moving him around but didn't last long. Thinking I'll pick up a smaller crib/bassinet thing this time. Changing table was godsend. This time round, I'll have a little baby nook in my room, essentially an alcove poor child 😂.

@zirafica I think your plan sounds very sensible! I am a bit (a lot…) of a sucker but going to try and not be silly as also do not want to spend money on things that never get used. Finding it hard to tell though!

I am just about to make our first big purchase - a cot and changing dresser bundle from Mamas & Papas and a swivelling nursing chair also from there (I tried it in store and it was so comfy!). It has made it all feel real… like this is actually finally happening?!

@Sara237 that sounds perfect! I think we’ll try to get a next to me cot but on the pram and car seat I have no preferences. We’re in London anyway so we don’t drive much so I don’t think this’ll be something we have to worry about massively. We’ve also been told by friends our low no-back-doors car is not child appropriate and we’re like ok we’ll change it if we see it’s not working for us. I was also looking into those owlet things and then spoke to a paediatrician friend and he was like you only need that if the hospital tells you there’s a concern and to get it, it’s all marketing otherwise, stop driving yourself insane. So now I’m like ok I’m gonna be low maintenance here and see how that goes 😂

@magpie234 haha that’s exactly why I’m keeping away from baby shops! Like if they’re really clingy no point in buying a beautiful cot that will be a pain to get them in and out of and I’ll have to get up and get them from it and it’ll ruin sleep time. And then on nursing chairs we’ve got some really comfortable armchairs (one of which is a cool vintage recliner) and I reckon with a good pregnancy pillow I can make myself very comfortable in those. Just being sensible and as someone said saving the money to make my mat leave more pleasurable. I fully intend to travel that year while I’m off so my thinking is a couple of nice trips somewhere sunny will do us both much more good than a cute dresser, the newest pram or high end rocking gadget. I think with time you’ll get to know your baby and slowly realise what works for them and then you can purchase instead of getting everything preordered and then it collecting dust. I always remember my younger brother who was SHOWERED in toys as the first boy in the family and all he wanted to play with was pots and pot lids, and to watch the garbage truck drive by. Every single toy ended up in the basement and then the trash 😂