IVF Pregnancy Club- Part Two

[pastelheart]

Hey girls!

thread number two for us, thank you again for all being so lovely and supportive. I still can’t believe, after all those years and all the upset… are babies are on their way ♥️

IVF pregnancy club Due Dates/Birth Dates

AmberRose- 3rd July (baby girl) 🩷
Sara237- 24th June (could be a week earlier)
Zirafica- 21st August, c-section could be 14th August
Magpie234- 1st May, could be 24th April (baby girl) 🩷
Nosejug- 27th June, may be earlier though
Fancygoose- 28th March- c-section could be 24th March
SarahAndQuack- 19th June
MintOwl- 14th May, (baby girl) 🩷
CloudyIvy55- 15th May
SamVan- 7th April (baby boy) 🩵
Pastelheart- 4th June (baby boy) 🩵

Dubkitten- baby girl born 8th January 2026 🩷

@pastelheart awh hopefully the jaundice will clear up soon, and you find the source of the infection, and yay that you are in your own room .. that’s a bonus !

@magpie234 so sorry to hear you are struggling, I hope you have a good support around you at home and the health visitor etc can also help, and as pastel heart says we are all here if you need to rant / or just get things of your chest! 💛 you are doing amazing even if the breastfeeding isn’t going they way you though that doesn’t mean you don’t love your baby any less, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with bottle feeding at all, giving you a big squishy hug !!

I had my scan , all well baby is now 99% percentile !! Not sure how she is so big .. we are both tall my partner and I so could be that, anyways they booked my induction in for 26th .. wasn’t expecting to do that so that was a bit of a shock.. I have a sweep and stretch booked in for a week today .. they would rather start me early as the size of baby and my age and it being ivf .. so I think I’ll just go with what they say and go early (hopefully), she did at 1st suggest Friday for my 1st sweep but I wasn’t expecting that and said ad rather wait a bit nearer the time but now I am home and thought about it , am thinking if am going to go early I may as-well just start as early as possible ?! She said with bigger babies there can be a thing where the shoulders can get stuck behind the pelvis bone after the head is out during labour .. and it would be an emergency situation where physical manipulation to get baby into a better position would have to be done .. and now am worrying about this 😳I wish she hadn’t told me that .. so am thinking do I get started as early as possible now? It’s so hard to know the right thing to do for the best ?!

@magpie234 oh I’m so sorry things haven’t been straightforward, have you got a good support network around you? Breastfeeding shouldn’t be a higher priority than your wellbeing so do what’s best for you 🩷 here if you want to talk. How is your baby? And thank you for your congrats 🩵

@AmberRose26 he’s even more yellow today, currently one box below needing treatment he just had another blood test to see where we are (my poor baby is like a pin cushion, he has plasters all over him) I am hoping they can start treatment even if it’s below the treatment level as I don’t want it to delay us going home, I just want the jaundice treated while he has so much else going on. The private room is 10/10 😍

well… I woke up this morning with a boob job. My milk has certainly come in. I’m so engorged (this happened last time too) but luckily it isn’t super uncomfortable. I am having to hand express before feeding otherwise he can’t latch, so I’m also giving him that too, I got 2oz off from hand expressing which he had and then he fed for ages as well lol 😂 I think he will be weighed again soon so will be interesting to see what his weight is like after the first day and half feeding was difficult

I got missed for breakfast this morning and I’m so sad, breakfast is my fave meal of the day 😭😭😭😭

hope everyone’s okay! I have some friends coming to see us in hospital today so looking forward to that

i feel like I have missed loads of messages by being all over the shop so I’m sorry if I missed any important updates

@Sara237 hope you are okay and enjoying your baby bubble x

Hi all, he has arrived! Had a very calm and quick elective yesterday and he's just perfect! He's 8.7lb. Enjoying snuggles. Can't believe it really! Xx

Awh congratulations @Sara237 💛 hope you are feeling ok and enjoying these special 1st few days ✨

@pastelheart Hoping the jaundice clears up for your boy and you can get home to relax in your own space 💛✨ can I just ask if you don’t mind what weight was baby after all? I remember you saying he was measuring big at one of the growth scan when I mentioned my baby was also, was that correct ? Sorry if it’s not and if you don’t want to share the weight that’s ok .. just trying to figure if my baby will be really big as they say or if they are off with the measurements, thanks 🙏

Oh, this is wonderful! Huge congratulations!

Congratulations @Sara237 enjoy your newborn bubble 💙💙

@pastelheart no no! I’d not have expected you to read my message, it’s all about the bubble! We had the same with baby’s jaundice, slowly creeping up. Baby was being tube fed and the instant she came off her jaundice levels steeply rose. I think it was caused by her not getting enough milk in the transition from tube to breast feeding, which your wee one won’t have an issue with hopefully. But with higher liquids and the bilibox for 24 hours they dropped as sharply as they rose. Hopefully will be the same for your lo. The sunglasses are the most annoying part!

@Sara237 oooh waw yay! Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy ♥️ enjoy the moment and all the cuddles! Xx

@pastelheart oh NO I can’t believe they didn’t just bring you something while you were asleep 😢 I feel your pain, breakfast is my absolute favourite meal too. I had bran flakes and a croissant every morning in hospital. Their oj is really good! Hope either his levels have dropped or treatment has begun. Sounds like he’s feeding brilliantly though which is treatment in itself.
and hah yes my boobs went rock hard and gargantuan, I was alarmed that’d be it for a few months but baby has regulated me!

@AmberRose26 yeesh i guess its protocol they tell you stuff like that but yeah feels a bit unhelpful just before birth. Maybe she meant it like- that’s why we won’t let it go too long rather than they are worried. If it’s of any comfort our baby was apparently 54th ish %le on scans but about 30th in reality.

@AmberRose26 jaundice levels are coming down fast! He’s feeding really well now so that’s helping.

yeah it was me, he was 8lb 7oz… which ironically is the exact weight given at the growth scan we had a week before he was born! So was actually spot on for us

@Sara237 congratulations!! Glad everything went well. Are babies were the same weight! Enjoy every minute of your snuggles 🥰

@Nosejug ahh okay, I’m glad they came down quickly! Baby boys are coming down now and luckily he didn’t need treatment as he was 0.2 away from needing it! Yeah he’s getting much better so on track to be home either late tomorrow or early Friday YAY. How long did it take for your supply to regulate? I am in PAIN

xxx

Wonderful news, so happy for you - enjoy! How nice to hear a calm birth story too, well done and welcome baby Sara237

@pastelheartgood to hear he is on the way to getting home. Has your other son met him yet?

@pastelheart i had a lotttt of milk (was expressing to establish supply since preemie) and as soon as she could take more from breast I was advised to stop pumping, it went down after about 2 days. Now not pumping and she seems to have her fill! My boobs are only a little bigger and heavier than normal (I think? Normal was a long time ago haha) I keep waking up soaking milk lol so having to sleep with a bra on!

i was advised massaging boobs while baby feeds to help clear them and also under the hot shower as that relieves quite a lot!

So sorry to hear this@magpie234 - sending love, hugs and solidarity. The breastfeeding struggle can feel so cruel and upsetting can’t it. As much as we all know we don’t have to do it, the well intentioned messaging that anyone can do it, and the sheer volume of material and advice available can be really overwhelming, and I’ve certainly put a lot of pressure on myself, sometimes feeling shame / guilt about bringing out more formula (even though this is the only way she’ll gain weight), or spending so much time pumping throughout the day that I’ve been unable to hold my baby as much as I’d like (whilst of course knowing that holding the baby is also meant to stimulate supply! Oh and that being stressed will hinder supply!) I think the messaging and advice often misses the fact that all our individual circumstances / bodies / births are wildly different and some of us will never be able to exclusively breastfeed no matter how much support we get or how many videos we watch or books we read.. there isn’t always a direct correlation between input and output, and it’s helpful to step back and acknowledge that. I shed so many tears over the first few weeks.. there’s nothing quite like seeing your ravenous baby screaming into your boob and trying to eat virtually anything else! She is better at latching now but my supply still isn’t great so forty mins feeding can still leave a very hungry baby. My latest strategy is osteopathy for us both so we’ll see if that helps. I’ve reduced my pumping too so that it’s more sustainable and have now made peace with the fact we’ll be combination feeding long term. I found it really helpful reading books like Matrescence which are more honest about it in my view. Also been fortunate that the local infant feeding consultants have been encouraging me to take the pressure off. Hope you have found some good support where you are and if you ever fancy a breastfeeding rant I am here for you! It sucks :)

@SarahAndQuack good luck for tomorrow, I am sure you said you were booked in for 18th ? Sorry if you are not 😅 but if you are will be thinking of you !! ✨💛

@pastelheart and @Nosejug yes thanks that helps alot , I have been searching the internet for statistic of what measurements average the weight as to what the actual baby weight is .. and usually more than not they are slightly smaller than the estimated weight they give ..she just scared me when she said the shoulders can get stuck ! But actually researching more, things say the shoulders are soft and are made for squeezing through the birth camel ?! Who knows I’ll just try not think of that 🫣😅..

Thanks for the congrats and apologies I've not messaged much past few days. Finding the sleep deprivation really tough. He sleeps a lot in day so I'm getting some rest but hard when my other child wants and needs my time too. Also breastfeeding is really painful: saw a consultant today to check for tongue tie she said no sign of it. His latch is just not that great and my nipples are already chapped, sore and bloodied. I know this is a short, intense stage but in the middle of the night after 6 hours of feeds, changes and fussing, it feels endless. Sending better night wishes to all!

Hey the sleep deprivation is the worst! As a ftm I knew to expect a lack of sleep but the reality is pretty brutal. I HATE the hours of cluster feeding and fussing...its like I have a different baby in the night compared to the day.

Doesnt help that my near perfect in every way SIL said that at 8 weeks, both of her babies slept through the night and I am lucky to get one stretch of a couple of hours.

As you said, this doesnt last forever, its just bloody hard work while it does!

Hi everyone!

sorry for silence for a few days but we came home on Thursday and it’s just been amazing to be back home in a little bubble!

baby boy has the best big brother and I swear he’s a baby whisperer… he can settle baby when he’s fussing it’s amazing to watch!

Hope everyone is okay 🤍

@Sara237 hope the feeding and night sleep will start to get better for you, must be hard especially as you say your other child needing you .. really hope you start to get better sleeps soon !

I am still up every hour for a pee through the night, 😵‍💫 last urine sample I had a little protein in it so wondering if it’s a slight UTI but it’s not stingy to pee etc so am not sure .. am in tomorrow for my sweep so might ask for to send a sample for a culture to just check as I do feel I am needed all the time ?!

@AmberRose26 theyll be all over it with your blood pressure but protein in wee can be an early pre e sign too so do push for being checked over properly! I’m sure they’re very on it though.

@Sara237 on the pain thing, I try never go between feeds without applying weleda nipple balm. I have a tube for night feeds and day feeds so I don’t forget. I’ve gotten to the point of extra sensitive and nippy but not yet crossed over into chapped. It was recommended by a group of mothers in an email they collated stuff that was actually useful and my friend passed the advice on to me. I was also given these mesh squares at the hospital but they just fall off. The balm is approved by the bf team and is safe for baby, you don’t need to wipe it off. Just in case that helps…

@Nosejug thanks, was in today for my sweep and she sent a sample of urine away for testing .the dip test she done came back for blood and protein but I was 2cm dilated already before my sweep so she did say that could be why I had blood in urine and protein could be discharge as my mucus plug was away. (I never even noticed it come away) blood pressure was fine … sooooo

it’s just a waiting game for me now, baby girl was already getting herself prepared for birth in there seems like so hopefully the sweep gets things started spontaneously?! I have had really bad cramping since coming home but just mostly in lower bumps region, not tightnings /contractions as such in upper part of uterus .. but that’s good means my cervix is maybes opening more ? Induction booked for Friday but hopefully I go before then 🤞🏽✨🙏💛.. eeekkk. Hope everyone else is enjoying their baby cuddles and hopefully I’ll be joining you all by the weekend 💛🙏✨🤞🏽

Hi all! I went silent for the obvious reason. I'm going to do the birth story bit, because I can.

After a sweep on Monday where the midwife said I was already dilated, I went in for induction on Thursday. The hospital hadn't got the message I wasn't needing the first stage of induction and had no room on the labour ward, so I had to come back Friday mid-morning. They broke my waters and said they'd see if the monitor showed any contractions, but it looked pretty faint, so they put me on the hormone drip around 1pm. That didn't seem to be going anywhere either for a while, then it did start hurting although the contractions were still not registering very regular or strong, so I asked for some pethidine. They hadn't checked how dilated I was since they broke my waters, but had to check then as you can't have pethidine too close to the baby being born. I was fully dilated so no pethidine! Baby boy born just before midnight. The actual pushing stage was fast and I tore quite badly and haemorrhaged so got the fun room full of people experience, but it honestly wasn't frightening or awful because they were so kind and communicative. I had two absolutely lovely student midwives there.

I guess it is worth knowing that the monitors aren't always that accurate and in retrospect I might have trusted by body a bit more and asked them not to keep turning up the titration on the hormone drip (and it was totally my call; they told me the monitor was only a guide and they told me I could say if I wanted the drip turning down, but it only started to get too painful when it was all happening anyway).

I can't get over how wonderful it was to have an experience of birth where I felt listened to and cared for and respected. When my ex had our DD it was awful, very traumatic for her but TBH also frightening for me, and this was so healing of that whole experience. I felt very emotional about it and very lucky.

Baby boy was just under 8lb and we came home early afternoon Sunday (I had to stay in because of the blood loss and because I was driving myself, so obviously didn't want to risk being groggy!). Breastfeeding was very painful but he hasn't lost too much weight at his day 3 check, which was my worry, and I'm doing a bit of formula/pumping while my poor bruised nipples recover from him trying to get my milk in!

He's absolutely lovely and I'm so happy. I'm so grateful to everyone on here because you all get how it feels to finally have a baby after wanting one so much. Lots of love to you all.

Ok, I'll go off and be a puddle of (good!) hormones elsewhere now ...

This sounds so like my experience too! So hopefully the sweep will get you well on the way too.

FWIW I never got contractions in the upper part of the uterus at all. But clearly whatever was happening was doing the job. It is fascinating how differently we all seem to feel things, in different parts of the body - I didn't realise! I was was expecting contractions to feel very different from the way they did.

Hope you are doing well and keeping cool in this heat!