Pregnancy after LT TTC #20

[Maruschke]

Looks good. Meredith and I are due the same day

[terry]

Hi ladies hope you don't mind me joining in. I have been popping in and reading for a while and actually know a few ladies through other threads.

Our journey with IVF started 3 years ago I was diagnosed with unexplained infertility and after 2 IUI's 4 stim cycles and 8 FET's our dream is finally coming true. I'm still quiet scared and each time I get to another week or milestone I breathe a little easier. I had a bit of a scare in week 7 but eveything is fine now but due to that I've been really lucky and have been able to see our little one 4 times already. I had weekly scans with my FS and this week I had my first OB appoitment so had another peek. My OB was lovely and said if it made me more comfortable I could go back next week but I'm ok with things now so next look will be at my NT scan. I'm having that closer to 13 weeks as we leave for a 2 week trip to Hawaii next Sunday. I look forward to getting to know all you ladies better

[Maruschke]

Welcome Terry!

[Loops12]

Hi Ladies

Welcome newbies and big congratulations! Great to see you again Terry and your news Can totally understand your anxieties as Ive been like it alot throughout this PG especially at the beginning - it does get a little easier with each milestone - try as hard as it is, to remain positive. All the best ladies - sending lots of stickyvibes your way.

Baby Dreamtime and Lise ~ wow so far already, great to see!

Merideth ~ very excited for you

Maruschke and Coral ~ great to see your both doing really well also!
Looks like its good news all round.

Tei ~ thanks for the list - its great to have. Hope you are well

for you all!

AFM ~ had a scare today and of all days on our 5 yr anniversary had to rush to hospital as I started bleeding. Had an ultrasound and bubs is all good, everything fine phewww. Looks like because my placenta is low and now bubz head is right on it - its bled a little. They told me I could go back to work so I guess that means I could be fairly confident, although I am still a little worried. Ive had a tiny bit of tummy ache but perhaps thats to be expected with the blood. Hasn't been anything too significant.

[~TT40~]

Welcome Terry!!

Loops *hugs* hope all stays ok =)

I'm getting lots of really sharp pains. Worse when I first wake up, like when I don't have enough muscle etc to hold my growing tummy up esp. when I'm lying on my side so is really sore when I get up. also when I do a wee... like as my bladder is emptying I can feel the sharp pain increase, its right across my lower tummy. I'm sure its all good, just stretching growing etc.. but sometimes is really painful. At night I do sleep with my tummy resting on a pillow, but by the morning i've kicked it away...

[Coral73]

Afternoon Ladies

Teirae – Fantastic work on the list… it looks great and will be so much easier to keep up with where everyone is at – yay and thank you ! My due date is the 26 May so you are pretty spot on. You can even put on there that I am expecting a DD too. I am starting to get a little bit of the tummy pain when I get up if I have been sitting down for a period of time so I think it is normal although I do stress about every little twinge and pain . Ohh….. we are due at the same time with Loops a couple of weeks earlier! Are you happy managing the list? We can share it around if it gets too much… I am happy either way.

Maruschke – Congrats on your blue bundle ! From the looks of your signature you will have a pigeon pair – yay! Did your sonographer use the nub theory to predict the sex or was it from a potty shot? We predicted girl from the nub theory from our NT scan and confirmed it at the 20week scan (thanks Baby Dreamtime for giving me the heads up on this phenomenon!). Yay, for having a due date buddy too .

Baby Dreamtime – Not sure if you are officially posting in here but hope all is going well. I sent you a message via facebook today to say ‘hi.’ Still so happy for you and can’t wait to hear your gender confirmation at your 19w scan .

terry – Welcome hun :hugs:! It is so good to see you in here and you have certainly had rough and long journey so it is no wonder that your still feeling a little apprehensive. I think it is a natural reaction to LTTTC&AC as I feel the same this time round even though it is #2 for me…. I totally remember you from when I was cycling for DS1 so am really, really, really happy that you have gotten your long awaited BFP! OMG… you are so lucky going to Hawaii!

Loops – OMG Loops… that must have been so, so scary :hugs:. I am really glad that things checked out ok and it makes sense with the low lying placenta. I am always checking the loo paper to make sure there is nothing on it so can’t imagine how you must have felt at the time . I hope you have had no more bleeding. Did they say that there was a chance that the placenta will rise in time? Congratulations on your 5 year Anniversary! I wish you were able to celebrate under better circumstances…. just think it will be the 3 of you for your 6th !


Cattie – Congratulations on your BFP!!! Such wonderful news and try not worry too much about the cramps as it is pretty normal although it is hard not to stress about every twinge – I still do! I was told to seek medical attention asap if they become severe and/ or are accompanied by blood. I know with DS I got allot of cramping at the beginning so it is all good. Are you going to find out the gender? Oh, the nauseas feeling is terrible hey? I hope it passes quickly for you :hugs:.

Lise – Yay, for feeling movement! It is such a nice feeling… I love it! So exciting for our DH’s to feel it too. I think it makes it more real for them. Little Bean is kicking away as I type, he, he! Finally got our computer back although I think they duped us on the new graphics card as our graphics are pretty dodgy! I don’t really mind though as long as I can see what I am doing. Congrats on a baby brother for DS too! I must confess that a part of the reason I wanted to find out the gender early was so that I could prepare myself if we were told we were expecting another DS as we are only having 2 as well… I knew it wouldn’t take me long to get over it but I was just scared that if I didn’t find out that I would feel disappointed at the birth and I didn’t want that feeling at such a special moment. I hope that came out alright and doesn’t seem selfish and ungrateful as I know how truly blessed we are at having DS and expecting another…

Janie – Congratulations Janie!!! I am with Maruschke and think it might be too early to see so don’t worry too much if you don’t see a heartbeat. Yay, for getting to stop the progesterone! I hated it so much and had to use 3 p/day until 12weeks – eekkk. Only 2 more sleeps till your scan… I hope it goes quickly for you! Wow, you are so lucky to be going on a holiday too… just a little jealous of both you and terry – I have never even left the country yet (very sad, I know).


MeredithD – Congrats on your scan!!! That is a great result and you must be so relieved – yay! Definitely time for you to get a ticker going, he, he! It is such a relief to get through the NT scan… I didn’t realise how stressed I was until they told me my results were all good and then I started to cry! When I went into reception to pay I had to explain that they were happy tears because they all looked really concerned for me. Have you and DH decided if you will find out the gender?

Yogi Bear – How are you hun? I can’t believe that you are over 30 weeks! That time just seemed to fly… I am with you and have put on the weight this time round although it is my own fault as I have been eating enough to feed a small army ! I hope all is well, xo

MelissaI & Bengal – I hope both of you ladies are doing well! Wow, you are both having twins… how exciting! I had 2 x eggs in when I got a BFP for DS but only one stuck. Will you/ have you found out the genders? I couldn’t help myself – I am hopeless, he, he!

AFM – Things are going well for us although we are experiencing a bit of a strain on the finances at the moment... just need to keep a tight rein on the budget which is hard for me as I am a shopaholic! Little Bean is kicking allot and it is such a nice feeling. I am really getting excited and although time is going quickly May seems like forever away! I have 10 weeks of work left and am counting down every day. DS is fantastic although it is getting hard to pick him up all the time and I am worried about hurting Little Bean so am starting to try and avoid it as much as possible although not doing a very good job of it as I can’t help myself. We went to the park on the weekend and kicked a ball around with DH & DS – it was so magical! He also showed an interest in the slippery dip for the 1st time (that is DS, not DH, he, he!) and kept wanting to go on it again and again, he, he! Talk to you all soon, xxoxo

PS – I am really, really sorry if I have missed anyone!!!

[Maruschke]

How long did it take you guys to bond with your bub? I am still waiting for that "awwww" love feeling to strike me. And it isn't here yet.

[Coral73]

Hey Maruschke,

I definitely didn't start to bond with Little Bean until I started feeling movements.... I think I was in denial until then almost waiting for the 'bubble to burst,' as how could I be so lucky to get a BFP on our last remaining embryo? I could even say it wasn't until after our 20w morphology scan when we found out the gender and that all scan results looked good . Every now and then it just hits me and I tear up thinking about our expected DD.... All I can say is don't worry too much about it as that feeling will come to you in time and everyone's experience is totally different.

With DS it actually took me until a few months after he was born (I know that sounds terrible but I think it was due to having gone through LTTTC&AC. You are so used to things going wrong that I could't relax during the pregnancy and then when he was born I was totally overwhelmed at being a new mum and frightened all the time that I was going to miss something/ accidentally do something wrong that would hurt him - was so stressful at the time... on looking back - maybe I had a bit of postnatal???). Of course I eventually found my groove and completely love him to absolute pieces so much so that I am totally tempted to wake him up when he is sleeping so that I can have a cuddle !!

[Maruschke]

Hey Maruschke,

I definitely didn't start to bond with Little Bean until I started feeling movements.... I think I was in denial until then almost waiting for the 'bubble to burst,' as how could I be so lucky to get a BFP on our last remaining embryo? I could even say it wasn't until after our 20w morphology scan when we found out the gender and that all scan results looked good . Every now and then it just hits me and I tear up thinking about our expected DD.... All I can say is don't worry too much about it as that feeling will come to you in time and everyone's experience is totally different.

With DS it actually took me until a few months after he was born (I know that sounds terrible but I think it was due to having gone through LTTTC&AC. You are so used to things going wrong that I could't relax during the pregnancy and then when he was born I was totally overwhelmed at being a new mum and frightened all the time that I was going to miss something/ accidentally do something wrong that would hurt him - was so stressful at the time... on looking back - maybe I had a bit of postnatal???). Of course I eventually found my groove and completely love him to absolute pieces so much so that I am totally tempted to wake him up when he is sleeping so that I can have a cuddle !!

No it doesn't sound bad - sounds like the journey of a LTTTC&AC mumma. *hugs*

[Coral73]

Thx hun - felt bad for even writing it but it was how it was for me...

[terry]

Hi ladies thanks for the warm welcome I look forward to catching up with your journeys when I return from my trip in 2 weeks. Looking forward to spending some time with DH before our little one arrives and spending our wedding anniversary somewhere nice.

[lise]

Hi ladies,

Argh, what a hellish week!! DS had croup and then eat and throat infections. He ended up in our bed every night tossing and turning and wriggling and waking up way too early. Thank goodness he seems a bit better now and is back in his own bed

Cattie, good luck with your OB appointment in a few days. Hope all goes well and you get to have a sneaky peak! And yes, a natural BFP was great news but it took some time for it to sink in. DH has sperm issues (sperm count, motility and morhology) so I was really worried that one of the dodgy sperm made it through and there would be something wrong with the baby..

Tei, great job on the list! It's lovely to be able to see where everyone is up to. And scary that I'm so close to the top already, how on earth did that happen?! Hope your pains have gone away xx How do you find being on your feet all the time at work? Are you expected to finish up earlier than people in other professions due to all the standing and activity?

Terry, welcome!! Congrats on your BFP, and have a fabulous holiday, very jealous!

Loops, what a scare hon. Hope everything is okay and you haven't had any more bleeding. And on your anniversary too


Coral, no, I know exactly what you meant. Those were my exact thoughts xx

Maruschke, I remember having a conversation with a friend about the love you have for your child and at that point I remember saying yes, I know what you mean (DS was about four weeks). But really, I think DS was at least six weeks old before I was suddenly overwhelmed with love for him. Of course I loved him before, but it really hit me about then... I was excited throughout my pregnancy and would have said I bonded but the feelings I had for him then were nothing compared to how I felt after. Hope this makes sense xx

AFM - I've been in talks with work about maternity leave. They have finally agreed to my request to go full time prior to taking mat leave so feeling very relieved about that. I was getting stressed I'd be taking my mat leave at half pay of only three days per week which would not be good. Especially since we're not eligible for the baby bonus and I haven't been back at work long enough to get the government paid parental leave. S I can relax a bit now I know that whilst it will be tight we'll be okay for me to take another 12-15 months off with this baby.

Hope everyone is going well and enjoying the weekend xx

[Cattie]

Hi Lovelies,

Teirae - good work on the list and figuring out everyone's due dates! Thanks. How are you doing with the pains, are they still quite bad?

terry - a huge congrats on your pregnancy! I'm so glad everything worked out fine. How was Hawaii? We went there for our honeymoon and it is just so lovely, we said we'd go back for our 10th anniversary

loops - wow I'm glad everything ended up ok, must have been quite a scare. How are you feeling now, has the bleeding stopped?

Coral - thanks, it's weird but I am actually sorta getting used to the cramps and not worrying too much. Yup, I can't wait to find out if we're having a boy or girl! I'm guessing it's a boy, but I don't have very good intuition lol so we'll just have to wait and see. How lovely that you are having a dd after a ds That would be our 'ideal' but after all this ttc, I am genuinely happy with either!

Maruschke - how are you? I hope you're travelling well

lise - thank you, I will let you all know if I do get a sneak peak! Ooh my dh has sperm issues and I thought exactly the same thing as you, ie oh no what if a dodgy one got through! But then I keep telling myself that isn't likely etc etc... but it's hard not to worry! Of course after we got our bfp, dh insisted that his sperm was only dodgy on the day of the SA I am glad to hear you sorted out the mat leave, it's nice to go on mat leave without worrying too much about finances!

And big hi to everyone else!

afm - ob appt on wed, but dh can't make it because he just started a new job this week! I said it was fine, he will definitely be at the 12 week scan. MS seems to have upped a notch this week, arghhh..... I relented and took an anti-nausea pill while at work today, but then I felt sooo drowsy it was just as bad!

[Yogi Bear]

Hi everyone!

I have been reading and trying to catch up with you all, but sorry i may still be a bit behind...

...firstly big welcome to the new preggers ladies terry, cattie & Janie I look forward to hearing about safe & happy pregnancies.

Loops, how are you going now? what an awful scare you had, i hope the bleeding has settled down now

Coral, glad to hear all is going well with you...but can i ask whats the 'nub theory' about gender from the NT scan? would be very interested as I have my suspicions about having a girl!

Maruschke, dont worry too much about 'bonding' with your bub at this stage, i think it is totally normal to keep a bit of emotional distance at the start of the pregnancy especially given everything we have been through to get to this stage. I am slowly starting to let my defences down and bond with this bub, it is much easier now that i'm getting heaps of movement and seeing a pattern in bubs behaviour. I have loved this baby for such a long time already but as others have said that love will just continues to grow throughout our childs life.

Teirae, thanks for doing that list. My due date is 10th April. I still haven't put up a ticker yet...do you think its about time i did!!!

I'm so happy we have made it to 34 weeks!! for all the scares and ups & downs of this pregnancy i still can't believe we have actually made it this far! I have been having regular scans and CTG's and all is now looking really good, bub still on the small side but now within normal range and growing at normal rate. I am going to talk to my Ob tomorrow about what happens from now til birth, but I have a really bad feeling that she is going to suggest a cesarean which I really want to try and avoid. My 'mothers intuition' is that this bub is doing just fine and is strong enough for a natural birth. Also i feel that he/she has had such an unnatural start to life I just want to give them the opportunity to let them do their thing and have a natural entrance into the world with minimal intervention. I tend to be a bit cynical with Obs and their reasons for doing cesareans

Anyway, hi to all i've missed hope you have a lovely night.

Yogi
xxx

[Coral73]

Hi Ladies,

We are very quiet in here at the moment.... Hope you are all doing well!

Terry - I don't think you are back quite just yet so I hope you are having a wonderful time soaking up the sun and taking a well deserved break . Happy wedding anniversary to both you and DH... such a brilliant way to celebrate and be UTD too - yay!!

Lise - Oh no, I have heard that croup is going around... touch wood that we have been lucky and DS has been ok. I hope you little man is well mended now. Woo hoo on the approval to take maternity leave at F/T pay - yay!!!! It is so stressful just thinking about managing all the finances so must be a huge relief for you . Does your DS understand that he will be getting a baby brother soon? I have tried to explain it to DS but don't think he gets that there is a bubba in mummy's tummy yet... I think it will be a big shock to him when she arrives !

Cattie - Congratulations to your DH on the new job ! How was your ob appointment? I hope all went really well and you got to see your gorgeous little bean on the screen! You are like me and I couldn't wait to find out the gender , he, he . My DH is a plasterer so finds it hard to get away from work although always makes it to the big appointments. I am really hoping that things work out and he is able to get 2 weeks off when Little Bean is born... last time with DS he only had a week off and I was practically in hospital the whole time so felt a little cheated about it .

Yogi Bear - OMG, 34 weeks is amazing!!! I guess you are even further along now too . You have certainly been through some stress with this little one and I am so, so happy to hear that things are looking really good with bubs . I know how you feel about the natural delivery.... I am hoping for one too.

Ok, I will try and explain the 'nub theory' as best as I can. Baby Dreamtime actually got me onto it and now I am totally nub obsessed, he, he! The theory goes as follows:

On ultrasound, if your baby is cooperating and is positioned in a favorable way (side profile of whole body and bubs is right way up and not upside down , plus no large curve in the spine), fetal sex can be determined during a scan when the fetus is about 12 weeks (about 14 weeks after LMP).

The determination is made by studying the angle between the genital 'bump' and the direction of the lower portion of the spine. Both male and female embryo’s have what is called a ‘genital nub’ which looks like a penis in-between their legs. The nub either turns into a girl or a boy. A boy nub will usually create an angle of greater than 30° with the lower part of the spine whereas a girl nub protrudes in the same direction as the lower portion of the spine with an angle of less than 30° relative to the backbone.

It is not 100% accurate of course and there tends to be more incorrect guesses when guessing a girl as the nub can always still rise. 99.9% of the time boys will generally not change to a girl if the nub is greater than 30°.

I hope that makes sense although it would probably be easier to see images so I can PM you a couple of links to 2 great websites if you like. I actually posted my ultrasound pictures on a website where ultrasound techs and the general forum members will take a guess for you and let you know if they think boy or girl… I got 100% girl guesses.


AFM – I just submitted my maternity leave at work – whoo hoo!!! After allot of playing with figures I have managed to come up with the following which I am really happy with:

I am currently working 4 days p/wk so will get paid 6months maternity leave at 4 days
We also qualify for the government PPL so will get 18wks pay at minimum wage
I am also utilising 6 weeks Rec Leave at 4 days p/wk

So all in all it will be 50wks paid maternity leave – yay!


I still have another 2months left of work including this week though. Time is going so slowly and it feel like forever away, although we still have a fair amount to do before bubs arrives so I shouldn't wish time away too quickly, he, he! My next ob appointment is this Monday and I can't wait to see little bean on the screen. She has been kicking and moving heaps lately and I am getting really excited about finally being able to meet her and hold her in my arms! I have also had my GD test and have not heard anything back about the results so thinking that no news is good news... at least I hope so anyway!! xo

[Loops12]

Hi Lovelies

Thanks for all your concerns and wishes in regards to our scare the other week. I had tiny bit of pink streaks for a week after but now fully gone again and bubs in moving around like a gymnast - so very happy. Will be having another scan in about a week or so to see if my placenta has moved up more - FX'd as I also dont want to have to have a cesarean.

Glad to see everyone seems to be doing really well, organizing maternity leave etc . I have 4 weeks of work left yay

Maruschke and Coral ~ it has also taken me a very long time to bond with my bubs in the womb I think because we were so scared that it wouldn't work out and because we've been trying for so long, but I think now I'm really warming to him or her especially since doing our hypo-birthing training, it all seems real now

Coral ~ yay for great maternity pay. I'm very confused by it all. I know im getting half pay for 26weeks with work maternity leave but can I also apply for PPL on top of that? I think i need some help, any advice appreciated.

Take care everyone and

[Coral73]

Hey Loops,

Here is what I have found out.... the best way to determine if you are eligible for PPL or possibly the Baby Bonus (I don't qualify for the BB) is to go to the following Family Assist websites:

For PPL go to: Family Assistance Office | Working Parents Eligibility
For the Baby Bonus go to: Family Assistance Office | Baby Bonus.


There is also an online estimator that is supposed to help you choose which option would be better for you financially if you qualify for both: https://www.centrelink.gov.au/RateEs...mbinedStart.do

If you are eligible and choose to opt for PPL you are entitled to take it on top of your employer paid maternity leave (I even think your employer via family assist pays you).... it is so good as it gives you an extra 18 weeks paid leave even though it is at the minimum wage amount after tax (approx. $490-500 p/wk).

I am so grateful for it as it would mean I would have to go back to work 18wks earlier as we can not cover all of our bills unless I bring in some kind of a wage!


Hope this isn't too confusing, xo

PS: Mods, hope it is ok to post the above website links.... I will remove then asap if not, Cheers Coral

[~TT40~]

I get so confused with that estimator... I dont think i'm doing it right but ive tried so many times and it just tells me everything I told it...which isn't helpful cause I know all that stuff =P

if anyone has any tips or knows how to use it properly that would be fantastic! =)