Anyone from Hertfordshire or near?

[Carreg]

PS: I might do some baking this weekend so any requests??

xxx

 

[BabyNo1.]

My partner already had a child and we still got a free round, we were entitled to three but was successful first time, so you might get it as its not down to you, well fingers crossed for you, I'm going to be honest Dr tayob's clinic was a joke we had to try for three years before being referred saw tayob once and a different person each time, we were treated like shit, it was awful, but as soon as we got funding the herts and Essex were fantastic and it was all very quick, they are a private clinic that take on Nhs they have an egg share program so people can have free treatment, I suppose im saying don't expect too much from st albans, Are you seeing the nurse or tayob for first appt? X

 

[BabyNo1.]

Ow the Baileys cup cakes! Yummy! Are you going to tell gav we have spoken on here? I'll keep to myself if you want, you know what men are like about their bits lol! X

 

[Carreg]

Oh that's so good to hear re the free round, when I mentioned it to my Dr (we see Dr Crabtree @ Gossums End) she didn't sound hopeful that we would get anything because of Felix. It is so good to speak to someone who has been through the same system as we're about to enter, thank you for telling me We were really pushy with our Dr to get tested about 8 months of nothing as I knew it was unlikely to be me, we both got tested and then went back and Dr Crabtree referred us right away (I was clear), it's been about a month or so since then I think. I can't believe you had to try for 3 years!! Once you got in to St Albans how long did it take for you to start treatment? Or did St Albans tell you to try for 3 years before they'd give you IVF?? Gosh I hope not!!! We are seeing the Nurse first, apparently they're not very nice?? Ooh egg sharing is good, I'm up for helping out other people whilst I'm at it so good to hear about that.

Will try and make some Baileys cakes this weekend I might tell G that I bumped in to you on here and it was funny but I won't tell him the content of our conversation....gosh if he knew half the things I've said in my journal on here!!!!

xxx

 

[BabyNo1.]

I'm not sure how it works, but if my hubby already had a child and we were entitled you should be too although I'm not sure if its based on the mother, you would think if the problem is with the man and its a different partner then its only fair!, but we had unexplained infertility, so had to try for 3 years before the IVF referral, we had to play ball and try everything they suggested, even taking drugs to make me ovulate even though I was every month anyway,I had a lap and dye op to see if tubes were ok, they were fine, I found the whole experience at St Albans a nightmare and I'm not the only one they have a reputation for mucking people about, you just have to know your stuff or lie and say you were trying longer etc. also they will look at your diet so go in prepared to be quizzed about everything. The first meeting with the nurse was ok she booked us in for more tests and the lap and dye so that happened quite quickly, then it just dragged on for ages seeing someone different each time we went having to explain the whole thing to someone else!

If you do get referred and you might as they know there is a problem so no need to wait, let me know and I can tell you all about the drug treatment what to expect and that the process is the same for ICSI/IVF, it was tough but also amazing what they can do to help! xxx


https://www.hertsandessexfertility.com/
This is where we went the statistics are quite good and I compared all the clinics on the list and decided this was the best and I also like the fact that they are private, but just started taking on NHS a year or so ago, you are treated exactly the same!

 

[Carreg]

Thank you so much for all that info. The Herts & Essex looks great. I am really nervous that they will tell us to go away and try for another couple of years as I really want childbearing over with before I am 30!! Just one of my 'things' It looks like if I am willign and meet the criteria to be an egg sharer then we could get it free anyway even if we aren't eligible for free cycles on the NHS, so that's good. Hoping that we won't have to have too many tests as G has had an SA already and I have had 2 lots of blood tests so we have our answers but we were warned that they may repeat the tests. Is the drug treatement hard to handle? I've heard it can make you quite tired/ill, but at the end of the day I'll pretty much go through anything!!

xxx

 

[BabyNo1.]

Yeah I didn't really want to wait this long for kids either, but then they wasted nearly fours years fobbing us off!

We had to repeat all our tests, OH wasn't impressed he was pretty moany about all of it to be honest, started getting annoyed he had to go to Hammersmith hospital to do a sample and is self employed so the whole thing cost us loads of money in trips t hospital etc.

The drugs weren't too bad, in fact none of it was really bad, just tiring and stressful, injecting every night and going for quite a few scans to see if eggs are ready, but the staff at the clinic are great and very friendly, the egg collection was uncomfortable and it took a while to get back to normal (I was very bloated and sore) then when they put it back I was still recovering in all my bits, I took a week off work after to chill out as I really wanted to give it a good chance. It does kind of take over your life for a while! and then you have to wait two weeks!! we were lucky and had 19 eggs collected, 15 fertilised and we had 8 by day 5! so we have 7 embryos in the freezer!

 

[Carreg]

Haha I am quite used to the 2 week wait!! Though it is probably worse when you know there is an actual chance of being pg rather than just a very slim-probably-not-at-all chance!! Eeek, injecting! Think I'll be getting OH to do that for me, not so good with needles unless someone else is doing it for me!!

At least it is all over for you now though and you're cooking a gorgeous little girl You must be so pleased. I would LOVE a girl next time so much. Do you get more scans etc because you had IVF or is it just treated like a normal pregnancy once it is all confirmed?

7 in the freezer is pretty good going!! You'll be able to have a whole army

xxx

 

[BabyNo1.]

We are over the moon, hubby really wanted a girl as he already has a son from a previous relationship. I was happy either way, although I hope they are right now as bought loads of pink stuff!!

We just couldn't believe that BFP, the odds were stacked against us with it working first time round and we had fully prepared for it to not work! more so than if it did! there was a lot of tears that day from both of us!

Once you get your positive you ring the clinic and they arrange for a 7/8 week scan, were we saw the little tadpole with its flashing heart! they said there was such a strong heart beat they were confident we could move over to normal care some people have more scans if there are any problems, although you are classes as high risk with IVF automatically but as I had no complications I was discharged at 20 weeks from consultant care, which means I can have my water birth!!

The injections are not too bad, I got OH to do the first few with me then after I did them myself I forgot to mention you have to use a progesterone pessary after the egg collection until 12 weeks of pregnancy if you get a positive, its a bit messy if you use if vaginally so I used the other route!! all in all it isn't really that bad, but I am glad we only had to go through it once, it takes up a lot of time and its important you do the jabs at the same time so life goes on hold for a while plus no drinking from the start of the treatment! so its been nearly a year already for me not getting drunk! I have had the odd glass of wine though!!

 

[Carreg]

No booze isn't a problem, we have given up since we got OH's results anyway to try and boost our chances, except for the odd glass on a special occassion. Pessary sounds fun Oh the things that are in store!!

Hmmm not so good re the high-risk classification...I had to have an emergency section with Felix after a planned home birth so I will have a fight on my hands to get a home birth this time anyway and now it will be doubly hard but I am determined! Yay for water birth Which hospital are you going to?

xxx

 

[BabyNo1.]

We are booked in at Stoke Mandeville birthing Centre, I'm very glad we are going there they have great reviews and I can always wimp out and move to labour ward if its all to much for me, but I desperately want a water birth with gas and air anything else will be last resort, I have bought a TENS machine from an NCT sale, so plan on using that and a birth ball for as long as I can! but hey it could all go tits up and I except that just thats what I plan!

I don't think there is any reason for them making us high risk I had no special care until the 20 week appointment when I saw a consultant and she said she would see me again at 36 weeks or could discharge me, I said please discharge me as I want a water birth she was very supportive of this which was good! but I had no complications whats so ever.

 

[Carreg]

I wanted a home water birth but never even got in my pool as my MW was on holiday when I went in to labour so I had 2 unfamiliar MW's who told me that they didn't care what my MW had said but they weren't letting me in the pool until 5cam and I only got to 4!

Good move with the TENS machine; they're fab and I don't think I moved off my birth ball except to sleep for the last 4 or 5 weeks!!

Have you picked any names yet?

xxx

 

[BabyNo1.]

Yep my step son has picked our name, but its secret for now... we asked him to come up with some and the first one he said we liked happened to be a girls name too as we didn't know the sex then, so that was easy! plus its nice to have him involved

I've so had enough now of work just want to start ML as soon as! just 4 weeks to go though x

 

[Carreg]

Awww that's really sweet that he is so invloved How old is he? Is he excited about a new little sister? Felix asked Father Christmas for a baby sister but he's now decided he wants a brother instead and he is always asking me whether I'm making him a baby yet!!

4 weeks will fly by

PS I told G that I bumped in to you on here and he says where's his 7500 brochure?

xxx

 

[BabyNo1.]

LOL, tell him Ant is doing it and where are my translations? lol

He is 9 years old and has always wanted a bother or sister, he was over the moon when we told him, he did want a brother though and has already asked my OH if I can have another afterwards but a boy! cheeky boy! we are getting quite a bit of hassle of his mum though she is very bitter about everything and is trying to spoil things, i'm sure it will sort out just bad that she is being like that, keeps telling him it will be his step sister when she will be his half sister, so he is all confused now!

 

[Carreg]

Aww that's a shame that she is being like that It really is needless; it's great that he is so excited about the baby and that should be encouraged! Re having another one...just tell him there are 7 more to go

xxx

 

[BabyNo1.]

lol! yeah don't the doctor said we were going to have a big family!! I think we will see how we are with this one first! as it costs about £1200 for each transfer as well...but then you never know it might happen naturally next time!

So I take it you have been charting and still trying anyway? I only started charting towards the end, thats when I realised I was ovulating each month all my blood indicated that as well, so maybe we were just very unlucky!

 

[Carreg]

I started off not really tracking my cycles at all, then I started temping and using OPKs and now in the last 2 months I have given up OPKs and I'm only temping when I remember, so about once every 3-4 days or so. I've got 10 cycles fully tracked to print out and take with me to the clinic though!! We're still sort of trying; mainly just carrying on as normal and seeing what happens but it's very very unlikely to happen unfortunately, though it would be fantastic if it did as I really really didn't want it to be like this! I conceived Felix so easily (when I was on the Pill!!) that I had expected it to be really quick this time too, but obviously my ex-hubby just had super spermies!!

xxx

 

[BabyNo1.]

My hubby thinks he has super sperm as the fertility clinic said he produced the best sample of the day when we went in for the egg retrieval thats put a smile on his face, I just think it was the first of the day lol!! It seems that a lot of people these days have trouble and need help, I don't know if life has just got more stressful or people leaving it later on, just weird there is another couple at work that went through IVF many cycles as well she is now pregnant with twins due very shortly! I had a tough year last year with 3 pregnant women at work! but its my turn now finally!!

Agh I'm hungry!! x

 

[Carreg]

Know how you feel re the pregnant colleagues....there are 5 on my floor currently and 3 on ML!! I seems like the minute one pops, 2 more get up the duff!! Haha re your hubby & his sample..I think OH felt the same as they told him how impressive his count was; it's just a shame hardly any of the buggers are the right shape!!!! I think he's focusing on the good bits though and ignoring the bad!

Go eat something then, being PG is the best excuse for stuffing your face!

xxx