IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Third Trimester

31 weeks

We’ve passed the 30 weeks mark. o.m.g
Time pass by real quick with this one, it’s scary.

Didn’t we just go through IVF not too long ago? I’m getting increasingly heavy & uncomfortable lately. It feels sore down under and suddenly i feel like a first time mom again, googling everything. Why does it feel so sore in the last trimester?

That’s because baby is probably in a vertical lie. I totally forgot about it ok. I forgot baby will have limited room space by now to stay horizontal & might be in the bottoms down or heads down position by now.

Baby is also getting more active & kicks are more frequent these days. Tak yah tunggu malam. Siang malam dia main tendang2 bola kat dalam. Also getting more breathless now & cant walk for long. Can’t sit for long as well. Hahahaha. The third trimester is really one kind. Lol.

It’s funny though cos people keep telling me I’m very active for someone who’s pregnant but I feel otherwise! Not in a hurry to give birth though. I wanna feel pregnant for a bit more and spend more time with Nadya alone while I still can.

Nadya has been such a gem! Sometimes when I can’t get out of bed, she’ll offer to pull me up and when she sees me in pain, she’ll say “Be careful!” and sometimes she’ll offer to hold my hand to help me get around the house and say things like “slowly“. The 1st time she did that, I almost burst into tears. Lol

She’ll be a great sister, I’m sure of that, at least. ❤

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Third Trimester

28 weeks

Home stretch! I’m in my last trimester already and for someone so kancheong like me, i really have not started on much. I’ve been having Braxton Hicks since few weeks ago but yesterday’s was much more noticeable cos i was out on my own with Nadya most of the time, walked a lot and all so just before sleep, it came stronger than before. But at least this time round i know it’s Braxton Hicks.

My heartburn is also showing up slowly. Was kinda glad it didn’t show up during early pregnancy. Read that it’s normal since we usually carry our babies lower during the second pregnancy. Thought I could escape it altogether but i guess baby is growing bigger & i have a short torso. So i guess no escaping it then. So uncomfortable especially during car rides. 😭

The nausea & headaches are back too, hello! Didn’t miss u at all during the 2nd trimester. Why do 2nd trimesters go by realllly quick eh? I’m so cranky it’s not funny.

Will be doing my glucose test on Tuesday. Not looking forward to it at all cos of the 3 hours wait and also cos i know i’ll probably be diagnosed with it again. So i’ve been having my ice cream dates with Nadya before i get diagnosed & feel too guilty to indulge.

I know I complain a lot this pregnancy but at the end of the day, it still feels nice to be pregnant again & i always look forward to night time when baby is more active & will be all topsy turvy and i get to see my tummy being lopsided & all.

13 weeks till i meet u sayang! ❤️

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Second Trimester

Hello, Baby No 2!

Hello!!!! In case you’re wondering why I’ve been pretty quiet, it’s because I’ve been keeping most of my entries private because I’m keeping the 2nd pregnancy under wraps till we’re ready to share. Yes, you read it right. We’re pregnant with Baby No 2!

Scan

Looks like baby has Nadya’s nose. Or rather mummy’s nose. HAHAHAHAHA

We’re expecting a Baby Boy this time round. Yay Team Blue! I’m at my 26th weeks right now. Heading to the third trimester very very soon! Insha Allah we’ll be expecting him in January 2018. His EDD is 1 week after Nadya’s 3rd birthday and i’m really hoping that he stays in there till after Nadya’s birthday cos if not, i cannot eat cake. LOL.

You can now read all my private entries on the IVF Cycle 2 & the Pregnancy here.

Although there’s really not much to read really. Because, 2nd child syndrome. Sorry baby! I didn’t even blog much about my IVF cycle this time round cos to be honest, i was really quite slack about it and i chronicled my 1st IVF cycle in detail. Most of it remain the same (except the cost but i’ll blog about that in another entry, hopefully.)

2017-10-15 14.26.23

Please pray for our well-being & my sanity. Getting pregnant with an active toddler is….. tiring.

Meanwhile, Nadya is really excited about the baby. We brought her to the detailed scan appointment & when she saw the screen & adik on it, she shrieked “Ehhhh… baby!!! mummy!!! Baby!!” So loud k and each time she chances upon the scan pictures of her adik, she’ll  say aaaaawww so cute baby.” Ye lah. adik kau sorang je yg cute.

This pregnancy is really different so i had a feeling from the start it could be a boy but i didn’t wanna get my hopes high up cos i cannot be thaaaat lucky. But i prayed for a baby boy this time round. Just like how i constantly prayed for a baby girl the 1st time round. Allah is great indeed.

It’s also quite tiring this time round & i’m sure it’s because i’m older now & i take care of Nadya full time? Toddlers are exhausting. I want 40 weeks to come by fast but i also want to enjoy the moment because this might be my last pregnancy cos i don’t think i want to go through IVF again.

But my father told Rusly “Women are fickle-minded. They’ll tell you they don’t want kids anymore. Next thing you know, they want to get pregnant again.” HAHAHAHA True story kalau tak, takde nya mak aku anak sampai 6. LOL

Tapi kalau nak suruh aku beranak 6 memang tak lah. Kalau kena semua active cam Nadya…..

Ewan Mcgregor Fainting GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

2017-10-15 14.40.48

14 weeks to go before we meet Baby Adik! ❤

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Second Trimester

25 Weeks Pregnant

I’ve not been updating, i know. Is this really the 2nd child syndrome? Lol
So kesian you adik.

But i guess this pregnancy i’m really not as kancheong macam when i’m with Nadya. With Nadya, i google every single thing & always worrying about everything.
This pregnancy, i know what to expect & i’m more comfortable with what i’m feeling. But i still get excited over Babycentre notifications still & i still do worry but not so much lah.

We went for our detailed scan at 22 weeks & Alhamdulillah everything looks fine. We also managed to know the gender! I passed my Gestational Diabetes test the last time round but not sure if i’ll pass the next test when i go for the next blood test end of this month.

One thing for sure, this pregnancy is going reaaaal fast this time round. Can’t believe i’m entering my Third Trimester this month! So exciting but yet still so scary? I think you’ll feel the same way for every pregnancy cos you don’t know what to expect and we all know not all labours would be the same kan? I hate that part. The not knowing what to expect cos i want to be prepared.

Also i’m really hoping i can breastfeed longer this time round, but again not pressuring myself. I’ll take whatever i can.

So far we’ve not bought anything much for Adik. Except for a Tula blanket & a camouflage hoodie cos it’s cute, although not quite necessary. Hahahaha. I believe we’ll reuse most of the major items like baby cots, strollers etc. We just need to get small items like clothes (yay!), pillows, bottles etc. I also tried switching on my Spectra Breats pump & it’s still working. HAHAHHA. But i need to get all the spare parts like tubes & flanges cos i have no idea where i kept everything. Maybe i’ll check at the Baby Fair or Pupsik etc and see if there’s a promo!

Till the next update! ❤

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Second Trimester

16 weeks pregnant

I’m 16 weeks pregnant now & officially in my 2nd trimester. That was fast!

Went to NUH to do my 1st OGTT. Because I have a history of Gestational Diabetes when I was pregnant with Nadya, they put me at high risk for gestational diabetes again for this pregnancy. I was initially reluctant to take two tests but deep inside I also want to make sure that if I have early GD, it can be detected early so I can control my diet again. Not too scared about the baby being too big that I’ll have to go under the knife or anything. But scared if the baby might end up having low blood sugar during birth. 16wks

The dreaded orange drink! Urrrgh. Tastes even nastier this time round cos I seem to want to puke at everything. So I was told to from midnight and report to Clinic G at 9.00am and take my 1st blood test at 9.30am & drink the glucose drink within 10 minutes. The 2nd blood test will be taken at 10.30am and the last blood test at 11.30am.

Managed to see the gynae after my 2nd blood test to hear the baby’s heartbeat. Felt so relieved because at this point I’m still unable to feel baby’s movements yet so hearing the heartbeat reassures me that the baby is fine.

I’ve felt quickenings though. That flutter feels and I can hardly wait to feel actual movements because I really miss that.

So far everything is going fine except my headaches are still here and they’re really persistent. They can go on from morning to night and I’m still so tired most of the time.

16wks2

A bumpfie at 16 weeks! I’m also showing quite early this time round maybe cos this is the 2nd pregnancy. We’ll also be switching to the Private clinic when I see Dr. Citra come September. I have no problem with the subsidized clinic this time round but I prefer seeing Dr. Citra again and also we would want to take the A1 class again when I deliver so it’s just a preference. My detailed scan is scheduled 3rd week September so maybe we’ll find out the gender then. We’ll probably announce our pregnancy then as well cos the tummy is bigger now and it’s harder to hide. Lol.

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy

12 weeks pregnant! 

Oh yes 12 weeks now and i’m at the Fetal Care Centre while typing this cos i’m waiting for baby to turn cos baby been facing down and inwards. Pls pls pls turn sayang!

So relieved to see baby moving & turning though. Been seeing so many miscarriage posts lately that i became paranoid. Sampai some nights tak boleh tido pikirkan if baby is ok.

Waiting for the dreaded blood test now. Really hoping everything is well! Will be seeing the gynae in 2 days time to review the results. We opted for the Down syndrome screening and i know this is very subjective but we just to know if there’s any cause for concern.

Till the next update!

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy

10 Weeks Pregnant

I’m 10 weeks pregnant now and we’re fast approaching the end of the 1st trimester. I’m still pretty keeping it low key still cos we’re still cautious although i’ve been asked many times about the outcome of our Cycle No 2 and i hope people understand why I choose not to answer yet.

The 1st trimester with No 2 is so so different from Nadya’s. With Nadya i was really careful, more relaxed. Tak buat kerja mostly and had zero morning sickness except for some headaches.

This 2nd pregnancy, i was more active. It conveniently happen to be one of my busiest period with the sales of Sampul Raya & Dear Raessa during the festive season. I packed 1200 packages to be mailed all on my own. I still don’t know how i did it but i did it guysss. I left most of the carrying of heavy things to Rusly though. Although i also did an islandwide delivery for the sampul resellers during 1st week Ramadhan and it was so exhausting, i’m never doing it again! It was really exhausting & also all the travelling by car made me wanna puke seh.

If that’s not enough, i also did 3 days of Laloolalang Bazaar from 2pm – 11pm. Obviously after all that, my back hurt so badly so i took 2 days off from doing anything. Helped a lot really because after that, Raya spring cleaning starts!

With the 2nd pregnancy, i had morning sickness. It wasn’t an everyday thing, thank goodness but enough to make me feel so lousy. I’ll puke at the smell of garlic or anything strong. I’ll puke when brushing my teeth. I’ve changed my toothpaste brand so it’s helping! I’ll also puke with mouthwash cos it’ll leave an aftertaste and i used to be ok with it but this time, cannot take it.

I also cannot stand crowds. I get really mabuk macam nak pitam that kind, which explains why i was sitting most of the time at Laloolalang. So glad my sisters & husband were around to help!

I’m not complaining though cos i know some people have it really bad and i know this will go away soon! Right now, i’m just glad to be given another chance to be pregnant. Morning sickness or not.

First Trimester, IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

7 Weeks Pregnant

Today, i went for my 1st scan.
8.30am at Fetal Care Centre for the scan and then 10.00am at Clinic G for my review appt with the IVF Clinic.

2nd pregnancy and i’m still so nervous. Heck, even if it’s my 4th pregnancy pun, i think i’ll still be nervous seh. I went with an open mind but i’m secretly hoping for a singleton still cos i honestly don’t think i am capable of looking after twins, during & after pregnancy. But really, i’m just hoping for a viable pregnancy. Jangan lah tetiba scan & they find a blighted ovum ke chemical pregnancy ke. But Alhamdulillah, i saw the cute little fetus on screen with the blinking heartbeat. So emotional i cried.

Everything is going well so far and we’re having another singleton. Yayyyy!
I thought i was only 6 weeks but turns out to be 7 weeks and my EDD is set to be Jan 20 2018 which is a week after Nadya’s 3rd birthday. Another January baby! And so close to each other so boleh je save duit & celebrate birthday sama2. HAHAHAHA

It is also funny how things work out. When me & Rusly embarked on our TTC journey, we kinda agree on having our 2nd one at least 3yrs apart and really Allah plan cun-cun for us to have the 2nd one after Nadya turns 3. Sekali adik comes out before Nadya’s birthday ehh. Lol

My next appointment will be on my 12 weeks pregnancy for the down syndrome scan. Oh yeah luckily i called the Women’s Clinic way before the IVF started. Cos i heard the waitlist for Dr Citra is even longer now. I called them in April and only managed to get an appointment in September! Hahaha. But just nice ah. September would be my 20th weeks and i can just sign up for the maternity package from there & see Dr Citra for the rest of my pregnancy. Sticking with Dr Citra cos i’m comfortable with her & really think she’s great! Till the next update!

IVF Cycle No 2, IVF Journey, Trying To Conceive

Start of IVF Cycle No 2

Putting this on private till i’m ready to share about the pregnancy. 🙂
Yes i’m pregnant with our 2nd child.

The 2nd cycle was really quite straighforward since we’ve done all the previous check up etc. We just had to do some blood test cos it has expired, mainly HIV etc. My egg reserves are still good, above average but it has halved from the previous cycle in 2013. So yes, age factor. The earlier you do IVF, the better.

Here is the IVF Timeline if you’re interested to know!

This time round, they gave me Pergoveris right from the start, together with Gonal F 150iu. Yes, Pergoveris, the one that stings so so badly.

21 April – 25 April 2017: 
Pergoveris (Morning)
Gonal F 150iu (Evening)

26 April – 29 April 2017
Cetrotide & Pergoveris (Morning)
Gonal F 150iu (Night)

30 April 2017 
Cetrotide & Pergoveris (Morning)
Suprefact 150iu Trigger Jab at 11.30pm

1 May 2017
No jabs. Fast from midnight onwards.

2 May 2017 
Sperm Collection at 9.00 am
Report to Ward 2A at 9.30 am
Oocyte Retrieval at 11.30 pm
Out of Operation Theatre at 12.45 noon
Ovidrel jab by nurse on tummy
1st meal at 4.00pm. Discharged at 5.00pm

They extracted 5 embryos and all from left Ovary.

3 May 2017
Embryologist called to inform out of 5 embryos, only 2 fertilised.
1 is a 3 cell & the other one is a 4 cell. They will update me again the next day if the eggs are growing well and fit for transfer.

4 May 2017
Embryologist called, both eggs are growing to 8 cells, excellent quality. We’re good to go for the Egg Transfer the next day!

5 May 2017
Embryo Transfer at 11.00 am. Done by 11.15 am. Discharged at 1.00pm. Our two wee wait begins this day!

I was quite slack this time round honestly. Didn’t follow my diet as strict as  the 1st cycle.
Or maybe cos i was really busy this time round and i didn’t have much expectation. I went ahead with IVF Cycle No 2, knowing this will be our last cycle. Whether it turns out positive or otherwise, we leave it to Him.

We even went for a 4D3N trip to KL during my 2WW just to eat & shop and when we were there, i had a feeling i was pregnant. I had minor cramps, i was tired and had leg cramps. My immune system was down, i fell sick. Had fever & flu out of nowhere. Few days before the blood test, i was exceptionally tired. Kept wanting to take afternoon naps, lasting 2-3 hours each time & kept having vivid dreams. I know it was also a side effect of all the Progesterone Suppositories i was taking but deep inside, i know i’m pregnant. My boobs were sore. I couldn’t lie flat on my tummy & not cringe cos it was so painful.

The blood test day, i left Nadya at my mom’s & insist on going alone. Just in case, it’s negative i might want some time alone. Had trouble drawing blood out, but what’s new kan? But i managed to get everything done by 9am and went off to Jem for breakfast. I wanted to go shopping and do so many things at Jem but i was so tired and when i still have not heard from them by 12 noon, i board a taxi to head back to my mom’s place to rest. Just as the taxi was turning out of Jem, the nurse called & asked for my location & told me to come back cos Doc wanna see me cos i’m pregnant! Woot wooot!
i rushed back to NUH to see Dr Shakina, who was happy to see me.
“You very lucky ah. 2 cycles all strike” Alhamdulilah..

Took my progesterone medication and hello Proluton! Time for the twice weekly butt injection again for the entire 1st trimester. Surprisingly, the injections don’t feel as painful as the 1st cycle. Maybe cos i’ve learnt to manage my expectations this time round.

Alhamdulillah for the smooth 2nd cycle. Now hoping the 2nd pregnancy will go on smoothly just like the 1st, Insha Allah.