WikiMum - User contributions [en-gb]

User:Jules

2013-05-12T21:08:45Z

Jules:

[[file:Jules.jpg|450px|left|Jules]]

I consider myself very lucky to have become a mum to two beautiful twins at the age of 48. I have always felt younger than I actually am and I have a lot of energy, both of which I really appreciate now.

I have had many interests throughout my life, yoga, meditation, playing the guitar, song writing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, water-skiing…… none of which I am doing now I hasten to add.

Being a mum is definitely the most rewarding and fulfilling experience that I have ever had. Not to say that I didn’t have wonderful experiences before, I have lead a very rich life full of highs and lows but always searching for somethng. Now I feel complete. Yes they have driven me crazy at times with their incessant screaming and more recently their "no, no, more, more, this, this, mummy, mummy,mummy, MUMMY!" but on the whole they make me feel gloriously warm inside and incredibly proud.

As a mum I would describe myself as pro breastfeeding, pro co-sleeping, not really a believer in routine, although obviously with twins some sort of routine is essential if life is not to descend into chaos. I don’t believe in sticking them in front of the TV though I do resort to Peppa Pig, which they love, when they can't be otherwise entertained.

I am not as relaxed as I would like to be. I like to plan the day to some extent but with toddlers things do not always go to plan. They don’t always eat that lovingly prepared meal, they poo just as we are leaving the house, they shout and scream in the supermarket, they hit each other over the head with toys. I have cried with frustration at times.

If I have decided to go to the mother and toddler group I will stick with that plan at all costs, even if we leave the house 20 mins late because he has a poo just as I put them in the buggy and she screams because she doesn’t want those shoes on and I can’t find her other ones. I don’t want to be late so I am almost running and arrive sweaty and out of breath. Why do I put myself through that? Because I had decided to go and come hell or high water I am damn well going. This is a personality trait I could possibly do without!

On the whole I am incredibly busy and happy. To hear them laughing together fills me with joy.

User:Jules

2013-05-12T19:11:05Z

Jules:

2013-05-05T20:55:58Z

Jules:

[[File:Breastfeeding twins.jpeg|400px]]

'''Get a twin breastfeeding cushion''' - mine was invaluable, I used it day and night. It supported my back and allowed me to feed both of them in comfort on the bed at night and on the sofa in the day time.

'''Expect to sleep intermittently''' - especially in the first few weeks, mine wanted to feed on and off all day and all night. I learnt to grab a nap whenever I could if they were asleep at the same time (a rare treat).

'''Enlist a helper/helpers''' - you will need someone to fetch and carry for you while you feed your babies. I was always calling for water and snacks. Breastfeeding makes you incredibly thirsty and hungry, especially when you are feeding two.

'''Entertain yourself''' - I set up my laptop on a stool in front of the sofa so that I could access this while they were happily feeding. This kept me sane during those long hours of feeding and most especially the Fertility Friends forum where I chatted with other mum's in a the same position. Another option is to watch DVD's or read a good book.

"Don't top up with formula" - your milk is produced on a supply and demand basis. That means the more you feed the more milk you have. In the early weeks your twins will cluster feed and you might worry that you are not producing enough milk. The truth is that cluster feeding is how they encourage your body to produce more milk. If you top up with formula (which is sometimes mistakenly recommending by well meaning health visitors) then you will in fact lessen your milk supply and hence create a problem. As they get older they will feed less and your supply will be well and truly established to meet their needs.

'''Don't give up!''' - Sometimes at 3 in the morning when I was sitting there feeding them both I would be desperate for sleep and wonder if I had just taken on too much. It helped me to remember that this phase will not last forever and I also got a lot of support from a colleague on the FF (Fertility Friends) forum who was an avid breastfeeding supporter.

--[[User:Jules|Jules]] ([[User talk:Jules|talk]]) 09:48, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

2013-05-04T09:52:22Z

Jules:

Jules's story

2013-05-04T09:48:54Z

Jules:

I was 44 when we started trying to conceive and my husband was 47. We had only met 3 years previously and though I would have started trying for a baby immediately we moved in together, he wanted to be sure it was the right thing to do. Once we started trying I arranged to have acupuncture and actually when I went along for my first session I was already pregnant! However, sadly it was not to be and we suffered an early loss around 6 weeks. We continued to try and I became pregnant again, this time it looked more positive and I got to 10.5 weeks before I started to bleed and to our dismay we discovered at the first scan that it was a blighted ovum (missed miscarriage). We were heartbroken and it caused a big rift in our relationship, me being keen to continue trying and my husband wanting time to grieve. Eventually through couple counselling we resolved our difficulties and agreed to continue trying. We suffered another early loss a few months later.

It was when my acupuncturist told me that he thought that if I wasn’t pregnant by the end of the year then I probably wasn’t going to be successful that I started to feel that I really might never have a child. For me this was unthinkable. Yes I had left it late but life doesn’t always go as planned and I had never been lucky enough to be in a good enough relationship before.

I was seeing a medical herbalist at the time and she suggested to me that we might consider using donor eggs. My first reaction to that was a definite ‘no’, I was so into natural remedies how could I turn full circle and suddenly try donor egg IVF?. Anyhow, after some discussion with my husband and a lot of research into different clinics, both here and overseas, it seemed the obvious way forwards. My body was in perfect condition for a pregnancy having had acupuncture for 3 years and seeing a herbalist for 2 years, all to boost my fertility. I felt really well, but due to my age my eggs were just not good enough quality.

So off we flew to Prague, Gennet Clinic, where we had our first consultation and my husband left a sperm sample to be frozen ready for the transfer. They just had to find a donor and would be in touch. We had requested a donor with the same phenotype (hair colour, eye colour, weight, height etc.) as me, though she would be anonymous and we would never see a picture or have access to any details and neither would the child. I quite liked the idea of anonymity, I think the fact that in this country a child can find out at the age of 18 who the donor was could complicate things for everyone. Even if we had wanted to carry out the treatment here in the UK, the truth was that we couldn’t afford it as it would have cost over £10,000 and I had estimated that we may need 4 attempts (going by the odds, around 50% chance). As it was we managed our first treatment including flights and accommodation at a cost of around £5000.
[[File:Prague.jpg|250px|right]]

Once a donor was found the clinic informed us and I was all set to start the medication to ensure my lining was good and ready for the embryo transfer. Before we booked our flights we had to wait and see how many eggs were produced and then how many fertilised and were good enough quality for a transfer. The clinic informed us that our donor produced 7 eggs. I was hoping for a lot more, we had an overnight wait to find out how many had fertilised, I was so anxious opening that email the next day…… 4 had fertilised. We still couldn’t book our flight, we had to wait to see how they were progressing the next day. Another scary email to open and… 3 were doing really well so at last we were given the go ahead to book and fly out for the transfer!

On transfer day I was both anxious and excited. Gennet were fantastic and it all went really smoothly. They advised us to have only 2 embryos transferred as they were such good quality and we took their advice. I could feel little stabs after which I am certain was the embryos implanting, one on each side. We went for a walk around Prague the next day and at one point I felt really faint so we jumped in a cab and went back to the apartment so that I could put my feet up. The next day we flew home and went off on a holiday in the UK for the dreaded 2 week wait.

It turned out to be a really stressful holiday, the weather was terrible and I got cramps and bleeding and was convinced it was all over. I felt so devastated. I called Gennet Clinic to ask if I should stop the medication and they reassured me that I may still be pregnant and to definitely not stop them. Once we were back home it was just a few days until the official test date. The bleeding had stopped by this time but I assumed it was the medication not allowing a full blown period and was still certain I wasn’t pregnant.

On test day I took the test just to confirm that I could stop the medication. I had already started to plan the next attempt. To my amazement and disbelief the test was positive! We were absolutely thrilled. Of course the first trimester was a worrying time and I analysed every twinge. I felt terribly sick in the evenings which delighted me because I knew it was a good sign. We eventually went for our first scan at 9 weeks, I was terrified having seen an empty sac on the previous pregnancy. My heart was in my mouth As soon as the sonographer began the scan up on the screen popped two little sacs – it was twins! We were both speechless. I couldn’t have been happier. Finally I was going to be a mummy.
[[File:Twins.jpg|150px|left]]

I was lucky to have a trouble free pregnancy and my two little ones, a boy and a girl, were born by planned caesarean section in March 2011. I will never forget that journey from the theatre to the recovery room with one little baby tucked under each arm. I think that was the proudest and happiest moment of my whole life.

Jules's story

2013-05-04T09:46:47Z

Jules:

I was 44 when we started trying to conceive and my husband was 47. We had only met 3 years previously and though I would have started trying for a baby immediately we moved in together, he wanted to be sure it was the right thing to do. Once we started trying I arranged to have acupuncture and actually when I went along for my first session I was already pregnant! However, sadly it was not to be and we suffered an early loss around 6 weeks. We continued to try and I became pregnant again, this time it looked more positive and I got to 10.5 weeks before I started to bleed and to our dismay we discovered at the first scan that it was a blighted ovum (missed miscarriage). We were heartbroken and it caused a big rift in our relationship, me being keen to continue trying and my husband wanting time to grieve. Eventually through couple counselling we resolved our difficulties and agreed to continue trying. We suffered another early loss a few months later.

It was when my acupuncturist told me that he thought that if I wasn’t pregnant by the end of the year then I probably wasn’t going to be successful that I started to feel that I really might never have a child. For me this was unthinkable. Yes I had left it late but life doesn’t always go as planned and I had never been lucky enough to be in a good enough relationship before.

I was seeing a medical herbalist at the time and she suggested to me that we might consider using donor eggs. My first reaction to that was a definite ‘no’, I was so into natural remedies how could I turn full circle and suddenly try donor egg IVF?. Anyhow, after some discussion with my husband and a lot of research into different clinics, both here and overseas, it seemed the obvious way forwards. My body was in perfect condition for a pregnancy having had acupuncture for 3 years and seeing a herbalist for 2 years, all to boost my fertility. I felt really well, but due to my age my eggs were just not good enough quality.

So off we flew to Prague, Gennet Clinic, where we had our first consultation and my husband left a sperm sample to be frozen ready for the transfer. They just had to find a donor and would be in touch. We had requested a donor with the same phenotype (hair colour, eye colour, weight, height etc.) as me, though she would be anonymous and we would never see a picture or have access to any details and neither would the child. I quite liked the idea of anonymity, I think the fact that in this country a child can find out at the age of 18 who the donor was could complicate things for everyone. Even if we had wanted to carry out the treatment here in the UK, the truth was that we couldn’t afford it as it would have cost over £10,000 and I had estimated that we may need 4 attempts (going by the odds, around 50% chance). As it was we managed our first treatment including flights and accommodation at a cost of around £5000.
[[File:Prague.jpg|300px|right]]

Once a donor was found the clinic informed us and I was all set to start the medication to ensure my lining was good and ready for the embryo transfer. Before we booked our flights we had to wait and see how many eggs were produced and then how many fertilised and were good enough quality for a transfer. The clinic informed us that our donor produced 7 eggs. I was hoping for a lot more, we had an overnight wait to find out how many had fertilised, I was so anxious opening that email the next day…… 4 had fertilised. We still couldn’t book our flight, we had to wait to see how they were progressing the next day. Another scary email to open and… 3 were doing really well so at last we were given the go ahead to book and fly out for the transfer!

On transfer day I was both anxious and excited. Gennet were fantastic and it all went really smoothly. They advised us to have only 2 embryos transferred as they were such good quality and we took their advice. I could feel little stabs after which I am certain was the embryos implanting, one on each side. We went for a walk around Prague the next day and at one point I felt really faint so we jumped in a cab and went back to the apartment so that I could put my feet up. The next day we flew home and went off on a holiday in the UK for the dreaded 2 week wait.

It turned out to be a really stressful holiday, the weather was terrible and I got cramps and bleeding and was convinced it was all over. I felt so devastated. I called Gennet Clinic to ask if I should stop the medication and they reassured me that I may still be pregnant and to definitely not stop them. Once we were back home it was just a few days until the official test date. The bleeding had stopped by this time but I assumed it was the medication not allowing a full blown period and was still certain I wasn’t pregnant.

On test day I took the test just to confirm that I could stop the medication. I had already started to plan the next attempt. To my amazement and disbelief the test was positive! We were absolutely thrilled. Of course the first trimester was a worrying time and I analysed every twinge. I felt terribly sick in the evenings which delighted me because I knew it was a good sign. We eventually went for our first scan at 9 weeks, I was terrified having seen an empty sac on the previous pregnancy. My heart was in my mouth As soon as the sonographer began the scan up on the screen popped two little sacs – it was twins! We were both speechless. I couldn’t have been happier. Finally I was going to be a mummy.
[[File:Twins.jpg|200px|left]]

I was lucky to have a trouble free pregnancy and my two little ones, a boy and a girl, were born by planned caesarean section in March 2011. I will never forget that journey from the theatre to the recovery room with one little baby tucked under each arm. I think that was the proudest and happiest moment of my whole life.

Jules's story

2013-05-04T09:45:31Z

Jules:

I was 44 when we started trying to conceive and my husband was 47. We had only met 3 years previously and though I would have started trying for a baby immediately we moved in together, he wanted to be sure it was the right thing to do. Once we started trying I arranged to have acupuncture and actually when I went along for my first session I was already pregnant! However, sadly it was not to be and we suffered an early loss around 6 weeks. We continued to try and I became pregnant again, this time it looked more positive and I got to 10.5 weeks before I started to bleed and to our dismay we discovered at the first scan that it was a blighted ovum (missed miscarriage). We were heartbroken and it caused a big rift in our relationship, me being keen to continue trying and my husband wanting time to grieve. Eventually through couple counselling we resolved our difficulties and agreed to continue trying. We suffered another early loss a few months later.

It was when my acupuncturist told me that he thought that if I wasn’t pregnant by the end of the year then I probably wasn’t going to be successful that I started to feel that I really might never have a child. For me this was unthinkable. Yes I had left it late but life doesn’t always go as planned and I had never been lucky enough to be in a good enough relationship before.

I was seeing a medical herbalist at the time and she suggested to me that we might consider using donor eggs. My first reaction to that was a definite ‘no’, I was so into natural remedies how could I turn full circle and suddenly try donor egg IVF?. Anyhow, after some discussion with my husband and a lot of research into different clinics, both here and overseas, it seemed the obvious way forwards. My body was in perfect condition for a pregnancy having had acupuncture for 3 years and seeing a herbalist for 2 years, all to boost my fertility. I felt really well, but due to my age my eggs were just not good enough quality.

So off we flew to Prague, Gennet Clinic, where we had our first consultation and my husband left a sperm sample to be frozen ready for the transfer. They just had to find a donor and would be in touch. We had requested a donor with the same phenotype (hair colour, eye colour, weight, height etc.) as me, though she would be anonymous and we would never see a picture or have access to any details and neither would the child. I quite liked the idea of anonymity, I think the fact that in this country a child can find out at the age of 18 who the donor was could complicate things for everyone. Even if we had wanted to carry out the treatment here in the UK, the truth was that we couldn’t afford it as it would have cost over £10,000 and I had estimated that we may need 4 attempts (going by the odds, around 50% chance). As it was we managed our first treatment including flights and accommodation at a cost of around £5000.
[[File:Prague.jpg|300px|right]]

Once a donor was found the clinic informed us and I was all set to start the medication to ensure my lining was good and ready for the embryo transfer. Before we booked our flights we had to wait and see how many eggs were produced and then how many fertilised and were good enough quality for a transfer. The clinic informed us that our donor produced 7 eggs. I was hoping for a lot more, we had an overnight wait to find out how many had fertilised, I was so anxious opening that email the next day…… 4 had fertilised. We still couldn’t book our flight, we had to wait to see how they were progressing the next day. Another scary email to open and… 3 were doing really well so at last we were given the go ahead to book and fly out for the transfer!

On transfer day I was both anxious and excited. Gennet were fantastic and it all went really smoothly. They advised us to have only 2 embryos transferred as they were such good quality and we took their advice. I could feel little stabs after which I am certain was the embryos implanting, one on each side. We went for a walk around Prague the next day and at one point I felt really faint so we jumped in a cab and went back to the apartment so that I could put my feet up. The next day we flew home and went off on a holiday in the UK for the dreaded 2 week wait.

It turned out to be a really stressful holiday, the weather was terrible and I got cramps and bleeding and was convinced it was all over. I felt so devastated. I called Gennet Clinic to ask if I should stop the medication and they reassured me that I may still be pregnant and to definitely not stop them. Once we were back home it was just a few days until the official test date. The bleeding had stopped by this time but I assumed it was the medication not allowing a full blown period and was still certain I wasn’t pregnant.

On test day I took the test just to confirm that I could stop the medication. I had already started to plan the next attempt. To my amazement and disbelief the test was positive! We were absolutely thrilled. Of course the first trimester was a worrying time and I analysed every twinge. I felt terribly sick in the evenings which delighted me because I knew it was a good sign. We eventually went for our first scan at 9 weeks, I was terrified having seen an empty sac on the previous pregnancy. My heart was in my mouth As soon as the sonographer began the scan up on the screen popped two little sacs – it was twins! We were both speechless. I couldn’t have been happier. Finally I was going to be a mummy.
[[File:Twins.jpg|300px|left]]

I was lucky to have a trouble free pregnancy and my two little ones, a boy and a girl, were born by planned caesarean section in March 2011. I will never forget that journey from the theatre to the recovery room with one little baby tucked under each arm. I think that was the proudest and happiest moment of my whole life.

File:Twins.jpg

2013-05-04T09:43:21Z

Jules: Jules uploaded a new version of "File:Twins.jpg"

2013-05-03T21:15:05Z

Jules:

Tips for Breastfeeding Twins

2013-05-03T21:13:01Z

Jules:

[[File:Breastfeeding twins.jpeg|300px]]

'''Get a twin breastfeeding cushion''' - mine was invaluable, I used it day and night. It supported my back and allowed me to feed both of them in comfort on the bed at night and on the sofa in the day time.

'''Expect to sleep intermittently''' - especially in the first few weeks, mine wanted to feed on and off all day and all night. I learnt to grab a nap whenever I could if they were asleep at the same time (a rare treat).

'''Enlist a helper/helpers''' - you will need someone to fetch and carry for you while you feed your babies. I was always calling for water and snacks. Breastfeeding makes you incredibly thirsty and hungry, especially when you are feeding two.

'''Entertain yourself''' - I set up my laptop on a stool in front of the sofa so that I could access this while they were happily feeding. This kept me sane during those long hours of feeding and most especially the Fertility Friends forum where I chatted with other mum's in a the same position. Another option is to watch DVD's or read a good book.

'''Don't give up!''' - Sometimes at 3 in the morning when I was sitting there feeding them both I would be desperate for sleep and wonder if I had just taken on too much. It helped me to remember that this phase will not last forever and I also got a lot of support from a colleague on the FF (Fertility Friends) forum who was an avid breastfeeding supporter.

--[[User:Jules|Jules]] ([[User talk:Jules|talk]]) 09:48, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Tips for Breastfeeding Twins

2013-05-03T21:10:08Z

Jules:

[[File:Breastfeeding twins.jpeg|300px]]

'''Get a twin breastfeeding cushion''' - mine was invaluable, I used it day and night. It supported my back and allowed me to feed both of them in comfort on the bed at night and on the sofa in the day time.

'''Expect to sleep intermittently''' - especially in the first few weeks, mine wanted to feed on and off all day and all night. I learnt to grab a nap whenever I could if they were asleep at the same time (a rare treat).

'''Enlist a helper/helpers''' - you will need someone to fetch and carry for you while you feed your babies. I was always calling for water and snacks. Breastfeeding makes you incredibly thirsty and hungry, especially when you are feeding two.

'''Entertain yourself''' - I set up my laptop on a stool in front of the sofa so that I could access this while they were happily feeding. This kept me sane during those long hours of feeding and most especially the Fertility Friends forum where I chatted with other mum's in a the same position. Another option is to watch DVD's or read a good book.

'''Don't give up!''' - Sometimes at 3 in the morning when I was sitting there feeding them both I would be desperate for sleep and wonder if I had just taken on too much. It helped me to remember that this phase will not last forever and I got a lot of support from a colleague on the FF (Fertility Friends) forum who was an avid breastfeeding supporter.

--[[User:Jules|Jules]] ([[User talk:Jules|talk]]) 09:48, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Tips for Breastfeeding Twins

2013-05-02T09:48:45Z

Jules:

[[File:Breastfeeding twins.jpeg]]

'''Get a twin breastfeeding cushion''' - mine was invaluable, I used it day and night. It supported my back and allowed me to feed both of them in comfort on the bed at night and on the sofa in the day time.

'''Expect to sleep intermittently''' - especially in the first few weeks, mine wanted to feed on and off all day and all night. I learnt to grab a nap whenever I could if they were asleep at the same time (a rare treat).

'''Enlist a helper/helpers''' - you will need someone to fetch and carry for you while you feed your babies. I was always calling for water and snacks. Breastfeeding makes you incredibly thirsty and hungry, especially when you are feeding two.

'''Entertain yourself''' - I set up my laptop on a stool in front of the sofa so that I could access this while they were happily feeding. This kept me sane during those long hours of feeding and most especially the Fertility Friends forum where I chatted with other mum's in a the same position. Another option is to watch DVD's or read a good book.

'''Don't give up!''' - Sometimes at 3 in the morning when I was sitting there feeding them both I would be desperate for sleep and wonder if I had just taken on too much. It helped me to remember that this phase will not last forever and I got a lot of support from a colleague on the FF (Fertility Friends) forum who was an avid breastfeeding supporter.

--[[User:Jules|Jules]] ([[User talk:Jules|talk]]) 09:48, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Tips for Breastfeeding Twins

2013-05-02T09:44:08Z

Jules:

2013-05-02T09:33:02Z

Jules:

File:Breastfeeding twins.jpeg

2013-05-02T09:29:39Z

Jules:

2013-04-29T20:12:00Z

Jules: Created page with "I was 44 when we started trying to conceive and my husband was 47. We had only met 3 years previously and though I would have started trying for a baby immediately we moved i..."

I was 44 when we started trying to conceive and my husband was 47. We had only met 3 years previously and though I would have started trying for a baby immediately we moved in together, he wanted to be sure it was the right thing to do. Once we started trying I arranged to have acupuncture and actually when I went along for my first session I was already pregnant! However, sadly it was not to be and we suffered an early loss around 6 weeks. We continued to try and I became pregnant again, this time it looked more positive and I got to 10.5 weeks before I started to bleed and to our dismay we discovered at the first scan that it was a blighted ovum (missed miscarriage). We were heartbroken and it caused a big rift in our relationship, me being keen to continue trying and my husband wanting time to grieve. Eventually through couple counselling we resolved our difficulties and agreed to continue trying. We suffered another early loss a few months later. I was conceiving but due to my age my eggs were just not good enough quality. It was when my acupuncturist told me that he thought that if I wasn’t pregnant by the end ot the year then I probably wasn’t going to be successful that I started to feel that I really might never have a child. For me this was unthinkable. Yes I had left it late but life doesn’t always go as planned and I had never been lucky enough to be in a good enough relationship before. I was seeing a medical herbablist at the time and she suggested to me that we might consider using donor eggs. My first reaction to that was a definite ‘no’, I was so into natural remedies how could I turn full circle and suddenly try donor egg IVF?. Anyhow, after some discussion with my husband and a lot of research into different clinics, both here and overseas, it seemed the obvious way forwards. My body was in perfect condition for a pregnancy having had acupuncture for 3 years and seeing a herbalist 2 years, all to boost my fertility. I felt really well, but due to my age my eggs were just not good enough quality. So off we flew to Prague, Gennet Clinic, where we had our first consultation and my husband left a sperm sample to be frozen ready for the transfer. They just had to find a donor and would be in touch. We had requested a donor with the same phenotype (hair colour, eye colour, weight, height etc.) as me, though she would be anonymous and we would never see a picture or have access to any details and neither would the child. I quite liked the idea of anonymity, I think the fact that in this country a child can find out at the age of 18 who the donor was could complicate things for everyone. Even if we had wanted to carry out the treatment here in the UK, the truth was that we couldn’t afford it as it would have cost over £10,0000 and I had estimated that we may need 4 attempts (going by the odds, around 50% chance). As it was we managed our first treatment including flights and accommodation at a cost of around £5000.

Once a donor was found the clinic informed us and I was all set to start the medication to ensure my lining was good and ready for the embryo transfer. Before we booked our flights we had to wait and see how many eggs were produced and then how many fertilised and were good enough quality for a transfer. The clinic informed us that our donor produced 7 eggs. I was hoping for a lot more, we had an overnight wait to find out how many had fertilised, I was so anxious opening that email the next day…… 4 had fertilised. We still couldn’t book our flight, we had to wait to see how they were progressing the next day. Another scary email to open and… 3 were doing really well so at last we were given the go ahead to book and fly out for the transfer!

On transfer day I was both anxious and excited. Gennet were fantastic and it all went really smoothly. They advised us to have only 2 embryos transferred as they were such good quality and we took their advice. I could feel little stabs after which I am certain was the embryos implanting, one on each side. We went for a walk around Prague the next day and at one point I felt really faint so we jumped in a cab and went back to the apartment so that I could put my feet up. The next day we flew home and went off on a holiday in the UK for the dreaded 2 week wait. It turned out to be a really stressful holiday, the weather was terrible and I got cramps and bleeding and was convinced it was all over. I felt so devastated. I called Gennet Clinic to ask if I should stop the medication and they reassured me that I may still be pregnant and to definitely not stop them. Once we were back home it was just a few days until the official test date. The bleeding had stopped by this time but I assumed it was the medication not allowing a full blown period and was still certain I wasn’t pregnant. On test day I took the test just to confirm that I could stop the medication. I had already started to plan the next attempt. To my amazement and disbelief the test was positive! We were absolutely thrilled. Of course the first trimester was a worrying time and I analysed every twinge. I felt terribly sick in the evenings which delighted me because I knew it was a good sign. We eventually went for our first scan at 9 weeks, I was terrified having seen an empty sac on the previous pregnancy. My heart was in my mouth As soon as the sonographer began the scan up on the screen popped two little sacs – it was twins! We were both speechless. I couldn’t have been happier. Finally I was going to be a mummy. I was lucky to have a trouble free pregnancy and my two little ones, a boy and a girl, were born by planned caesarean section in March 2011. I will never forget that journey from the theatre to the recovery room with one little baby tucked under each arm. I think that was the proudest and happiest moment of my whole life.