In 2014, I blogged about trying to concieve and infertility. It wasn’t until almost a year after that post, that I conceived my first child.
During those early months of visiting the fertility clinic, they needed to make sure the both my husband and I didn’t have any medical or health issues that was preventing us from conceiving. I went through multiple tests and scans to make sure that my hormone levels were normal, that my cycles were regular, and most importantly, that I was ovulating. All my husband needed to do was go for a sperm count (It was so unfair that I had to be poked and prodded, he just need to load into a cup). After all the tests were over and done with, they found that I wasn’t ovulating every month, which was normal they said. So, to increase the chances of conceiving, the gynae suggested that I went on Clomid.
Trying to concieve
I took the pills for a week and on the 14th day of my cycle, I would go to the clinic for a scan to see how well my ovaries are doing with the egg releasing, and the Gynae will tell you when and how often you should be banging, to get pregnant. That was so romantic, having to time your intercourse sessions.
I started out with 50mg Clomid but it didn’t make any difference for me. They doubled my dosage to 100mg but I was producing too many eggs, that I was at risk of having triplets. 75mg was the magic dosage for me and my ovaries. However, you’re only allowed to take Clomid for up to 6 cycles as the risks of thinning of the uterine lining increases. It’s very stressful to time what is supposed to be an enjoyable activity, and disappointing when you don’t get that double blue lines when you test at the end of every cycle.
On our last cycle with Clomid, if we were still unsuccessful, we were giving the option of doing IUI (Intra Uterine Insemination) or IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation). I’d told my husband that I want to take a break from trying since I was just tired of getting a negative test. Of course, that’s when I finally got knocked up.
Complications and Birth
First 3 quarters of the pregnancy went smoothly, even though we learnt that I had what they call placenta praevia major. Due to the placenta totally covering the cervix, there was no way for me to have a natural birth. But at 32 weeks, that’s when the complications started.
I started having cramps with some shooting pains that were more intense than Braxton Hicks. So I thought that since the clinic was on the way to work, I’d just drop by. And within 15 minutes of talking to the nurses there, I found myself wheeled to the labour ward for monitoring.
They hooked me up to the CTG machine and found that I was having regular contractions. And because of my placenta praevia condition, I was at high risk of the placenta detaching which may cause hemorrhaging. Both the baby and I could lose our lives because of it. I was on total bed rest the last month before giving birth and told not to walk too much, and I was on medication to stop the contractions. It was bad enough that I was on the highest dosage they could give me and I had to take it every 4 hours, sharp. Even delaying 15 minutes gave me contractions. So I had to take the meds religiously, and reduced as much movement as I could.
On the 29th of December 2015, I had a scheduled Cesarean section and my first born arrived.
Minty Mint Tea 
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