need some opinions from other twin mommas...

Just a brief history before I ask my question... I have endo and I conceived BFP#1 back in October 2008 on our first round of clomid (was annovulatory before conceiving with clomid) and it ended in a devastating m/c for us at 10 weeks after we had already seen the heart beating twice and it was growing fine... we then conceived BFP#2 2 months later on our own and it ended in a persistent ectopic that led to 2 shots of methotrexate and 2 emergency surgeries. I lost my right fallopian tube. After 4 fertility cycles (i.e., follistim, femera, IUI, etc.) we conceived our beautiful girls. They are 4 months and we feel so very blessed.

So, onto my question... we want a large family (i.e., 4-5 kids) and we would like them kind of close together if we had our say in the matter =). This may seem like an absolutely ridiculous question seeing as how we have been so blessed already and our babies are so young, but I've been wrestling with the idea in my mind.. considering our history, would you still be preventing pregnancy at this point? I feel like it's going to take a lot of time for us to conceive on our own again... I'm not talking actively trying. I'm talking not preventing. With one tube and no meds.. do you think we would get pregnant that quickly?? What would you do?

I feel like I need the opinions of other mommas who have twins... I know it would be hard on my body and I know life would be very hard if we were to get pregnant soon. Deep down I just feel like it's going to take awhile. My DH and I are kind of back and forth on it. I'm not charting right now and if I had the hunch I was ovulating we would probably try to avoid..

Thanks ladies!!!!

 

I first want to say I am so sorry for all the devastation that you went through.

I had a "C" section and the doctor did not want me getting preggo for at least six months.....to give everything "proper" time to heal.
...you may want to hold off until that point to give your body sometime to rest.

I hear you though I too want a big family!


Congrats on your girls!

 

I'm so sorry for your losses. I too have endo and have had 2 m/c. We conceived our LO's after 3 months of clomid and 2 months of follistim. The reason we even started trying is because my endo is so bad that doc said hysterectomy now or try for kids and maybe put it off for a year or 2. I've had 4 surgeries and just too much scar tissue to try anymore, since they weren't really helping anyway. So, I kind of understand where you are coming from. We have come to terms with the fact that we will probably only have our 2 girls, which we were blessed to have, because we just can't afford any more fertility treatments. I was told I would never be able to conceive and carry any pregnancy without help.

So, to answer your question, I don't think you should try any prevention methods if you are wanting to have a big family. I would think it would be unlikely for you to conceive on your own very quickly. And, even if you did, it would be hard to have a baby so soon after the twins, but not unmanageable. If you got pregnant immediately your LO's would be a year old when you would give birth. If it were me, I wouldn't try to prevent. But, that is just my personal opinion. I wish you lots of luck, and hope you get your big family!

 

First off, I'm sorry for your losses.

DH and I conceived our boys after 4 years of infertility, and finally IVF #4 worked(one fresh, two frozen, then 2nd fresh). We transfered two, and then had 10 embryos make it to freeze on day 6. It was an amazing cycle. Knowing how infertility works, I knew I wanted to TTC once the boys were a year old(because it could take a few cycles to work). Seeing how it took us a few IVF's to get pregnant, I didn't go on anything after having the boys. My ob knew we wanted to do a cycle once the boys were around a year old, and she said that was fine because it gave me time to heal from the c/s.

That said, as the boys first birthday approached, we talked about doing a frozen cycle. I knew it could take a few cycles, so I wanted to start early. We had a start date of late Oct/Nov in mind. We met with the RE in August, and due to getting everything in order that day, we did the transfer on Oct 1st-17 days before the boys first birthday! And 9 months later...Annabella was born!

Annabella is now 14 months old. I still am not on any form of bcp. We talked about an IUD, but I honestly just have not made the appointment. I have PCOS, which makes conceiving very difficult. So, my personal opinion is-it doesn't hurt to try now if that's what you want. But if you wanted to wait a month or two, you could always be extra cautious-because it COULD happen to you-getting pregnant on your own. You just never know! I know someone that had her daughter via IVF, then triplets via IVF....and WOOPS! Baby #5 was on the way-five kids 4 and under....

And having my kids so close in age-I love it. Sure there were a few rough patches early on, but my boys have LOVED their sister from the start. And I would do it again in a heartbeat! Good luck with everything!

 

Just my experience...
Our twins were a surprise. Apparently I ovulate many little eggs.
At my 6 week, my doc said we should not try to get pregnant for a year or 18 months. He said it would take a while for my hormones and body to be able to support another pregnancy. He said it would be a very high risk situation if before then and could endanger the fetus/es.
I would talk to your doctor. You are so strong for getting through all your losses and wanting ti keep trying.

 

I definitely think you should make an appt with your RE and discuss. With your history, they may want you to try to conceive earlier than other people. On the other hand, there may be reason to wait as well.

 

I would probably hit the 6 month mark and then go to not preventing/not trying. 6 months is the magic number for letting your body heal from pg. We are similar except I never had any mc but we tried for 2 yrs then got pg with the twins on my 2nd cycle of clomid. I went off the minipill when the twins were 8 months and now at 14 months I'm getting ready to try clomid again. Good luck with your decision!

 

I am so sorry for your losses! I always seem to hear stories from friends or aquaintances who couldn't get pregnant and finally did after years of trying (with or without treatments) only to find themselves pregnant again right away after giving birth to the original miracle baby. I keep saying it's almost like it takes the first pregnancy to reset the internal systems and then bam, it gets easier. Sooooo just thought I'd throw that out there, you never know, it may come sooner than you think! Personally I would wait a bit longer. I had a 6 month old when I found out I was newly pregnant with my twins and I have to say it has been very rough this past year having 3 kids 15.5 months apart. I think maybe getting pregnant at around a year or more would be ideal for me. You don't want to spread yourself to thin to enjoy your next baby(ies?). Do what you feel is best for you and your family and good luck!!

 

I do think one thing you want to consider as you make this tough decision is how healthy are you in general? Maybe talk to your doctor about it. You have to take care of yourself to take care of those babies. But in the end only you know your body. Good luck with your decision.