6 week viability scan

We had a fantastic weekend as our lovely teamies came down to stay in Surrey again. As always, they just slotted right in, and it was fantastic to spend lots of quality time with them. There are so many excited people our end who are desperate to meet them/see them/thank them/hug them and they've taken it all in their stride, especially the children who have met so many new faces recently and just been brilliant! The four of us clicked the first time we met, but as time goes on, it just feels even more relaxed and normal having them here.

Our viability scan was at Hammersmith on Monday. This scan is standard practice in an IVF pregnancy, unlike "natural" pregnancies where the first routine scan is at 12 weeks (unless there are any concerns). The day before, we were all sitting around chatting about the logistics when I felt tears well up; I don't think I'd realised just how nervous I was but Monday was a big day - it would determine whether this was a viable pregnancy, and if we saw a heartbeat, that would be a massive step in the right direction. We drove up on Monday morning, and superstar Steve dutifully took the kids off to the restaurant whilst Niki, Adam & I sat down in the waiting room. I felt fairly sick with nerves, even though the scan the week before suggested things would hopefully be OK.

Our lovely consultant arrived and took us into the scanning room. Niki disappeared off behind the curtain to change and I felt the tears rise up as the reality of what the next few minutes would hopefully show hit me. Adam and I hugged as Dr C started the scan, telling us not to be concerned if it took her a little while to find the sac. Barely a minute later she turned the screen towards us and said "there's your baby, and there's the heartbeat" and there it was - a tiny white blob with the centre pulsating gently. The tears were in full flow now and I was absolutely speechless. I grasped Niki's hand tightly with one hand and then Adam's, and we all just stared at the screen in awe. It was absolutely magical and I was completely mesmerised.

Niki got changed and then we just hugged tightly; there were tears all round and whispers of "thank you so much" - completely inadequate words for this incredible gift but all I could muster. I was a blubbing mess and the tears just kept coming - it just made it so much more real seeing that tiny life beating away calmly inside our wonderful friend. Technically, now the pregnancy is viable, we will be discharged from Hammersmith IVF unit and care will transfer up to Niki's local hospital. Lots of hugs and thanks to very special members of the Hammersmith team followed; they have been absolutely incredible throughout our time with them, particularly our charge nurse Prem, and our amazing consultant Dr Carby, who have bent over backwards to make this rocky journey as smooth and as easy for us as possible.

So here we are, still very early on in the pregnancy, but having overcome a large hurdle. Monday was one of the most magical days of my life, and hopefully there is even more to come. We feel so very very lucky.