Thursday, January 18, 2007

Guess it's not going to be an easy ride

This past week I was starting to feel a lot more confidant in the pregnancy. I said "pregnant" outloud. I ordered a doppler to listen to Fish's heartbeat. I lurked on regular (non-IF) pregnancy boards. I even ordered thank you gifts for both of my REs. I planned to tell another friend this coming weekend when she was in town. I was starting to come up with a list of possible vacation spots for the spring. I smiled a lot. And then I had a very earth-shaking experience yesterday.

(warning - might be TMI)

Right around noon I felt some wetness in my undies - thought it was just a progesterone suppository leaking or something. About ten minutes later I finally made my way to the bathroom to find my undies & pants completely soaked in bright red blood. Yikes! I went into automatic mode - just need to get out of work. So I snuck back to my desk because I didn't want to explain the giant red crotch to anyone at work. I threw on my long coat on to cover up and headed out to my car.

In the car I called my OB's office - they had just closed for lunch so I said it was a medical emergency to get through to someone. The nurse was very calm and got me an appt only 1/2 hour later at radiology place nearby so I headed over there - starting sob as everything was sinking in. As I waited in the waiting room I could feel the blood continuing to soak my pants and I started to feel nauseous. Finally they took me back to change into a gown - blood was running down my legs and dripping onto the floor - seeing it made me feel hopeless about the situation. After everything that we had gone through to get to that point - I didn't know if I could do it again.

The radiologist was super nice and took a general look around first (ovaries, etc). My heart was pounding. Finally he zoomed in on my ute. And I thought I saw a flicker. I did! Turns out that Fish is still alive - heart is beating (165 bpm) and he's measuring exactly to date (9w5d). He was even moving around like a little gummy bear. OMG.

The radiologist brings in the senior doctor and he shows me a subchorionic bleed close to my cervix - outside of the gestational sac. So the baby is fine for now but my OB would probably want to restrict my activity.

My OB only recommended pelvic rest and no heavy lifting - most of the time these will resolve on their own. But some reading on SCHs it sounds like most people are on bedrest. So I put myself on bedrest for the rest of the week.

Today was much better. Bleeding has slowed down a lot and has started to turn brown (good signs). Also my doppler arrived and I was able to find Fish's heartbeat in about 10 minutes - a relief since I know it's early. It was a bit high though - low 180s. Hopefully he's OK. At least I know he's there.

I'm a bit nervous about possible complications in the future - increased risk of m/c, pre-term labor, and placental abruption (relevant study) - but given that the bleed looked relatively small and was close to my cervix (not further up the ute) I'm hoping that things will work out for the best.

But it's was definitely quite the scare. Off to pull out the doppler again...

14 comments:

BigP's Heather said...

I can't imagine how scary that was for you! I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I'm glad Fish is doing well!! I'll be thinking about you and hoping that it fixes itself soon and there are no more complications.

M said...

I'm sorry about your scare. It's reassuring though that Fish looked good!
The doppler was my savior. I used that thing multiple times a day just to know that she was still int here and alive. Once you feel movement you'll have reassurance many times a day

KikayC said...

hi! I'm lurker. I just want to know that I also had a subchorionic bleed near the placenta at 6 weeks but it resolved itself so don't worry much. I know it's easier said than done because I've been there. I'm sure, it'll be alright:).

Bea said...

Yeah, lots of stories about healthy babies after bleeds like this. Just keep that doppler handy. Sounds like bed rest is a good idea - better safe, eh?

Bea

TeamWinks said...

Wow! I would have been panicking too. So glad to hear that everything seems to be fine. Please don't leave us hanging before your next post. We'll worry.

lola said...

Oh honey, how frightening. I'm glad you were able to get right in and that they confirmed that little fish is doing well. Rest up and take it as easy as you can.

Southern Comfortable said...

Oh my goodness. I'm so glad that everything turned out okay, but what a scare! It sounds like the bedrest is a good idea. Is there anything you need? Groceries? Casseroles? I'd seriously be glad to put together a lasagna or something and drop it by if you're not going to be up and about for a little while.

Unknown said...

Oh God...I'm glad everything is fine for now and I hope the bleeding has stopped. Take it easy and use this opportunity to be pampered by the hubby!

Anonymous said...

Ugh! There's almost nothing worse than bleeding during pregnancy! Sorry that you went through all that. :/

I'll never forget the shock and horror I felt last year when I woke up to bright red bleeding at about 6 weeks pg...*shudders* It is a dreadful feeling.

I'm glad that things are a bit better now though -- good news that at least they know where the bleeding is coming from, and that it should resolve in time.

Definitely take it easy -- it certainly falls into the category of "can't hurt, might help".

Good luck with all of this -- I hope everything turns out fine for you. :)

Take care,
xx
Nilla

Mark and Martha said...

Oh my gosh. Glad things are ok now.

Anonymous said...

OMG, I was so nervous reading your psot. Glad everything is OK!

Motel Manager said...

That must be so scary! I do know several people who have had SCHs and everything has been fine - it just takes a while for the hematoma to resolve, I think. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed!

Unknown said...

What a scare!! Im so glad it this episode has ended well. I think you're being smart to have put yourself on bedrest for a few days. :)

Kit Fur Cat said...

So glad that things have turned out OK.

Bedrest sounds like a good move.

Hope your getting spoilt rotten too.

Hugs