For Domestic Goddess, Redial…

After having to stand for 30 minutes on the train last Friday I thought it made sense to ask at the tfl office about a special badge…I thought I’d have to get a letter from the Doctors but apparently not:

So my early finish from work didn’t end up being an early ‘get home from work’ because the trains were all messed up.  But at least the train wasn’t packed the way it normally is when there are problems on the lines, grateful for small mercies and all that.

However, I am still bleeding.  It isn’t freaking me out like it was to begin with but I can’t help but be nervous.  Only 3 more sleeps until Friday’s scan, not that I am on countdown and clock watching patrol at all obviously!!  I kinda think everything will be fine but then once I do that I remind myself that I need to stay cautious…it reminds me what it is like to date, I’m having that whole ‘I need to protect my heart’ thing going on.

Incase you haven’t seen the lead up to this post you should probably go and catch-up…first you’ll need to read this and then you’ll need to read this.  Ok, all done?  Up to speed?

My day started like this:

I was told I would get the results this afternoon.

So from 1pm I was pretty anxious…my twitter timeline looked something like this:

And then this….

The very kind Sarah Pluves then sent me this super-kind and helpful advice

And then, having thought I had missed them – I rang at 4.40pm…they closed at 4.30pm, a Doctor rang me.

My count had gone from 2,500 to 3,800 in 43hours.

AWESOME!!!

So Bubba and I are still in the game.  All there is to do now is rest, relax, continue to ask Bubba to hold on because we’d love to meet him in 8months time…re-iterate that we really want him and that we’d be nice parents, we are worth sticking around for…and wait for the scan on the 14th in the hope that it shows us what we want to see.

Prayers, thoughts and postive vibes all extremely gratefully received.

Amy x

More information about HCG levels through various stages of pregnancy can be found here

So today we ended up at the Early Pregnancy Unit (EPU) are Queen Elizabeth II Hospital.  I wasn’t going to write the detail of this because it is very possibly in the TMI category of posts.  But I won’t be the only person to go through this, you might be reading this because you are in the same situation and then this might be of use to you.  However, a warning about the below – it is true and detailed about lady things.  You’ve been warned!

I went to the loo on Sunday and when I wiped it was a little bit pink.

I phoned NHS direct and then contacted my Doctor’s out of hours service.  They recommended I rest, avoid stretching etc and just go with it.  It was classified as a threatened miscarriage and although many TM’s go to to be a successful pregnancy there are no guarantees.  So we had to sit it out.

Fortunately by mid-afternoon it stopped.  Until Monday afternoon…when I wiped I had what I would class as a light period.  I was totally, 100% freaked!  At this point I have to shout out to my mum and dad, they were awesome and really helped reassure me as I had a mini-breakdown in a Marks and Spencer food court.

The drive home from Coventry was a long, somber one…neither Mark and I knew what to think or say.  It is a horrible thing and the time seemed to go on forever.  But one thing I would say, just being together and loving each other really helped.  It was important to me to not risk shutting each other out.

On Tuesday morning my GP reopened and was able to give me a referral to the EPU.  They then rang me with an appointment.  Just to note different areas handle this process differently, don’t be affraid to take a pincer motion – whilst waiting for the Doctor’s to call me back I phoned the EPU directly to check their process.  At our appointment I had to fill in some forms and then have an ultrasound.  For a tummy scan you need a full bladder, however before 7 weeks there is a chance (especially before 6 weeks) that you will need an internal scan which needs an empty bladder.  From my scan they thought I was 5 weeks (we’ve now worked out that I was 5 weeks + 3 days at that point) and therefore did an internal scan.  They were able to confirm there was a embryotic sac in the right location and seemingly intact tho there was a query over ectopic which meant HCG tests.

HCG is Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, the pregnancy hormone.  This is expected to double every 48-72 hours from the googling I have done.  The plan is then for me to have this test repeated on Thursday.  More on my results on Thursday etc.  The EPU have also arranged for me to have another scan in 10 days time at which point I would be at least 6.5 weeks (I will actually be 6 weeks + 6) at which point if Bubba is still developing correctly and all is well there should be a heartbeat.

The key things I have learnt are:

1) fresh blood is more concerning than brown ‘old’ blood

2) a lack of clots, heavy bleeding and ‘period’ type pain is reassuring

3) pregnancy symptoms can come and go – don’t be alarmed

4) many threatened miscarriages don’t result in a miscarriage

5) don’t be afraid to use the health services available to you and ask, even the stupid, questions

Amy x