Although I love having something to write about for my weekly pregnancy updates, I would much rather have an uneventful week to share. Maybe next week will be quiet. This week, at 8 weeks pregnant, not so much.
An update at 8 Weeks Pregnant:
The week started out great, but it really wasn’t because of the pregnancy. Visitors came from near and far to see us for Christmas. Graham’s brother and his wife spent Monday morning with us, then a couple of good friends came Monday night, and my Dad and Sue came for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. It was so nice to see everyone!
However, we did have a bit of a scare this week that put a bit of a damper on Christmas. I started spotting again, but this time it was pink and red……up until this point I had the “normal” brown spotting and it was fairly light. Although this spotting that started earlier in the week was on the lighter side, it was the color that was worrisome. I called my OB’s office 15 minutes before they closed for the holidays on Christmas Eve, just to get a feel for when I should make the decision to head to the ER, if needed. Luckily I made it all the way until Thursday morning {when my OB’s office was open again} until I really needed to go in. The spotting was no longer spotting, it was bleeding. However, as had happened in the past two days, it came on strong in the morning and went away fairly quickly. But, with the color and amount Thursday morning, I absolutely had to go in to make sure everything still looked okay at 8 weeks pregnant {and that this wasn’t the start of a miscarriage}.
In the end, everything checked out fine! The baby measured 8 weeks, 3 days {exactly where it should have} and had a strong heart beat of 183. Unfortunately {or maybe fortunately} we were not able to determine where the bleeding had been coming from. But, we were able to rule out the placenta and such as everything looked good. So, the bleeding was assumed to be coming from something small such as a capillary vein, or simply the impact of being on Lovenox {blood thinners}. Also, since the bleeding had been occurring in the mornings, but then went away, I am to try to not worry if I have bleeding on any given morning and assume everything is fine unless the bleeding doesn’t stop by the afternoon for that day.
Knowing something is fine and feeling like something is fine are two different stories, though. Keep in mind that up until now, in all of my pregnancies, any sort of bleeding was never considered normal {even though in some pregnancies it is}. It always signaled a problem, and a problem that was very apparent. So, it is still really hard for me to feel like I can have “normal-for-me” bleeding and that everything is okay.
With having an ultrasound this week that looked great {and it already being a third one, all of which looked great}, my 10-12 week ultrasound has been tentatively cancelled. I MIGHT get another ultrasound at 12 weeks, but I may now have to wait until the next regularly scheduled one. I like being on the normal pregnant person’s schedule, but it is still hard for me to believe that this pregnancy is going okay. I still feel like someone is about to give me bad news. So not having frequent checks {or knowing that I am not going in next week for sure} is something I am still getting used to. But, I would much rather be considered normal than absolutely needing to be checked on!
And at this point in our pregnancy, we are now entering uncharted waters. Although I was almost 10 weeks pregnant the first time I miscarried, the baby never developed past the six week growth mark and the heartbeats we have heard in the last pregnancies were never strong enough. So, to have a baby that actually measures past 8 weeks, where you can actually start to see things like limbs and the umbilical cord, is absolutely amazing.
At the end of each day, I have been trying to tell myself “okay, we made it another day.” I know that things can change in an instant, so if I just take things one day at a time, it seems to help me. If I do not have any bad symptoms in a given day {such as worrisome bleeding}, I just try to reassure myself there is a very good chance the baby grew that day and everything is fine. This day-by-day approach seems to work a lot better for me rather than thinking, “Will the baby make it another week?”
The other new-to-us pregnancy related appointment we got to do this week was the OB intake appointment. Having this appointment may seem like a nuisance to some, but it was a really big deal for me. Previously, when my OB was asked if I should get this appointment on the calendar, in every other pregnancy the answer was always a, “Let’s wait and see what the ultrasound looks like next week before we schedule it.” In other words, things didn’t look good, and my OB didn’t want me to be put through additional appointments if the pregnancy wasn’t being seen as viable.
So, to have this scheduled right away because things looked so strong and to not have it cancelled amongst the few scary {symptomatic} moments we have had is a really big deal for me.
Just thinking about how this pregnancy has been given a solid thumbs up by my OB’s office {and multiple times now} literally brings tears to my eyes. Although I am still super cautious about letting myself think I WILL be 20 weeks pregnant soon enough {for instance}, I just keep facing each day and celebrating once I have made it through that one day.
All About Being 8 Weeks Pregnant:
How far along today: 8 weeks, 5 days
The baby is the size of a: Raspberry
The baby is working on: The lips, nose, eyelids, legs, and back continue to take shape. And even though I cannot feel it, Cletus is now making spontaneous movements by twitching the tiny trunk and limb buds.
Gender: Unknown
Maternity clothes: Not officially required {yet}, but because of the bloating and bit of cramping I do still have, my jeans just are not comfortable and therefore I am “forced” to wear comfy yoga pants everywhere. I also see a shopping trip to the bra section this week because my boobs are growing fast! I’ve already mooched on sites like https://www.rankandstyle.com/top-10-list/best-black-strapless-bras to get a feel for prices and see the different materials available because I certainly need bras that are comfortable too.
Stretch marks: Not yet!
Belly button in or out: In
Sleep: I still seem to be waking up around 3 or 4 {it is so maddening} but the frequency of miscarriage nightmares has decreased. However, the frequency of “crazy talk in my sleep” dreams has definitely increased….or at least that is what Graham tells me
Best moments this week: The ultrasound and seeing my family and loved ones
Worst moment this week: Having the scary bleeding start and thinking the pregnancy was all over
Funniest {embarrassing} moment of this week: Confusing the umbilical cord for something else at the ultrasound {go ahead, scroll back up to the ultrasound pictures to see what I am referring to}
Miss anything: Sleeping in past 4 am
Movement: Nope, not yet
Cravings: Fried eggs and I may or may not have shed some tears in regards to chicken wings this past week
Queasy or sick: Still just queasiness — it honestly feels like I have a hangover all day, every day. But if I eat something I get a bit of relief {the key over the next few weeks will be learning that it only takes eating a couple crackers to feel better and I do not need seven full sized meals throughout the day}
Looking forward to: A {hopefully} boring and uneventful week
If you want to get caught up on our four-year-long story that lead up to this pregnancy, make sure to check out my posts as a part of the “Surviving Infertility” category.
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My Entire Pregnancy Story
This post was all about being pregnant with my first son, Laughton. After a complicated, high-risk pregnancy, he was born on Mother’s Day 2014 at 28 weeks with a rare condition and passed away shortly after birth. If you would like to read about what my husband and I experienced during the pregnancy, and as we began the grieving process, here is a list of all the posts in order for you:
5 Weeks Pregnant :: pregnancy announcement
6 Weeks Pregnant :: morning sickness cure
7 Weeks Pregnant :: cramping, betas, and a heart-shaped uterus
8 Weeks Pregnant :: normal spotting and a 3D ultrasound
9 Weeks Pregnant :: a calm week
12 Weeks Pregnant :: subchorionic bleed
14 Weeks Pregnant :: the check after the subchorionic bleed
18 Weeks Pregnant :: the first kicks
19 Weeks Pregnant :: the gender guessing game
20 Weeks Pregnant :: when the abnormalities were discovered
22 Weeks Pregnant :: having to make a tough decision
25 Weeks Pregnant :: excessive amniotic fluid
28 Weeks Pregnant :: too beautiful for earth – surviving infant loss