The Scariest Few Weeks

Friday 16th September onwards...
I started spotting three days after I found out I was pregnant, it was actually when my period should have arrived and all the literature tells you that this is the time that you are most susceptable to any spotting.  I didn't stop spotting until around 6 weeks pregnant and I can tell you, without a doubt, that these two weeks were the most frightening of my whole life.  I'm not ashamed to say that I was a mess and just a bag of worry.  Very unplesant for both me and Tom and I know that it really wasn't nice for him either to see me so upset and worried.

The Early Pregnancy Unit told me that at only 4 weeks there was nothing that they could do this early on so really I had to just sit tight and wait it out - something for those that know me, is not something I'm very good at doing.

My bleeding got worse and I had a few cramps a few days later, right before I was due to see my doctor so the EPU then told me to come in so that they could rule out ectopic.  It wasn't a very nice appointment and when they did the scan, they thought they could see something in my uterus but they were not sure so I had to again, sit tight and go for a follow up scan in two weeks :-(

I didn't make it to two weeks later as on Sunday 25th, as we were going to bed, I started getting quite sharp, severe pains in the right side of my tummy.  This was one of the things I had been warned about and so followed instructions and went straight to A+E.  Tom was absolutely great, he's been my total rock throughout all of this.  Neither of us had gotten much sleep over the last 2 weeks and we'd been away for Iain's birthday weekend so were both shattered but knew this was more important.  Thankfully, being a Sunday night, it was fairly quiet at the hospital and it wasn't long before we were seen.  They took bloods, urine and checked me out.  They were quite confident that they could rule out ectopic as the pain didn't get any worse when pressure was applied.  I was told to sit tight and come back first think in the morning when the EPU opened.

Scan number two followed that morning and they could see something - hooray!!  Baby was in the right location and there was a gestational sac and yolk, and the growth was in line with my dates of 5+3.  Tom came with me on this one and we were chuffed to bits, baby looked distinctly egg shaped and this was the best result that I could have hoped for.  I actually stopped bleeding soon after this and began to feel quite nauseous too, which by all accounts is a very good sign (although believe me, it doesn't feel like that when you have to run from your meeting to the toilet - more on that later!)

Tuesday 4th October
I still had to go back for my follow up appointment and, as things had calmed down, I went to this by myself.  I drove there for the 10am appointment and didn't have to wait this time, I went straight in.  Within 10 seconds of the sonographer placing the probe inside me, she said, 'There is baby and there is a heartbeat!'  I loved those words.  That was really all I needed to hear.

It was at this stage that we named our baby: Spartacus; because he or she is clearly a fighting gladiator!

Roll on week 12 please and fingers crossed for an uneventful 6 weeks leading up to this

Helen (and Sparty)

xx