I’ve started joking that I never really know what to expect when I go into an OB, scan or pregnancy-related appointment because it’s rare that I experience the same thing twice.

Of course, there’s the usual things in terms of procedures and what not (and the heightened anxiety never really leaves you) but every time I go in it’s almost like I’m faced with some new unknown thing that I’ve not seen nor heard of before.

I mentioned in my last post [tap here to read it] that I had been having “chemical pregnancies” every month and wasn’t sure if there was some “new thing” wrong that I didn’t know about.

So when my OB appointment finally rolled around, he was happy to send me for a whole raft of blood tests to check for clotting disorders and also did a scan in his office as he was concerned that the pregnancies weren’t “actual pregnancies” and maybe some strange growth or similar just causing hcg (pregnancy hormones) to be released.

It was really early days at that scan, only 5 weeks gestation, so all we could really see was what looked like a couple of areas of fluid, and not much else.

It was difficult to draw any conclusions from that, so I agreed to go for a follow-up scan at a specialist centre “no longer than” a week later.

Being the week of Easter, it was almost impossible to find a centre with availability, and I ended up having to beg clinics all over the city to put me on their wait lists, especially since my Dr had urged me not to “leave it any longer than a week”, since we really didn’t know what we were dealing with.

Luckily, I managed to get an appointment within the week, and it was even at the centre the OB had recommended (thank goodness for understanding staff and waitlists)!

The day finally arrived, and I went into my appointment (just narrowly avoiding a car crash due to my anxiety over the crazy parking lot and inability to focus properly).

I was at 6 weeks, 3 days gestation at that point and was surprised to see that there was a new sonographer who I hadn’t met before. In a way it was almost a good thing. Sometimes when it’s someone I’ve seen before, I almost feel like they’re looking for, or even expecting to find problems.

The scan started and the sonographer explained to me that she could see a gestational sac and the beginnings of the development of an embryo.

She could ALSO see what looked like a haematoma (kind of like a sac of blood) close by, which appeared to be an implantation bleed. She suggested that it may come out at some stage, but not to worry about it.

I was in two minds about it… relieved of course that it wasn’t some “weird growth” causing pregnancy hormone, that we were actually dealing with a legit pregnancy, but also worried because I’d had a haematoma with my previous pregnancy, which had ended around 8.5 weeks (and was chromosomally normal, no unbalanced translocation).

She was unable to find a heartbeat, but was not concerned as gestation wasn’t yet quite at 6 and a half weeks.

So, she suggested I return in two weeks time for a follow-up scan, and I was happy with that because I also knew I had an appointment with my OB (who could check for heartbeat again in his rooms) the following week.

The appointment really did nothing to alleviate my anxiety. I just felt as though I still didn’t really know anything, or what to expect next.

The following week (at 7 weeks gestation) I went back to visit my OB again. Luckily, within the first few seconds of scanning, he was able to detect a heartbeat. It was pretty obvious, and I was able to see it myself as well, which was a relief.

He could also still see the haematoma, and said that he wouldn’t usually recommend it, but in this case, suggested I start taking supplemental progesterone daily. I wasn’t super keen on it, as the evidence on pregnancy outcomes with progesterone is really limited, but he pointed out that if it could make even a fraction of a difference, that it was probably worth trying.

So, I agreed and prepared myself to wait another week or so for the next scan…

In-between all life just kept generally being stressful, with my poor cat getting attacked the week prior and needing a lot of extra care (which unfortunately eventually ended in him passing away ☹) following which I came down with a horrible cold. Which in some ways, forced some rest time that I probably really needed anyway.

Here I am now at 8 weeks gestation and just really trying to keep myself occupied, not thinking too hard about what comes next, and hoping the next scan has a good outcome too.

So far it appears that the haematoma is staying put, although both my OB and the sonographer have warned me that it may cause a bleed at some stage, which keeps me kind-of-on-edge most of the time.

Until next week… would love to hear your thoughts and comments below as always (scroll down to the “leave a reply” section) 😊