# 10 weeks pregnant and no miscarriage yet - UPDATE: spotting pink



## rightwinger111 (Nov 20, 2008)

Hi everyone, I'm new here.

My body doesn't want to let go of this little one, apparently. It sucks too, cuz now I'm doubting that my midwife knows what she's talking about. She says the baby died between 5/6 weeks, yet between my u/s at 7 week and my u/s at 8.5 weeks, the sac had clearly grown (a lot) and there was a little lump in the sac, whereas at 7 weeks (abdominal u/s) it was too early and we couldn't even see an embryo at all. It doesn't make any sense at all to me.
So then the midwife says, "I want more information" and sends me for bloodwork. HCG is at 42,000 at almost 9 weeks pregnant (she says that's way too low). Two days later it's at 39,000, so immediately she's like, "Yeah, it's over." I believed her cuz I figured she knew what she was talking about and I knew nothing about HCG. Started researching it this week online and turns out 42,000 is actually IN RANGE for someone as pregnant as me (there's quite a dynamic range for HCG numbers, so I have NO idea why she'd tell me that). Then the fact that it's decreasing puts the nail in the coffin...only it turns out HCG DOES start decreasing between 8-12 weeks.

None of it really makes sense. But anyway, if I'm still not bleeding and I still have pregnancy symptoms in a week or two, I am absolutely getting a second opinion. I don't want to get my hopes up by any means, but this is ridiculous! My midwife is basing everything off HCG and I have no idea why. The more I read online, the more I realize everyone's HCG is completely different, and that after 6 or 8 weeks, you can't really go by that. Frustrating! Does anyone have a similar story??


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## NullSet (Dec 19, 2004)

I don't have a similar story but I wanted to send you lots of positive thoughts! I would wait and see too.


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## ~mermommy~ (Nov 7, 2008)

Good for you for doing your own research! I will pray for good news for you! keep us updated


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## rightwinger111 (Nov 20, 2008)

I FINALLY FINALLY had some very faint pink on the toilet paper tonight when I used the restroom. I think this is the beginning. It's a relief and yet I'm terrified of what to expect. I need to stop reading the miscarriage thread cuz it doesn't ever make me feel better, it just scares me more!


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## emsparrow (Dec 16, 2007)

That is so hard! I'm really sorry for all the confusion and waiting and doubting. From everything I've read and heard, hcg levels are nothing at all to pay attention to after around the 5th or 6th week. It's all about the u/s at that point. It sounds like you'll feel best if you keep waiting, but make sure you have support (and that means a 2nd opinion if you feel you need it). My u/s revealed that the pregnancy ended around 5/6 weeks too, and I still hadn't had the m/c at 10 weeks, so I went in for a vacuum suction procedure. I thought it was all weird and confusing, too. I hope this waiting ends peacefully and soon for you, one way or the other.


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## lil_stinkyfeet (Nov 12, 2006)

*HUGS* I am sorry you are having to deal with the confusion.. I had a similar situation with my first. The waiting was really hard, when the "real thing" started I was very sad but also relieved to not have to be waiting and wondering anymore. I hope all goes well for you.


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## rightwinger111 (Nov 20, 2008)

Thanks girls. The waiting hasn't been as bad as I thought it'd be but it wasn't at all fun in any way either.
I only saw that one faint brown smear and then nothing for 4 days. Finally about an hour ago there was more smearing on the tissue, this time pink. I won't lie, I am really really terrified to go through this, especially since I'm about 11 weeks along. But at the same time I'm relieved that something might finally happen soon.

Katie, how far along were you when you finally miscarried? What was it like, if you don't mind me asking?


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## no5no5 (Feb 4, 2008)

I know it's hard, but don't forget to take care of yourself.

I can't believe I missed your earlier posts. I have a similar story: HCG @ 6 1/2 weeks was 10,000; a week later it had just doubled. I "knew" something was wrong but my doc said everything was fine. The day of my first CNM appointment (at 9 1/2 weeks) I started spotting and was sure it was over. The CNM thought everything was fine but talked me into an ultrasound to "confirm" that it was fine...and found an embryo measuring 7 1/2 weeks with no heartbeat. I continued spotting for a few days before the real bleeding/cramps started.

What I have read is that the embryo starts to shrink/be absorbed after it dies. The placenta and sac can sometimes continue to grow. So if it was measuring at 5/6 weeks, that doesn't necessarily mean that that is when it died. It might have died two weeks later and then shrunk for two weeks. KWIM? I know when I finally passed the embryo, it was a lot smaller than the 7 week embryo we saw on the ultrasound. Also, HCG is totally not reliable, even when it drops early in pregnancy. You're definitely right about that. Not a good sign, but not conclusive.

Anyway, here's another







for you. I hope your wait ends soon and as easily as possible.


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## Cuddlebaby (Jan 14, 2003)

here's a great sticky for you, really helped w/ my miscarriage: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=187976 also take note of the other stickies in this forum too.

fellow right winger (we are few here)
Rebecca


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## lil_stinkyfeet (Nov 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rightwinger111* 
Thanks girls. The waiting hasn't been as bad as I thought it'd be but it wasn't at all fun in any way either.
I only saw that one faint brown smear and then nothing for 4 days. Finally about an hour ago there was more smearing on the tissue, this time pink. I won't lie, I am really really terrified to go through this, especially since I'm about 11 weeks along. But at the same time I'm relieved that something might finally happen soon.

Katie, how far along were you when you finally miscarried? What was it like, if you don't mind me asking?


I was almost 9 weeks (baby stopped growing at 6w) I spotted off and on for quite a while.. period like bleeding and cramping.. When the real thing began.. I knew because I started bleeding and cramping heavily... enough where I spent about 30-45min being in the bathroom not being able to stand up because there was too much blood.

There were a lot of clots and then I delievered the sac.. All the blood can be a little scary at first (at least it was for me) During the whole thing there were a few times that I felt like I was going to pass out... and I was shaking..

I didn't deliver the placenta until the next day though... I also used prescription pain relievers from my doctor.

Do you have a dh or dp or someone who can be on call for you? It is hard since you have no idea when it will start. My dh just happened to come home from work right before the m/c started.

My second (recent) loss I was only 4.5 weeks.. so it has been like a horribly crampy period with tons of clots.

I hope all goes well for you!


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## NullSet (Dec 19, 2004)

Don't be scared, a miscarriage is different for every woman. Just be prepared. Have someone close in case you need help. The miscarriage thread is great for knowing all the possibilities but not all the possibilities will happen. My second pregnancy ended in a m/c at about the same time as you, somewhere between 11 and 12 weeks. It was difficult emotionally but not anything I couldn't handle physically.


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## rightwinger111 (Nov 20, 2008)

Thanks so much for the replies, girls. Amy, I'm trying to not be scared but it gets harder everytime I see spotting! It's still pretty light and just pink so far with almost no cramping.

Katie, yes, thank goodness I have a great hubby who will be here for me when it happens. I've told him everything we can expect to happen. He's pretty worried for me to go through it. Neither of us deal well with blood, so should be fun! lol

Do prescription pain meds help a lot? I'm seeing a doctor tomorrow (one more u/s to confirm everything and also just discuss the miscarriage and ask for pain meds) and I want to ask her for some. Can anyone recommend something good?

Rebecca (fellow righty), thanks for the link. I've read through most of the stories. Some of them are pretty terrifying!

I have another question for you guys too - once HCG starts decreasing, do the sac and uterus stop growing? My HCG was already decreasing almost 3 weeks ago, so I've been hoping the growing stopped so as to make the miscarriage a little easier.


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## lil_stinkyfeet (Nov 12, 2006)

The pain meds helped me a lot.. I know some prefer not to use them though. My doc prescribed me lortab, what you will get will probably depend on the doctor. I mostly took them because I wanted to feel as little as possible, it didn't really seem fair to be feeling the physical pain. Plus I am a big wimp and don't want to have to deal with anymore pain than I have to lol.

I am glad that you have your dh there for you. I am sure everything will go fin and you will do great! Knowing what to expect or at least somewhat to expect is really helpful, it helped me to stay calm and have confidence that I could do it.


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## no5no5 (Feb 4, 2008)

I also had pain meds--percocet, maybe? But they made me really sick. Luckily I took them for the first time pretty early on so that by the time the real trouble started they had worn off. It was really like early labor for me--totally manageable but definitely uncomfortable. The physical pain was definitely nothing compared to the emotional pain.









I don't really know about the correlation between HCG & growth. It seems logical, but who knows?








You will get through this.


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## rightwinger111 (Nov 20, 2008)

I ended up scheduling a D&C today because yesterday I was just so frustrated with waiting. But it's not until Dec 16, so since I'm already lightly bleeding I bet I'll pass the baby naturally before then. Actually, I think I'll start a thread asking about that so I can get an idea of how long women have gone from beginning to bleed until full-on miscarrying.

Anyway, I'm also dumb! Since I was so bent on scheduling/discussing the D&C, I TOTALLY forgot to ask my doc for pain meds! Great. Well, I guess my life is in Ibuprofen's hands. lol
By the way, Katie, I'm a huge wimp too, right there with ya! I wish there was an over-the-counter epidural I could administer during the miscarriage.


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