Please help a stressed pregnant lady…

[Castaway]

I have been reading this group for about 3 months now, and have found
you all to have wonderful advice, so I thought I would chime in with a
couple questions.

I am 10w4d pregnant, and through some bad luck (vacations, scheduling
etc..) have not been to see either my family doctor nor a midwife yet.
I do have an appointment with my family doctor tomorrow.

I find that the closer I get to the 12 week "safe" period, the more
anxious I am getting. I seem to be obsessing more and more about the
potential for miscarriage, and every cramp in my belly is freaking me
out. Can anyone tell me the specific signs to watch for? The biggest
thing causing me stress is that I have not seen a doctor yet, so I feel
like it's possible I might NOT be pregnant (even though I took the test
and it was positive). I can't get past this nagging worry that it might
be too good to be true.

What kinds of things can a family doctor tell by examining me? Do they
usually have the equipment to hear a heartbeat? Will I even hear a
heartbeat at this early stage? If I could, that would make me feel so
much better.

Thanks for listening, and any advice you could give me to help me calm
down a bit!

[Dagny]

I don't know if you have the kind of family doctor who is experienced in
prenatal care or not. Normally I guess the doctor could observe changes in
your uterus on physical examination, and perhaps a different color to your
cervix. At the very least she can order quantitative hcg and progesterone.

Sorry this is freaking you out. Remember women used to not get absolute
confirmation of pregnancy until well into it. You have to let go in this
process of some things or you will go nuts. Almost all these tests the
doctors do only give the illusion of some control. They don't actually
change outcome. If they try to use the doppler too early, you may just end
up being more upset when they can't find the heart tone, even though all may
be well.

Remember nothing magical happens at 12 weeks that hasn't been happening all
along! If it's made it this far, the organ systems are almost all in place.
At your stage, I reassured myself by remembering that I wasn't bleeding :)

Take care,
-- Dagny
EDD 10/6/03

"Castaway" > wrote in message
...
> I have been reading this group for about 3 months now, and have found
> you all to have wonderful advice, so I thought I would chime in with a
> couple questions.
>
> I am 10w4d pregnant, and through some bad luck (vacations, scheduling
> etc..) have not been to see either my family doctor nor a midwife yet.
> I do have an appointment with my family doctor tomorrow.
>
> I find that the closer I get to the 12 week "safe" period, the more
> anxious I am getting. I seem to be obsessing more and more about the
> potential for miscarriage, and every cramp in my belly is freaking me
> out. Can anyone tell me the specific signs to watch for? The biggest
> thing causing me stress is that I have not seen a doctor yet, so I feel
> like it's possible I might NOT be pregnant (even though I took the test
> and it was positive). I can't get past this nagging worry that it might
> be too good to be true.
>
> What kinds of things can a family doctor tell by examining me? Do they
> usually have the equipment to hear a heartbeat? Will I even hear a
> heartbeat at this early stage? If I could, that would make me feel so
> much better.
>
> Thanks for listening, and any advice you could give me to help me calm
> down a bit!
>
>

[Smiles]

Hello,

I never went to a family doctor, but I *would imagine* that they would have
some sort of equipment for finding a baby's heartbeat. With how far along
you are, there should "probably" be no problem finding the heartbeat. With
my first pregnancy, I was able to hear the heartbeat loud and clear at
10w2d. On this second pregnancy, we were able to see it at 6 weeks on an
internal ultrasound and then hear it with doppler at 10w exactly.

Don't stress yourself out! Some cramps and discomfort are completely normal
for the beginning of pregnancy, so don't get too freaked out if "things
don't quite feel right" in your belly - after all, your body is adjusting to
a whole new set of rules now! The most obvious thing to watch out for is
bleeding/passing of tissue.

HTH!
Michelle

Mom to:
Tommy, May 21, 2002
#2, due in 8 days...



"Castaway" > wrote in message
...
> I have been reading this group for about 3 months now, and have found
> you all to have wonderful advice, so I thought I would chime in with a
> couple questions.
>
> I am 10w4d pregnant, and through some bad luck (vacations, scheduling
> etc..) have not been to see either my family doctor nor a midwife yet.
> I do have an appointment with my family doctor tomorrow.
>
> I find that the closer I get to the 12 week "safe" period, the more
> anxious I am getting. I seem to be obsessing more and more about the
> potential for miscarriage, and every cramp in my belly is freaking me
> out. Can anyone tell me the specific signs to watch for? The biggest
> thing causing me stress is that I have not seen a doctor yet, so I feel
> like it's possible I might NOT be pregnant (even though I took the test
> and it was positive). I can't get past this nagging worry that it might
> be too good to be true.
>
> What kinds of things can a family doctor tell by examining me? Do they
> usually have the equipment to hear a heartbeat? Will I even hear a
> heartbeat at this early stage? If I could, that would make me feel so
> much better.
>
> Thanks for listening, and any advice you could give me to help me calm
> down a bit!
>
>

[The Huwe Family]

"Castaway" > wrote in message
...

> Do they
> usually have the equipment to hear a heartbeat? Will I even hear a
> heartbeat at this early stage?

I understand a lot of what you are feeling. I was seeing a doctor for this,
and was anxious from week to week to see if the pregnancy was still
progressing. I was terrified of the words "not viable". Everytime I went
in, the doc kept telling me that it was too early to tell if they were
viable, even after they detected a heartbeat. Even now, at 30 weeks
pregnant, I get anxious right before my appointments, imagining everything
going wrong. To tell you the truth, I have had NOTHING wrong so I know I am
wasting all of this excess energy on worrying.

Anyway, to answer your question, if they have the right equipment, they
should be able to detect a heartbeat as early as 6 weeks, usually around 7.

Keep us posted. I know we would all love to hear how it goes.

[Sharon Bailey Glasco]

Castaway > wrote in message >...
> I have been reading this group for about 3 months now, and have found
> you all to have wonderful advice, so I thought I would chime in with a
> couple questions.
>
> I am 10w4d pregnant, and through some bad luck (vacations, scheduling
> etc..) have not been to see either my family doctor nor a midwife yet.
> I do have an appointment with my family doctor tomorrow.
>
> I find that the closer I get to the 12 week "safe" period, the more
> anxious I am getting. I seem to be obsessing more and more about the
> potential for miscarriage, and every cramp in my belly is freaking me
> out. Can anyone tell me the specific signs to watch for? The biggest
> thing causing me stress is that I have not seen a doctor yet, so I feel
> like it's possible I might NOT be pregnant (even though I took the test
> and it was positive). I can't get past this nagging worry that it might
> be too good to be true.
>
> What kinds of things can a family doctor tell by examining me? Do they
> usually have the equipment to hear a heartbeat? Will I even hear a
> heartbeat at this early stage? If I could, that would make me feel so
> much better.
>
> Thanks for listening, and any advice you could give me to help me calm
> down a bit!

FWIW, I did not get in to see my OB with my first pregnancy until I
was 12 weeks. It was a very busy practice, and they had a policy of
not seeing you until 10-12 weeks anyway, unless something was wrong,
or you were considered high risk (which I was not).

I understand it's hard to wait, especially if this is your first
pregnancy - everything is so new. You are getting close to the end of
the high risk period for miscarriage, so try not to obsess - there
really is nothing at this point you could do to cause a miscarriage,
and certainly not much that you or your doctor to stop a miscarriage
once it starts. Just make sure you are eating well, getting rest, and
taking your prenatals (especially the folic acid). Your body knows
what to do to grow this baby.

HTH,

Sharon
Mom to James 6.2.00
EDD #2 5 December

[Kereru]

"Castaway" > wrote in message
...
> I have been reading this group for about 3 months now, and have found
> you all to have wonderful advice, so I thought I would chime in with a
> couple questions.
>
> I am 10w4d pregnant, and through some bad luck (vacations, scheduling
> etc..) have not been to see either my family doctor nor a midwife yet.
> I do have an appointment with my family doctor tomorrow.
>
> I find that the closer I get to the 12 week "safe" period, the more
> anxious I am getting. I seem to be obsessing more and more about the
> potential for miscarriage, and every cramp in my belly is freaking me
> out. Can anyone tell me the specific signs to watch for? The biggest
> thing causing me stress is that I have not seen a doctor yet, so I feel
> like it's possible I might NOT be pregnant (even though I took the test
> and it was positive). I can't get past this nagging worry that it might
> be too good to be true.
>
> What kinds of things can a family doctor tell by examining me? Do they
> usually have the equipment to hear a heartbeat? Will I even hear a
> heartbeat at this early stage? If I could, that would make me feel so
> much better.
>
> Thanks for listening, and any advice you could give me to help me calm
> down a bit!
>
>

It depends on where you are. I have noticed in the states they tend to do
heaps more early tests than they do here in New Zealand (in my case at
least), I don't know about the UK or Canada.

This pregnancy my midwife only even tried to hear a heartbeat at 14 weeks
and we just relied on the original home pregnancy test to confirm that I was
pregnant. I never had any HCG tests. I have never had an internal exam this
whole pregnancy. My first ultrasound was at twenty weeks.

I could have had the tests etc if I'd asked but there was no sign of
anything wrong so I didn't see the point. So you may have to ask if you want
tests done if all seems well to the doctor. You may not be able to hear a
heartbeat by doppler until after 12 weeks it depends on your size and the
placement of the placenta. So if they do try don't panic if they can't find
it that is totally normal. It's a bit extreme but with my son I didn't hear
it until 15 weeks because I was overweight and baby had a huge placenta on
the front.

When I miscarried (twice) bleeding was the first sign. I have had loads of
bloating, cramping with my two successful pregnancies as well so that alone
didn't mean anything for me.

Good Luck and do try to relax a bit. Try to take your mind off the pregnancy
if you can even if it's for a few hours. You will soon have little kicks
reminding you all day that all is well :-)

Judy

[Jacqui]

Kereru wibbled
>
> It depends on where you are. I have noticed in the states they
> tend to do heaps more early tests than they do here in New Zealand
> (in my case at least), I don't know about the UK or Canada.

In the UK, if you have a straightforward history, no worrying symptoms,
and are sure of dates, your first appt won't be until 10-12 weeks,
which is the 'booking in' appt (they take medical histories, ask
how/where you'd like to deliver, etc). Early scans aren't routinely
offered in some health authorities, only the 20 week anomaly scan, and
blood tests at 16 weeks, so you can be four months pregnant before any
medical procedure is done, including confirming that you are actually
pregnant! (Most GPs seem to accept +ve tests without question.)

Jac