Spotting and very scared at 5+4 weeks - please help :-(

[ladylashes]

I am between 5 and 6 weeks pregnant. For the last 3 days I have had discharge that has ranged between caramel and milk chocolate coloured (sorry TMI!). It has been getting slightly heavier, initially just noticing on toilet paper but now I am wearing a liner - there's no way I would need a pad as it's still light. I have an achy feeling in my lower stomach but not cramps or pain as such. I saw a GP yesterday who said it is a threatened miscarriage and has made an appt for a scan at an Early Pregnancy Unit in 4 days time. The wait is going to be terrible!

I am just looking for peoples' stories who have experienced the same thing - how did it end? Please don't worry about telling me the worst - I am prepared for this ending in miscarriage but at the moment I'm really not sure how common my symptoms are.

I'm really scared so anything you can say would be greatly appreciated xxx

[monikar]

Hello there, I am sorry you are going through this. I had the brown discharge, like you describe, at both 6 and at 10 weeks. At 6 weeks it went on for over a week and at 10 weeks it went on for about 3 days if I remember correctly. Both times the GP shrugged it off as a hormonal change and said it could happen on a 4 week cycle all through my pregnancy. He said it was really common, but I was so worried at the time. It didn't happen again after the 10 week time though. the MW said you only have to worry if you see red blood or crampy pain.

I don't recall any pain at the 6 week stage but I did have a sort of dragging feeling with it at the 10 week stage.

DD was born at full term and is 17 now.

Hope that helps - I know how worrying it is.

[ladylashes]

Thank you monikar, that gives me a bit of hope. Luckily I just have a heavy/achy feeling in my lower abdomen, nothing crampy (yet!). If I just knew either way then I could move on - it's the not knowing that is the hardest thing :-(

xxx

[Writerwannabe83]

Hi ladylashes,

When I was 7wks and 2 days I started having some caramel coloured discharge which was of a quite dry but sticky consistency. It wasn't enough to warrant a pad or a liner but it lasted about 2 days. Then, when I hit 7wks and 6 days I started spotting blood. It started off with just seeing pink tinges on the tissue after wiping to then progressing to having staining in my underwear. I went to see my GP that day as I was also having stomach aches/cramps and he made me an appointment to have a scan the next morning. Although it was dry blood and very minimal, I continued to have spotting throughout the evening.

I was so nervous when I went for my scan but thankfully everything was fine!! There was a very clear jelly bean shaped baby and a nice strong heartbeat. I still continued to have a little spotting that day too but it has since stopped and I've had nothing for over a week now. The midwife who I saw said they couldn't find a reason for the bleeding and that for some women it 'just happens'.

The best of luck for your scan and take it easy - spend as much time as you can in bed and just rest!!

[monikar]

Yes it is the not knowing that is the hardest thing. The odds are on your side - most women who have spotting go on to have healthy babies, so try and hold on to that thought.

As Writer says all you can do is rest as much as you can. Is there anything you can do to take your mind off it a bit? The time drags when you are worried.

[ladylashes]

Writerwannabe83 - congrats! I'm so happy you're progressing well after your scary time :-) thanks for your post! Hope you continue to have a happy and healthy pregnancy xxx

Monikar - thank you! From what I've read it does seem like I should be ok....it just doesn't feel like it sometimes! Think I'll be a bag of nerves until I hit the magic 12 weeks! I'm planning on doing as little as possible over the next few days, which is difficult with a very large and bouncy puppy here! :-) Nothing I do seems to take my mind off what's going on though! xxx

[monikar]

lady once you get to 12 weeks you are at a much lower risk of miscarriage. I think early pregnancy goes slowly anyway, particularly when you have a symptom you are worried about. I remember literally not being able to think about anything else when I was experiencing my discharge problems - I would be constantly in the loo, wiping and checking it was awful.

Do you have any RL support? I remember telling the ladies I worked with at the time - they were all a bit older than me but all of them had children and they made a few 'oh dear' noises but mostly they just seemed embarrassed to discuss it with me, which seemed odd and not at all helpful at the time.

[ladylashes]

Hi monikar

Not much real life support (if that's what the acronym means!). I have my fiancé, my sister and my dad. I find it difficult to talk to people (even family) about how I feel. I haven't lived in this area long and don't have any female friends my own age. I'm a bit nervous about telling anyone new that I'm pregnant in case I lose it :-(

[Misty9]

I had spotting and brown discharge with ds, started at 5+4 and a scan at 6+4 showed all was well. Spotted throughout until 23wks or so - he's now 23mo :)
Good luck for your scan

[PearlyWhites]

I had a coffee coloured discharge for about a week before I miscarried at six weeks. However I have had spotting in my last two perfectly healthy pregnancies so there is really no way of knowing if it will be ok or not until your scan.
An really sorry this is happening try not to think the worst I will be thinking of you

[IComeFromALandDownUnder]

Another spotter here who carried the baby to term. I spotted at 4.5, 7 and 9 weeks. I thought as long as it was not bright red blood it was fine. Best of luck and congratulations. X

[ladylashes]

Misty9, pealywhites and IComefromalanddownunder - thank you for sharing your experiences with me, and congrats on healthy pregnancies :-)

you're all making me feel a lot less alone xxx

[ladylashes]

Is there anyone else out there that can please share their experience with me? xxx

[sarahleanne]

ive blead on all 3 pregnancies, especially in the 1st trimester and once at about 20 weeks and it was bright red blood.
I have a 5 yr old, a 20 month old and baby number 3 is happily growing away and im 20 weeks.bleeding doesn't always mean miscarriage

[MummyJetsetter]

I had brown thick (snotty consistency) spotting and period like pains from 5 weeks until almost 12 weeks, and I'm now 33 weeks. I was scared until I had the 12 week scan. I think it was implantation bleeding and the more people I told about it the more common I realised it was! Hope yours is just the same thing! Good luck x

[Astr0naut]

I had this about 8 weeks with dd. I was convinced it was the end and there was nothing I could do about it.
The mid wife said it was 'old blood', left from my last period. No idea how that works, but willing to go with it.

[stillenacht]

I had bleeding at 6 weeks then gushing at 11 weeks which carried on until 16 weeks. DS1 just turned 14

Had similar with DS2.

Good luck.

[williaminajetfighter]

I had similar spotting before my last two miscarriages but also early on in this pregnancy - and I'm now 29 weeks.

It's so hard to say which will be ok and which might be a sign of bad things to come. Hoping its the former and keeping fingers crossed for you.

[ladylashes]

Hi everyone, thank you so much! I've still got the same sticky dark brown discharge and very slight aching. It's been 5 days now, so I'm hoping that if I was miscarrying then it would have happened by now. Thursday for the scan at the EPU couldn't happen soon enough for me! Feeling nauseous today which I take to be a good sign too xxx

[monikar]

Mine went on for over a week the first time. Also, in your case lady it hasn't progressed to red blood so that is a good sign. The aching you describe may be due to the ligaments around your uterus stretching - I'm not certain about this but I have read that this can be the cause.

If you feel nauseous that is an excellent sign - it shows that there are pregnancy hormones in your blood. Also, it is a typical time to start so that is good too.

Hoping Thursday comes quickly for you so you can get some reassurance.

[ladylashes]

monikar I never thought I'd be so happy to feel ill! I worked out its actually 4 days of spotting (not 5....yet!) but feels like an eternity. Your story really does give me hope though. Have to pray for no red blood or pain until Thursday - I will let you know what happens xxx

[monikar]

lady if it is any consolation, the nausea will get worse! It is such a good sign though.

I know what you mean about it going on and on - I was constantly checking and hoping that it had stopped.

DD is 17 now, and I think in 17/18 years there have been so many advances in medicine - both my GP and MW said it was nothing to worry about unless the blood was red or I was in severe pain, as the brown blood was just hormonal changes. I remember going to my booking - in appointment with the MW when I had my second episode of discharge and all I was concerned about was how to get it to stop and all she was concerned about was asking me a million questions and sorting out how I was going to feed the baby. I remember thinking 'I am miscarrying this baby so why worry about how I am going to feed her?'. The point I am making is that in the vast majority of cases, it turns out to be just 'one of those things' which turns out fine in the end.

I remember feeling quite lonely and isolated though as it is not something you can discuss with many people, but it is on your mind all the time.

[Cloudhoney]

I bled at five weeks, brownish like you said and no pain. Was told at scan that sac was empty and was failed pregnancy. Luckily my health board gives two scans and at second scan pregnancy was normal. Baby is now five months old!

[Cloudhoney]

I got naseau I between scans too!

[ladylashes]

That's how I'm feeling at the moment! My OH keeps talking about future plans re baby, and all I say in response is: 'why are we talking about this? I'm miscarrying!!' I know it sounds so negative doesn't it? I just can't bring myself to even think about plans in case I lose it. I've seen that there is a 50/50 chance when you have a threatened miscarriage - just need to hope I'm in the lucky half. Will give pelvic rest a go until Thursday!

The reason that I'm even more nervous of losing it is that this month was our last chance to get pregnant before trying again next year. Our wedding is at the end if June and if our pregnancy sticks the baby will be due at the end of April. If I lose it we will need to wait until next spring before trying again :-( xxx

[ladylashes]

cloudhoney wow! Can't believe that - how fantastic it worked out for you! You must have been overjoyed after the second scan. 90% of the women who've responded had a good result after bleeding - so fingers crossed its more common than we think.

When I called the GP and explained my symptoms the first thing she said was: "you know that if you're miscarrying there's nothing we can do?!". She was so condescending and patronising - it was awful! xxx