Really nervous about my 12 week scan next week

[ZucchiniPie]

I posted this on the MC forum but someone's suggested I re-post here in case anyone knows the answer to my question below re likelihood of repeated MMCs...

I'm 11+2 weeks pregnant and due to have my 12 week scan next Wednesday. However, back in November I was 12+3 weeks pregnant, or so I thought, and it turned out when I went for the scan that I'd miscarried without any sign of it at least six weeks earlier. In other words, a MMC - but one which took a very long time to reveal itself. (In fact, the morning of the scan I started bleeding, so I was prepared for something being wrong - just not that.)

So as far as I know, this time round I am still pregnant, but I'm terrified that what happened before has happened again, because at 11 weeks last time there was still no evidence that I'd miscarried. Even though, this time I had an early scan at 7 weeks and there was a heartbeat then, that's nearly 5 weeks ago and, on the basis of what happened before, I could have had another MMC.

What would really help would be if anyone knows the answer to this: are MMCs just something to do with the embryo and sac (since that's what pumps out the hormones to tell your body you're pregnant) or are some women more likely to 'hang onto' pregnancies in this way?

I've been really stoical in not calling the early pregnancy unit every week to ask for endless scans. I'd have had to make up symptoms to get one but on the other hand my last pregnancy seemed to be going swimmingly all the way to 12+3 weeks, so now I slightly wish I'd tried to get another scan in at say 9 or 10 weeks when the chances of MC would have dropped a lot and I could trust the results more.

Anyway, not really sure what I'm hoping to hear here because I realise that all I can do now is wait and try and be optimistic for next Wednesday!

[By the way, I also realise that I'm incredibly lucky to be writing this in mid-February, having had a MC in early November.]

I like the virtual hugs!

It sounds silly but I think my waistline is bigger at this stage than it was back in October when I was supposedly 11 weeks. Which should be a good sign because, strangely enough, a few days before my 12 week scan a friend of mine who knew I was pregnant commented that wasn't I lucky not to be showing more by that stage with a second pregnancy (I have a 20 month old DD). The irony obviously was that I wasn't really pregnant (though apparently the uterus had reached a 9 or 10 week size). So the fact that my jeans are feeling tighter is making me feeling a bit better!

Thanks and really hope you get pregnant soon too xx

That does sound positive...I had a little bump until a few days before I found out the baby had died, but in the days before the scan it shrunk a bit and was softer, more like podge than baby, it seemed weird and had been concerning me. So if you are still growing I would take that to be a positive sign. Do you still feel sick etc? Because that stopped for me about a week after he/she stopped growing. Good luck again!

I felt dreadful from about six weeks (i.e. when the pregnancy stopped progressing) right up to a few days before I started bleeding at 12 and a bit weeks, so unfortunately that isn't much of an indication in my case... I guess the hormone levels stayed high because the membranes carried on growing and that's what makes you feel sick, not the baby.

With my first pregnancy I barely felt sick at all and raced round South America back-packing from weeks 5-10 feeling full of beans! So it's all a bit of a lottery I think, the sickness stuff.

I didn't cry at my first pregnancy's (positive) 12 week scan (was terribly unfazed by whole thing) but I suspect next week might be a different story if there's a little bubba bouncing about...

I don't know if have have much advice, if any, but I'm sorry for your loss last year, and hope that all goes well at your scan next week. My story's remarkably similar, I had a MMC last November that I only found out about at the 12 week scan. Terrible news, and such a shock. You go in with such hopeful expectations, pay for your little photo in advance, and it all goes so horribly wrong.

The consultant who broke the news to me said that MMC's are almost always due to serious genetic abnormalities, ones that don't occur very often, so the chance of having two in a row are small. He also said that it was a "good" sign that my body held onto the pregnancy for as long as it did, as it meant that there was nothing structurally wrong in there. If that's true, then you have a greater chance of carrying a pregnancy to term, provided there is nothing seriously wrong with the baby that would cause the pregnancy to be unsustainable.

I really hope that it goes well for you. Try to keep calm, and just hope for the best. Take care!

Thanks Mitsouko and sorry for your loss too. What you've passed on from your surgeon is really reassuring to me and exactly the kind of knowledge I was hoping to gain from my post, so thank you very, very much. I feel a lot better now.

Had the scan this morning and all is well - baby moving around like mad and all present and correct, as far as limbs, etc. concerned! Turns out it's a few days younger than we thought (probably the MC meant my cycle was a bit out still) so actually only 11+2, not 12 today - but they kept my 7th Sept due date where it was, for some reason.

Thanks again for all your lovely messages and good luck anyone who's TTC - I'm sure you'll have good news soon!

xxx

How wonderful! You must be so relieved. Gives me hope...

Hope everything continues to go well, take care!

Yes, it's a great feeling. Best of luck to you too - I'm sure you'll see that blue line really soon :)