Bleeding/spotting at 12 weeks

[hopefulhb]

Hi all, I'm just 12 weeks pregnant after YEARS of trying to conceive and I am due to have my first scan in three days. I have been trying my best not to be too nervous about this, but it is hard as in a previous pregnancy (7 years ago) I discovered at my 12-week scan that my baby had stopped breathing and I miscarried afterwards. I know that there is no reason to think this will happen again and have been doing my best to stay positive... until today. Today I noticed a small amount of pink/brown almost gelatinous blood (sorry TMI) and I have slight cramps similar to that which I might experience during a period. My midwife has reassured me that unless the spotting turns to flowing blood or changes to bright red, or the pain becomes severe, I should not worry. However I would really, really appreciate any reassurance or similar stories from others just to set my mind at rest. Thanks very much.

Okay, reassurance post coming up:
Took us 14 years, 4 IUIs, 7IVFs and 4 MCs. Stopped trying 3 years ago. Somehow got pregnant this summer spontaneously. Started bleeding at 6 weeks - continued for 10 days, early scan showed bean with HB. Started bleeding again (bright red gush of blood followed by 2 weeks of spotting) at 11 weeks + 4 days and 12 week scan showed one bouncy, happy baby. Bled again at 17 weeks and again at 21 weeks- scanned both times and baby is fine. I'm now 26 weeks and if the frequent kicks to my bladder are anything to go by, the baby is still doing okay.
I know how terrifying it can be ( I was a mess every single time) but spotting/bleeding and cramping do happen to lots and lots of women and everything turns out okay.
I'll keep my fingers crossed that the spotting stops soon and the scan goes okay.

Hi hopefulhb ... I was very similar - years ttc followed by 1 (successful) ivf .... Had bleeding at 12 weeks, lasted for about 3 or 4 days - thought it was game over but gp gave me a scan that day and they were both jiggling around in there seemingly fairly oblivious. Gp said that some bleeding can be quite common and just told me to take it easy for a couple of weeks. 14 and a half weeks at the moment and things appear to still be going ok (touch wood)

I tried for a pretty long time (PCOS) and now have two DC. During my last pregnancy I had bleeding at 4, 10, 11, 12 and 13 weeks, mostly spotting but some quite heavy. It was all fine and just 'one of those things'. Try not to worry it is very normal although it doesn't feel like it!

PS even though your scan is in 3 days you could call your local EPAU anyway as they may see you sooner - I ended up having extra scans a few days either side of my 'official' scan as they said they wanted to make sure all was well. It was v reassuring.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences. My bleeding got heavier, darker and more painful this evening so, following my midwife's advice, I rang 111, who made me an appt with the out-of-hours GP and I've just got back. I actually wish I hadn't gone. He felt my abdomen to see if it was an ectopic pregnancy (it's not, thankfully) and then explained the different types of miscarriage to me and said I'll know either way in three days. He seemed a bit surprised when I got tearful.

So, it's especially lovely to come home and read your uplifting messages, thanks so much. Lizziekal and Expectingtwins1975, I'm so sorry that you had to go through so much, but very pleased that everything is going well now. I will keep my fingers crossed for you both. OhNoGeorge, thanks for the tip about EPAU, I will see how things go and if the bleeding is getting any heavier or the pain any worse I will ask my midwife about it tomorrow.

Thanks again to you all for posting, it means a lot.

Oh I'm so sorry to hear that . Hope you're getting lots of rest this evening. Try not to worry until you know what's happening.

You could call the local EPAU directly first thing in the morning (they normally open early - I've been a frequent visitor unfortunately). They will often try to squeeze you in particularly if you are quite advanced in your pregnancy as you are. Good luck and thinking of you

I had exactly the same thing at around 12 weeks (about 13 years ago) - it worked out fine. My 12 year old is sitting next to me now. I know what a worry it is!

So many sad stories....but there are happy ones too, stay hopeful, and rest. Holding thumbs for you

Keeping all fingers crossed for you hopeful

I'm sorry to hear you are going through this, what a worrying time for you. I had some bleeding when I was 7 weeks and again at 10 weeks, I was petrified and thought the worse but baby was fine on both occasions. I then had a huge bleed when I was 14 weeks, lots of fresh red blood, it was horrendous - I was taken straight to hospital but again, baby was fine. I'm now 28 weeks and things are progressing well.

As has been said, bleeding doesn't always have to mean the worst. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that your baby will be ok too x x

Sorry for taking a long time to reply, but you'll soon understand why. Sadly, in my case, the bleeding was a cause for concern. Following the advice from you all I asked my GP to refer me to an EPAU and the scan there showed that we had lost the baby. I was not sure about posting as I don't want to alarm others in my situation, but equally I thought it might somehow help others who have the same sad news as me.

It's an awful thing, but I'm getting through it and have now asked my GP to test me for Hughes Syndrome: www.hughes-syndrome.org/ just in case this is a factor in my m/cs.

Thanks again for all your help. xxx