8 weeks pregnant. Terrified of first scan.

[KylaKins]

Hi everyone,
I am 8 weeks pregnant. We had been trying for a baby since January. I was charting so my dates are fairy accurate I would imagine.
Next week I will be going for an early scan. I have not have any blood tests done yet to confirm pregnancy but I have been to the midwife, who confirmed my pregnancy using a pregnancy test. I also used the clearblue digital weeks indicators for the first 3 weeks and they escalated each week from 1-2 weeks pregnant to 2-3 weeks and then finally to 3+ weeks. At that point I stopped testing and have not tested since.
With only a week to go until the scan, I have become extremely nervous. I am so so terrified I will get bad news on the day. I do not feel one bit pregnant. I have no bump and limited symptoms.

Over the last two years I have had some awful things happen to me healthwise. I got diagnosed with early stage colon cancer in 2019 and then had genetic testing done which showed that I unfortunately have a gene mutation which makes me more prone to getting certain cancers. I had an operation on my bowel to get rid of the cancer and thankfully, no chemo was required. I think I am traumatised as a result of these events and that makes it hard for me to believe that any good things are coming my way.
I am so nervous about this scan and just can't believe that there could possibly be a baby growing inside of me.
I guess I am writing this post as I am looking for reassurance. I feel like I have no1 to share these concerns with. Nobody really understands.
Thanks everyone

I was the same with both pregnancies, it seems too good to be true and impossible that there really is something in there! If it helps you to hear - I certainly didn’t have a bump at 8 weeks and my symptoms didn’t kick in massively until just after 9 weeks, every pregnancy is different though and I’ve had friends who have had no sickness or obvious symptoms at all!
It sounds like you have good reason to be anxious but given the number of tests you’ve done it does sound pretty conclusive!
I really do hope it all goes well for you and I’m sure it will, I didn’t go down the pregnancy group for various reasons but is there an NCT group locally that you can get involved with?

I felt the same. I had my first scan on monday for what was a shock pregnancy as we thought my husband was infertile from cancer and were going through IVF when we got pregnant naturally. so we were like this couldn't be true...there must be something else wrong! Apparently neither set of parents or my sister slept the night before the scan either so i was in good company!

It is normal to be in disbelief til you see it for sure. it's perfectly normal to feel anxious. do you have anyone in your life to talk about your fears to?

I've had a bit of nausea and fatigue but that's it! apparently if you don't get motion sickness or anything you're less likely to get sick.

Please don't stress - try to do something distracting. go out esp over the weekend. keep your mind off of it

Scan anxiety is very real. Please try not to ruminate on it. It’s very normal that you don’t feel pregnant yet; you won’t have a bump for weeks yet, and it’s still very early for symptoms. It’s not a bad sign that you feel normal at the moment

I’m 10+3 if I hadn’t had a positive pregnancy test I wouldn’t know I was pregnant. I’ve had next to no symptoms. No bump, no change in body shape and I’m a tiny size 6 so thought something would be showing by now.
Went for an early scan last week expecting to be told nothing was there and baby was there measuring 9+5 so slightly ahead! Try and relax as long as you’ve had no bleeding there is no reason to worry; not everyone has major symptoms.

Scanxiety is 100% normal, and with the incredibly traumatic experience you’ve had recently, I’m not at all surprised you feel this way.

It’s 100% normal not to have a bump and limited symptoms at this point. And you have just as much of a chance as anyone else of having a healthy pregnancy.

The uterus is still behind the pubic bone so no bump is totally normal. If you are physically fit you may not get a bump for ages. My stomach was flat until 25weeks!

I also never got morning sickness etc so please don’t worry that a lack of symptoms is bad. Not everyone gets them and they themselves are not an indicator of a successful pregnancy.

Congratulations! Enjoy it and please try not to worry

I felt the exact same as you. I got pregnant after trying for over 4 years. Had absolutely no symptoms whatsoever and still don't apart from I get really breathless doing the simplest things (my heart rate went up to 130 just from putting my shoes on earlier and standing up 🙈).

I've had 3 scans now and am 13 weeks and all good.

Count yourself lucky that you don't have symptoms. I was praying I'd be throwing up every day at the start but from reading some people's experiences I'm so glad I didn't get that.

It's also a good sign if you haven't had any bleeding (I had period cramping until about 7/8 weeks so that's normal). Even a bit of spotting is normal.

🤞🏻 for you all is well 😊 And congratulations 🎉

First off, just want to say that no matter WHAT happens at the scan, at least you’ll know what’s going on. It’s that feeling of being in the dark that’s hard for me, not letting myself get too happy, but also trying not to let myself panic if, say, my digestion goes back to normal or my skin clears up.

I’m in a similar boat. In 2017, after my doctor brushing aside my concerns for months I had such bad cramps that I went to an urgent care and demanded and ultrasound. 20cm fibroid crushing my organs and embedded into my pubic bone! I was a champ through all the ultrasounds, MRIs, consults, surgery and post-op stuff. But a couple years later when I found a new ob-gyn, I could barely do a Pap smear. My whole body would tense up and I literally pushed my body away from her when she tried to get close!
I think it’s similar with the scans - there are just some traumatic memories there that push our anxiety through the roof.
I am pregnant now and had a miscarriage a few months ago as well. My anxiety was rotten after my mc, just awful. I met with a therapist and we established a great silver lining: knowing that you CAN get pregnant can be interpreted as a sign that your body is growing healthier and stronger❤️
Wishing only happy doctors appointments from here on out!

Thank you so much for your reassuring reply. It's great to know your symptoms didn't start until 9 weeks and that you had no bump at 8 weeks. Do you mind me asking what an NCT group is?

@Bells3032 wow Bells congratulations. What fantastic news! How did your scan go on Monday and how far along are you? How is your husbands health now? What happy news to read.
Very interesting re what you said about motion sickness. I do not even get motion sickness so perhaps you are right.

@HollyGarlandthank you Holly for taking the time to reply. Hopefully I will be getting back to you all with good news after the scan on Thurs.

@MissChanandlerBong90 thank you so much for your lovely comment. I feel so reassured after reading all the nice words from you lovely ladies.

@KylaKins my husband is fine now. he had cancer at 11 so too young to preserve his fertility and he didn't go through puberty naturally sadly. Health wise he has a few issues but all well controlled with meds.

As for the scan we found i was 7W and 4days (given we'd only discovered i was pregnant a week before that was quite surprising!) and that there were two lovely strong heartbeats. So I am now 8w+1 with twins. Thankfully it seems they are fraternal (or split early) and have their own sacks etc so that lowers the risks. But we are terrified! but so so excited too

@Cakequeen1988 thanks for your reply cakequeen (yum)
I am physically fit. I go swimming every week and I suppose I have a more athletic frame. It is my second pregnancy so I thought I'd pop quicker this time.
The scan is Thursday and if its good news you will hear me shouting from the rooftops!!

@ApplePie86 thanks so much for your reply. Congrats on your pregnancy. 13 weeks with 3 successful scans is amazing. Bet you're really excited now. Are you due in December or is my Math terrible?
Funny enough I actually had the mild period cramping up until last week too. Glad to know its normal. I think this baby will be my last. I can't go through this stress again!

@ChaiTRex Hi ChaiTRex, thank you for your reply. Sorry for the delay replying. Your message really resonated with me and I wanted to take the time to respond properly.

You are right, the not knowing is the worst. At least on Thursday I will know either way and I just need to be brave and get through it.
I am sorry to hear about your PTSD (hope you don't mind me calling it that). Thats exactly what happened to me in terms of trauma. I actually attended many CBT sessions after my ordeal and they did help a bit. I know that the anxiety will rear its ugly head close to delivery time tho, as it was during and after the birth of my last baby that my cancer made itself apparent. It was a whirlwind but I was very lucky it was discovered, and it was probably my labour, delivery and ultimate c section that kickstarted my symptoms in to action, which turned out to have saved my life.
Nonetheless I bloody hate hospitals and check ups now.
I am sorry to hear about your miscarriage. How awful for you. I can't remember if you said you are currently pregnant, I must read your message again after I post this.
Thank you for your insight, it made a lot of sense to me.

@ChaiTRex yes you are pregnant. Thats awesome. And huge congrats to you xx

Glad to hear your husband is doing well. Huge congratulations on your twin pregnancy. How exciting and fabulous!!

@KylaKins thanks! Yep, due date of 28th December although I'm really hoping to go over. Getting to 42 weeks (11th Jan) would be brilliant. Although also don't want to be induced. I feel bad for people with birthdays around Christmas 🙈

I'm thinking the opposite of you - if pregnancy is this easy, I could do it loads of times 😂 I suspect labour and delivery will change that though. I stupidly keep watching "natural unmedicated birth story" vlogs on YouTube and really need to stop doing that 😱

When is your scan booked for this week?

I think it's a great idea to watch those videos. They will all help. A mantra I found amazingly helpful throughout labour was 'this is safe pain' and also 'every surge brings my baby closer to me.' Its great that you are having such a lovely pregnancy. I think after this scan I will enjoy the experience more. The scan is Thursday. It cant come quick enough
@ap

Hi everyone,
I've come back on to update you all as I had my scan this morning.
Everything looks good. Baby has a heartbeat and is on track for where it should be. I am in shock and disbelief and am truly very grateful. Xxx

Congratulations! This is wonderful news.

Congrats. Fingers crossed for an easy and healthy pregnancy