Heavy bleeding at 13 weeks

[gingerbabe]

Over the weekend I experienced a large blood loss, which I immediately thought meant that I had lost my baby. However, when scanned at the hospital I was told that although there is a bleed in my uterus my baby is still alive, moving, unaffected by the bleed and has a good heartbeat.

The doctor told me I need to be reviewed in 10 days with another scan to see how things are going. In the meantime I am trying to find out if anyone else has had similar experiences. Most info I can find about bleeding in pregnancy seems to relate to spotting, or a bleed resulting in a miscarriage.

I am trying to feel positive about this by thinking that a) I thought I had lost my baby and I haven't and b) I still feel as sick as a dog (for once I'm grateful for that sign). However, waiting 10 days till the next scan seems like a lifetime.

I haven't experienced exactly what you have, but my friend had bleeds of varying degrees throughout her pregnancy. She went on to deliver a normal healthy baby, so don't lose hope. I had a bleed at 8 weeks, and was told that once you've seen the heartbeat there is only a 1% chance of having a miscarriage after that. I think there are lots of reasons for bleeds, not all sinister! Good luck over the next few days!

Thanks for that Musica. It's reassuring to hear about your friend's successful pregnancy. I will keep positive about it. The midwife is coming round tomorrow to listen to the heartbeat so that will be another reassurance.

Gingerbabe my heart goes out to you as I have so been there. I had bleeding right through this pg which was concieved two weeks after a miscarriage at 12 weeks. I started bleeding at week 4 and bled on and off right through to 12 weeks. Sometimes it was spotting, sometimes much more than that though never really heavy. I am now 17 weeks. Having had two other mcs I felt that the bleeding meant the end and was really shocked when they found the baby on the scan at 9 weeks. This is the first time that I've beleived that bleeding does not mean the end.

Its going to be a hard road. You obviously have the goal of making it through the next 10 days but this is a false goal really. Every day that you make it is positive and you've just got to take it one day at a time. Believe me the pg won't feel quite the same though and the anxiety will stick around for a long time. That is why its so good to be able to talk on mumsnet.

Its great that the mw can listen to the HB though - although this will only reassure tou short term don't be afraid to keep going back to her as much as you need to for peace of mind.

I really hope this works out for you. The fact that the baby is still OK now is a really good sign. Hang on in there and know we are all thinking of you. Cyberhugs!

Thank you so much for that message Katherine. It's really good being able to talk with other Mums/Mums to be on this site. Somehow, non pregnant friends don't really understand (although they mean well).

Hope all is going well with your pregnancy and will let you know how everything progresses with mine.

Oh gosh gingerbabe, good luck! Katherine's right in that every day is a step forward. I know this probably sounds impossible but try to immerse youself in something. I found funny films and a really good book to read during the nights if you can't sleep were invaluable.

Thinking of you and sending you loads of hugs!

Hi Gingerbabe, I had spotting continuously from about 7 - 11 wks and one heavy bleed around 9 wks. Like you I found it was coming from the placenta and the baby was still fine. The bleeding stopped suddenly which was a huge relief, though I then found out it had left a big hole in the placenta which made me worry again, even though the doctor said it would almost certainly be fine. At my last scan (23 wks) I was told the placenta had fully repaired itself! I found this so amazing - though apparently it's pretty common for that to happen. Even now, I'm still fretting a bit which I think is just a natural part of being pregnant - for me anyway. But as musica says, if the baby's OK after 8 wks, there's only a tiny chance of miscarriage for any reason. I wish you lots and lots of luck.

I too experienced a large bleed at 11 weeks and was terrified I'd lost my baby. It wasn't helped by it being the weekend before Christmas and I wasn't able to have another scan (I'd had my first one 3 days before the bleeding which was fine) until after the holiday. The next scan was fine but as we were heading home from the hospital I started to bleed again. This was another heavy bleed (like a period all at once) and so another scan was arranged a week later (after the New Year holiday). On the scan we could see the baby was lying on a 'mass' which was where the bleeding was coming from. The scanners were very reassuring about it all and said they had seen women with larger 'masses' who had gone on to have successful pregnancies.

I still worried until my 20 week scan but the baby was fine at this one, the mass had gone and I had felt the baby move. I began to enjoy my pregnancy after this and went on to have a healthy baby 21 weeks later.

It's amazing how many women do bleed a lot during pregnancy (everyone I met seemed to 'know someone' ) and have healthy babies.

I know what you mean about the literature being about spotting and miscarriages. Try not to look stuff up though, especially on the internet. There's a lot of sad stories out there and as every pregnancy is different most of it won't be relelvant to you. After all what you really want to know is that your baby will be ok and the only people who can tell you that are your doctor and MW.

It's difficult not to worry I know, even as I write this I can still feel the anxiety (and this is a year later) but listen to the doctors and do think positively. I'll be thinking of you all.

It's really reassuring to hear about your successful pregnancy Gem13. The 'period all at once' feeling is exactly how it was for me on Saturday, and it sounds like everything is going well for you now too Jodiesmum. When are you due - May?

The MW is coming round today so I'll let you know how it goes.

Gingerbabe, how worrying for you - but the fact that your baby is still in there and still going is a very positive sign. I think it's also a good thing that they could see the bleed site on the scan - means it's healing already ("flowing" blood is quite hard to pick up, a sonographer told me recently).
Like others here, I know someone who lost quite a bit of blood suddenly at week 12 and was convinced she had also lost her baby. He is now at primary school. Her bleed was caused by a small fibroid which gave no further problems in the pregnancy. As Musica says, there are heaps of reasons for non-serious bleeding in pregnancy, but when you look them up on the net the information is often quite depressing. It's good they're checking you again in 10 days time, I do hope that second scan will help reassure you.

The midwife came this morning and had a listen for the heartbeat and I managed to hear it racing away quite clearly, so that's reassuring.

I also phoned the hospital as I am still bleeding a bit and they said that it is probably just the excess blood ridding itself from the body, so I am feeling v.positive about it all. Plus hearing stories of other successful pregnancies with bleeds on here is very encouraging too.

Hi Gingerbabe, I had blood loss at 12 weeks (which started in the middle of the night. Very scary) and and thought I had lost the baby. Luckily everything turned out fine and my big fat baby son (4250 grams) was born at 38.5 weeks 7 weeks ago. Good luck with the rest of the pregnancy. I'm glad to hear the baby is doing fine. Take care & try not to worry too much.

Good news gingerbabe . I'm really pleased for you.

Hi I had at first a small bleed at 23wks and was found to have placenta previa i had 3 bleeds in two weeks and was told by nearly every medical person that if the baby came it would not survive.I went rather strange and had a real dislike for "fat pregant" women as i keep thinking how lucky they were and i wish i was that far gone.

Anyway to cut a very very long story short i was kept in hospital from 28wks only allowed to walk to the loo.5 times they got me ready for emergancy section when the consultant said to wait.eventually the bleeding brought on labour and i delivered by section at 35 wks which i thought was fine but my boy did have breathing probs and had to stay in special care 2 wks.it all turned out well.

if i'd known then what i know now i would say don't look things up as i read everything in the libary and really went downhill from there.not sleeping at all knowing all the details of what might happen.Take each day as it comes.

As you may or may not know, having just had my coil removed yesterday I had spotting last night for about 4 hours, the blood amount was very small and included on clot about the size of a grain or rice. I saw the consultant this morning and he said that was fine as they had simply irritated the cervix. Scans showed that there was about a 2 cm gap between the sac and the coil. The thing is on Saturday night I had one rather large spot of very dark brown blood, almost like a 'show'. The nurse on night duty said that was ok as it was old blood. I'm just worried as that now makes to shows of blood in 3 days.

I'm almost 9 weeks which is when I had a misc in my second pregnancy.

I would be interested to hear from anyone medically related...is my spotting prob a consequence of my cervix being irriated, or could removing the coil started of a chain reaction?

In my first, sucessful pregnancy I had no bleeding at all....I feel so scared an unsure of anything. I had always hoped that pregnancies would be a breeze after the newness of the first. But its like a living nightmare.

Please excuse my constant spelling errors...still a little out of it after being let out of hospital today!!!

I've no medical background but I've always understood that brown blood is old blood. This would be the 'left over' blood from your first experience so could be counted as only one case of spotting I guess. I had spotting in both my (successful) pregnancies.

Does having a coil removed usually result in a bit of spotting?

HTH

Pie - I'm so sorry this must be a really horrible time for you. I am now in my 6th pg - I have two healthy children, 3 mc and one on the way. I have had bleeding with bad outcomes but with my current pg bled from 4-12 weeks more or less non-stop.

IME brown blood is usally old blood and probably hadn't worked its way down yet so was probably left over from your initial bleed. However no-one can really reassure you because you are approaching a horrible milestone and even without the complication of the coil removal you would probalby be worrying at this point.

All I can suggest is that you are kind to yourself. Give yourself lots of treats and distract yourself as much as possible to help you get through the next week or so. Only once you pass your milestone will you start to beleive things are OK even if there is no more bleeding.

I have no expereince of coil removal. I presume it carried some risk but the fact that you are still pg is very positive. Cling on to what your doctor has said and take on day at a time. Each day your baby is a little stronger and you are a little closer to meeting him/her. Cyber Hugs.