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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

16 wks preg after 2 m/cs and starting to panic

28 replies

Azure · 12/03/2005 17:26

Had 2 m/cs at 12 and 8 weeks and am 16 weeks now. Scan 3 weeks ago was absolutely fine, to my enormous relief. Since then my confidence in this pregnancy has gradually diminished and I am now starting to panic that all is not well. I don't feel my moderate bump has increased at all the last 2 weeks and I'm not convinced I feel any movement - the odd fluttering which could easily be something else. As my morning sickness has gone I don't seem to have any real sign of there being a baby. I also have had increased discharge the last 2 days (sorry for the info), which is colourless - of course I'm convinced it's amniotic fluid leaking. Am I being paranoid or do I something to worry about? If I saw my GP, what could she do? Midwifes don't seem to get involved at this stage - I was at the hospital yesterday for my triple blood test and asked for a 5 min chat with the midwife, but was told they were understaffed and to see my GP anyway. I'm getting very tearful.

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Mud · 12/03/2005 17:32

I can understand your nervousness, you've had a horrible time of it

however

you would not normally be feeling anything at this stage, some people do start to feel flutterings but for most people its later, more around the 20 - 23 weeks stage that movement gets felt

discharge just happens sometimes, amniotic fluid smells sweet supposedly

I would call your midwife / speak to your GP .. I think you have had appalling treatment not getting a 5 min chat with one of the midwives, you need to talk to someone about that and demand the support you deserve (complain loudly but politely and demand decent treatment you deserve it)

HTH

Tessiebear · 12/03/2005 17:33

I think that i have always found this stage of pregnancy a bit weird myself - sickness gone, no real bump and no PROPER movements for reassurance. I can understand your worry as you have had previous MC's (something i have not personally experienced).
But i can say that from 16 - 20 weeks with this pregnancy (I am now 25 wks) i had no REGULAR movements - most of them could have been wind!!!
I also have had increased discharge from about then.
Why dont you ask for a quick listen in to the heartbeat from your MW for reassurance???

Mud · 12/03/2005 17:33

midwives do get involved at this stage ... you are being put off by one bad egg here

Surfermum · 12/03/2005 17:35

Oh Azure, I understand totally how you're feeling. I had two mc's and worried the whole way through my third pregnancy (which resulted in dd) that everything was going to be OK, right up until the point she popped out.

I had already seen my community midwife by this stage, so you could contact your GP about getting in touch with yours. I know mine would hae seen me to have a listen at the heartbeat and a feel. I was also able to go to the hospital at any time - weekends too - and they would have scanned/monitored. I did this once and they were lovely and said just to go anytime I was worried. It might be worth you giving your maternity unit a call.

Nemo1977 · 12/03/2005 17:39

hi hugs to u hun its stressful isnt it especially after loss.I have had 3mcs now but also have a beautiful healthy baby boy. The increased discharge can be completely normal at times with ds i had a lot. Also movement is usually from 19wks onwards and for some its not till 25/26 wks. I think your late mcs have been very unfortunate hun and of course you are going to be stressed. Is there a MW clinic at your gp surgery? If so i would either turn up on the day or phone and ask to see them. They do usually start appointments around now. If not go to your eraly pregnancy unit and tell them your fears etc and they should be able to help you out by using doppler for heartbeat hun.
Take care and let us know how you are getting on

kid · 12/03/2005 17:42

I think a doctor would be able to reassure you, they can listen to the heartbeat and possibly let you hear it too. With your MC's history, I'm sure they will understand your being nervous and support you. If you don't contact the dr, you will just continue to worry, so give them a ring.

Original poster

Azure · 12/03/2005 17:45

Thanks for your prompt responses. I wish I had been more assertive yesterday, but the panic has started to build since then. It doesn't been helped by people at work commenting on how I haven't got very big yet. I forgot to mention that I have a DS of 3.5 and absolutely sailed through that pregnancy - so much so that I can't remember the details - so this worrying is new to me.

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koonelly · 12/03/2005 18:21

hi azure, must admit in exactly same situation as you! i've had 3 m/c, 2 not til 12 weeks, am currently 15 and half weeks pg and am having all the same fears as you, so be reasured that these seem to be totally understandable. Like you say at this stage there arn't any proper signs thats all going well. Must admit that i rang up my community midwife and she totally understood these fears and said they have a weekly clinic so if i ever need reassurance i can pop down and have the heartbeat checked, just knowing this is available has made me relax. With regard to bump, mine is sometimes there and sometimes seems to hardly be there at all, seems to change daily, which i found worrying, but think it is just everything ajusting internally.

Hope you feel better soon and relax and enjoy your pg as much as you possibley can (i know it's really hard)

Koonelly. x

berolina · 12/03/2005 21:10

Oh Azure, sorry about your losses and that you're having a hard time. I can really understand where you're coming from. I got pg again three cycles after a m/c and, although I'm now 28 weeks and things are (as far as I know) fine, I've been through a lot of panic and severe worrying - in fact I still worry. If I haven't felt anything for a bit I automatically assume the worst. It is so difficult to just trust in the body and the natural processes of pregnancy after a m/c. At your sort of stage I was getting quite a fair bit of discharge, which sometimes looked pretty thin and colourless - at about 17 weeks I had some fairly colourless stuff shooting down my leg and was terrified, but turns out it was discharge after all. So, if that reassures you at all, it is normal. Can you maybe see someone at your local hospital at all, someone who might be a bit more sympathetic to your situation? My experience of this pg is that my bump has tended to grow in spurts - therewould be periods of weeks where I'd feel nothing was happening (and worry accordingly!), then I would seem to get bigger all of a sudden. Do remember that your chances of m/c have really plummeted now you've got past the 12-week stage - I do know how difficult it is and am afraid I've no magic prescriptions, as I've just muddled through being more or less scared, but I'm here very often if you ever need a chat.

Original poster

Azure · 13/03/2005 10:30

Thanks so much for your comments and experience. I'm feeling a lot better after reading your messages. I will phone my GP's tomorrow - I think they have an ante-natal clinic there - and ask if I can pop in to have the heartbeat listened to. Hopefully I can get some reassurance - well, for another week or two anyway.

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lunavix · 14/03/2005 09:46

My local hospital had a drop in every morning for an hour - I visited it regularly! I had 3 m/c before ds and every day I paniced over something new. Find out if they have something like that near you, I just used to pop in and hear the heartbeat, and I'd be okay (for a few hours at least!)

welshmum · 14/03/2005 09:53

Azure - hope you can get to that clinic today and put your mind at ease (a little) I'm now 28 weeks pg with this one but lost the last one at 12 weeks and it took me ages to relax into the pregnancy. I think it's totally normal and as others have said this is the bit when it's hard to find any reassuring signs. Hang on in there - it does get so much better. Thinking of you xx

hoxtonchick · 14/03/2005 09:59

i'm 23 weeks with my second, & although i've been fortunate enough never to miscarry have been incredibly anxious so far. i know i'm not being rational, & the baby's moving a lot which is very reassuring, but i am finding it tough going. i mentioned it to my consultant who said it was totally normal to feel more stressed in 2nd & subsequent pregnancies. so we might be loopy but we're normal! hope your midwife cheers you up azure.

Original poster

Azure · 15/03/2005 10:06

I finally managed to make an appointment to see my GP on Thursday. I don't seem to have a community midwife who I can just call when needed, which isn't very reassuring. In work yesterday people commented on how my bump has grown, so that made me feel better. It's nice to hear that I'm not alone in worrying myself stupid over this pregnancy. I appreciate all your comments.

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Marina · 15/03/2005 10:15

Oh Azure, just seen this. I think the middle trimester, post sickness and pre-kicks, is really hateful for anyone worried about their pregnancy. I found it so hard and I know alot of other people did too.
I'm sorry you don't have access to a community midwifery service, even when they are as overstretched as my lot were, they are still much more accessible than a clinic.
Have you discovered if your hospital has a bereavement midwife? Even if you don't feel you want him/her to take on your case (this service was offered at my hospital), I think you could justifiably ask for at least a one-off chat to reassure you. All my antenatal care was done by a fairly shambly community team, poor things, but I had my bereavement midwife at the end of the phone and she never minded a quick chat to put my mind at rest.
I think there is also some kind of pH test they can do to check if what you are experiencing is mucus, amniotic fluid or urine leakage. Ask about this on Thursday and stand your ground if necessary.
Best of luck. Hope they are sympathetic and understanding.

beachyhead · 15/03/2005 10:20

Oh, I'm really sorry you are feeling worried. As you know I am in eactly the same situation - 2 m/c's and 16 weeks pregnant now. I don't have a bump - more a podgy ladies tum, but I'm still in my clothes, I too seem to have more discharge than normal, but I don't think it is anything out of the ordinary. Again, I don't have any movement yet, only windy bubbles that I kid myself are movement.

I would splash out and go and have another scan at that clinic you referred me to - they will book you in at very short notice, you can say hello to your baby again and if you want to find out the sex, you can. It will be the best money you spent to reassure you........

CAT me if you want to chat - I know you are in London too.I'll come with you, if you like.....

Hope you relax into it soon, thinking of you....

Original poster

Azure · 15/03/2005 20:34

Marina and Beachyhead, thanks for your messages. Beachyhead, it's a good idea about having another scan, and many thanks for the offer to come too. I didn't want to depress the "Due in August" thread with my woes, when everyone has been so busy discussing nappies and the like. I'll see if my GP can hear anything Thursday and give an update.

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Twiga · 15/03/2005 22:37

Azure, just wanted to echo what Beachyhead has said in the first bit of her post. Similar position but only the one mc, 16 weeks from tomorrow. With no real bump or definate movement etc it's really easy and understandable to worry. I've paniced myself on and off and am holding out for my midwife appt on Fri but am also terrified they won't find a heartbeat despite the fact that everything is probably more than fine.

Also don't worry about posting on the due in Aug thread, I've just ranted big time about my work situation and worries surrounding that - We're there to support eachother wether up or down! Thinking of you, lol x

berolina · 16/03/2005 09:56

Just to add, about 14-22wks was definitely a particularly hard time for me - had expected to relax after the 12 week mark (my m/c was an early one) but it just didn't happen, if anything I started stressing about late m/c and all the other things which could happen. I had a huge thing about toxoplasmosis, listeria and slapped cheek, and still do worry a lot about the first two. 16 weeks is very early for movement - I got the first flutterings at 18-19 weeks. I know how you feel, Azure, about not wanting to depress the others - I stayed away from the due in June thread for a few weeks for the same reason, but everyone was pleased to have me back .
Twiga, read about your work situation - poor you. Although my situation certainly isn't as dramatic as yours, I do know about feeling you don't want to leave your colleagues (and, in my case, students) in the lurch, but you and the baby really are the most important people at the moment and I think it's a good plan to get signed off until things are safer.

tribpot · 16/03/2005 10:16

Just to also add my support. I had a real panic around the 18 week mark because of a very sad thing that happened to one of my fellow Junies. Similar concerns - no movement and bump didn't seem to be growing much.

After a weekend of getting stressed, I called the midwives and they were completely sympathetic and let me come down to have the heartbeat checked straight away. (Everything was fine). So your worries would be entirely understandable even without the previous miscarriages.

Hope it all goes well tomorrow, and definitely get your midwife service involved if you feel anxious. It took the mw ages to find the heartbeat the first time I went, so try not to be too alarmed about it! (Easy to say, less easy to do).

Best of luck.

bunny3 · 16/03/2005 20:27

hi Azure - congratulations on your pregnancy . My 2nd and 3rd pregnancies ended in miscarriage and when I got pg a 4th time (exactly a year ago) I spent most of the 9 months in pieces. Even when I got past the 12 wk mark (both my mcs were around 12 wks) I couldnt relax. I was lucky to have a very understanding EPU at our local hospital and they saw me as regularly as I needed for scans, blood tests and listening for the hb. It really helped. Given your history surely there is some support available - is there no EPU at your local hospital? I didnt feel any movements till at least 20 wks, I also had constant bleeding and absolutely no sickness so things looked really bad but I had a beautiful gorgeous dd 4 months ago. Statistically 2 miscarriages is much much MUCH more common than 3, the odds are well on your side.

Twiga · 17/03/2005 06:54

Azure, just wanted to say thinking about you as you head for your appointment today - hope GP sets yor mind at rest, lol x

Original poster

Azure · 17/03/2005 10:34

Just got back from the doctor's and am delighted to say I heard a strong heartbeat. The GP was lovely and sympathetic, handing me a tissue when needed (about 10 seconds after I went into the room). Hopefully I can feel reassured for the month until my next scan.

OP posts:

Pamina3 · 17/03/2005 10:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

foxinsocks · 17/03/2005 10:44

azure, they used to have a sort of drop in midwives clinic at St Dunstan's clinic (next to Charing X hospital). It didn't seem to matter where you were giving birth (I think I went there when I had my first at C&W and my second at QC). I wonder if they have that anymore? It may have been linked to my GP as at the time, they didn't have a midwife clinic at the GP surgery (which they do now).

I also panicked a fair bit during my second pregnancy especially as I didn't feel movement till much later (around 24 weeks). I really regret that I didn't bug the GP/midwife because I'm sure it would have made me feel so much better.

I really hope everything continues well for you. xx

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