Hello Ladies,
I found out I am current pregnant with our third child and for some reasons I have so many fears. With the first two I have had textbook pregnancies, no problems and two completely healthy girls. I don't remember the exact day of the start of my (one and only)period, (it was either the first of Feburary or it was around the 15th). That puts me around almost 9 to almost 11 weeks along. My symptoms are exaggerated too me. I remember being further along in my other two pregnancies when the nausea got as bad as it is now. Last week I interviewed a new midwife becuase we moved and when she tried to find the heartbeat she couldn't. She said that I have healthy uterine sounds and that I am probably not as far along as I thought. She said she'd know more when she does the internal exam. So about 5 days later I had the first prenatal appt. and she did the internal and said the the uterus was closer to 10 weeks than the 8 week mark, but she still couldn't find the heart beat. I am concerned. I can seem to find a clear answer on the fetal heartbeat. When should I hear it. Could I only be almost 9 weeks and preggo with twins? I need a bit of reassurance. I could just be freaking out becuase three of my sisters all had a miscarriage while I was pregnant with my second. Thanks for listening.
Well, I don't exactly have the means to get an early ultrasound, I have passed that freak out stage thanks to all your answers. I talked with my husband and I was farther along with my two girls before their first appointments so there was never a reason to be concerned. I am confident that nothing is wrong but I will be ok if something happens. Let the excitement begin!
I heard the heartbeat at ten weeks but my doctor warned us that it was early and that we should not be concerned if we didn't hear it yet.
I hope this helps you calm down. This is a quote from http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,9851,00.html
The fetal heart
The embryonic heart starts beating 22 days after conception, or about five weeks after the last menstrual period, which by convention we call the fifth week of pregnancy. The heart at this stage is too small to hear, even with amplification, but it can sometimes be seen as a flickering in the chest if an ultrasound is done as early as four weeks after conception.
The Doppler instrument
After the 9th or 10th week after your last menstrual period, you might be able to hear your baby's heartbeat at your prenatal appointment. Your obstetrical practitioner probably uses a Doppler instrument for this purpose, which bounces harmless sound waves off the fetal heart. The way the sound comes back is affected by motion, so a beating heart creates a change in the sound that can be picked up by the receiver in the Doppler. Whether you actually hear the heartbeat at 9 or 10 weeks depends partly on luck-the instrument must be placed at just the right angle. It also depends on the position of your uterus, and if you're slim or heavy. By the 12th week, the heartbeat can usually be heard consistently, using the Doppler instrument for amplification.
ask for a vaginal ultrsound. i had one with my daughter because i wasnt sure when i concieved. i was 10 weeks along at that appt. and i heard the babies heart. at 8 weeks sometimes if the babys back is to the ultrasound you wont hear the heartbeat. my best friend is pregnant with her 4th baby and it took 4 separate ultrasounds to find her baby at all (it was hiding) they realized that they baby was higher then they were thinking.
Ask for a vaginal ultrasound. All of my kids (4.5 year old daughter and 8 week old boy/girl twins) are via IVF, so I knew at 6 weeks how many babies I was carrying and saw and heard the heartbeats. I know that when I was pg. with my older daughter, the OB sometimes had diffculty finding the h/b with a doppler, but could see and hear it with u/s.
I don't have any fears of u/s...my RE did them on his wife quite frequently during her first pregnancy because she was terrified something was wrong.
I have to say that if it weren't for u/s, I would not have my 2 month old twins sleeping peacefully in the other room right now. All was well at my appt. the week before. The day before they were delivered, however, the tech saw that my daughter's umbilical blood flow was reversing, which can lead to heart failure. I was in the hospital that night, monitored continuously, and they were delivered as soon as they could get the OR. Had I not opted for an u/s at each appt., I'm certain we'd be holding one and possibly two funerals for my babies. Why put yourself through the worry of wondering what's going on inside your uterus?
I was somewhat in your same position...I had a daughter and son, then got PG. Since I "knew" I was pregnant, I didn't go to the doctor til I was about 3 months along...she did a test AND a vaginal test and said that YES, I was pregnant (as I already knew)...my symptons were worse then my first two children...more nausea, etc. So, when the doctor decided to check for the heartbeat, she couldn't find one. She tried and tried...so she immediately did a quick ultrasound to find I was carrying twins! That could be your situation as well? Good luck and let us know what you find out.
PS: Just a neat little sidenote...our oldest daughter at the time was 4 years old and I HADN'T been to the doctor as of yet...but I knew I was pregnant...we were driving down the road and out of the blue, our little girl said to me: "Mama, you have TWO babies in your tummy"...I was so surprised and I said, Oh, Anna, I don't have two babies in my tummy" then she said, "No, mama, you have two babies in your tummy"............out of the mouths of babes....we love 'em! (I still wonder how she knew...she was only 4).
Hello B.. First of all, congrats to you!!! I just wanted to say that with my third pregnancy, I knew immediately that I was pregnant because I was so sick. Actually, it was my daughter that said to me, "Mom, you're pregnant!". I didn't believe her, since my youngest was 12 and I was told I couldn't have any more children. Anyway, I went immediately and took a pg test, and it came back positive. They estimated that I was 5 weeks along, based on my LMP, but in reality, I was only 2 weeks. I had the WORST morning sickness EVER with this last one, and it lasted almost 6 months. I never had that issue before with my other two. My due date changed frequently with each ultrasound and doctor, but all were at least in March. LOL The only time I experienced the doctor not being ble to hear the heartbeat was about a week before my baby was born. I don't remember when we were first able to hear it though. I wouldn't worry about it too much right now (because I know you are going to worry somewhat!). Just wait for the ultrasound, where they can actualy show you the beating heart/s. Best of luck to you :)
Freaking out won't help, every pregnancy is different. Maybe it is a boy this time and you are responding in a different way. My boys (twins) kept my Dr. and midwife confused too. I was sick a lot before I knew I was pregnant and my due date had to change because of the size of me. Calm down, say your prayers and don't eat salads cause they hurt coming through the nose.
Interesting-- I would ask for a vaginal ultrasound. When I was 10 weeks, the nurse practitioner went to find a heartbeat and could not. The doctor did an ultrasound and found that I was having twins. I guess it is common to not be able to find a heartbeat when there are twins because they don't exactly know what and where they are looking for.
Good luck! I would love to know when you know.
I had my first ob appointment at 6 weeks. My doctor actually did an in-office ultrasound because the heartbeat would not be strong enough to be heard. We could definitely see the heart beating. She measured the baby who was only 8mm long at the time and the Uterine sac which was, I believe 19mm. She was also very pleased with the "roundness" of it's appearance.
My next appointment should have been when I was 10 weeks, but I awoke the morning of the previous Tuesday and hightailed it to the OB thinking I was running late. (I was actually a week early!) So I was 9 weeks and they weren't sure that we would be able to hear the heartbeat yet. It took a bit of searching, but she did find it and my doctor sounded pretty surprised. It was a very faint sound, however she was able to get a read on the pace- 160/beats/per/minute.
I asked her and she said that normally- at 10 weeks, it will finally/barely be strong enough to be heard.
If your period came Feb. 15, then you are only about 9 weeks along now...
Just try to relax. Remember that EVERY pregnancy is different. Like you, the first 2 were pretty much text-book even though they had their difference. With the 3rd I had constant, crazy fears. (Someone sent me a warning e-mail with a story about how a woman found 2 baby coral snakes in the bottom of a plant she was about to transplant into her garden. That night I had nightmares about snakes. There were a couple of other such episodes- one "nightmare" even happened while I was awake in the middle of the day!) Your fears do not seem to be of the same type, but you just seem to be anxious about the health of your baby. That's normal. Just be patient and try to relax. Our constant pre-occupation with calendars and "norms" sometimes only makes us more anxious. God willing, everything will be just fine with your baby.
I agree with the other respondents about the ultrasound. Go to a traditional medical practice where they have all the equipment and can give you reliable information about how far along you are. This is so important-- not only for your peace of mind but also figuring your due date. Good luck!
Since you have a midwife, you are probably more naturally minded? IS your midwife using a fetoscope or a doppler to find the heartbeat? I never have any ultrasounds done due to the research of what it does to nerves cells and the fact that cellular changes don't show up for 7 generations. I did have a doppler done on one of my prengnancies (which is still ultrasound - anything they use with a gel for conduction is ultrasound), but it was at 10 months, since I had contracted Rubella during my first tirmester and I was already a month "overdue". I knew the baby was in there, but she couldn't find the heartbeat with the positioning, so I changed positions and moved around and she found it with a doppler. I told her to get in and out....no lollygagging. My 10+ pounds son was born right on time, for him - 4.5 WEEKS later.
Don't freak. Too many women in our society freak over something they have no control over. My first son didn't move the entire last week of my pregnancy. I told no one. I figured the baby was either alive or it wasn't. Either way, I'd have to deliver it, so stressing changed nothing, except impacting his/her fetal development...but that's me -very logical and I don't buy into the drama. He was born 29 hours after my water broke, and perfectly healthy.
This might help you:
If the baby is in a good position and the mother is quite slim you CAN hear the heartbeat from about 16 weeks but most midwives don't bother until 20-24 weeks....
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_month_can_you_hear_the_bab...
After the 9th or 10th week after your last menstrual period, you might be able to hear your baby's heartbeat with a doppler.
Starting at about 20 weeks, the heartbeat can be heard without Doppler amplification.
http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,9851,00.html
Good luck and BREATHE! I'm interested to hear how everything turns out. :)
Just know that you are doing your best in this pregnancy and all else is in Gods hands. If you are open to an ultrasound that will put your mind and heart at ease, but still, all else lies in Gods hands and we just have to trust that whatever is the outcome...will be. Sometimes, we just have to let go and have faith that all will be okay no matter what happens. Blessings to you and your baby.
Is the midwife using an ultrasound that you can see the developing fetus or just a stethoscope? I would not be concerned until you get an ultrasound; that is the only way to tell how far along you are. With subsequent pregnancies you feel things much sooner and feel and look much bigger faster because your uterus "remembers" stretching big. If you are going to have a miscarriage, there is nothing you can do about it this early on - it is just up to nature so don't even think about it unless you're bleeding and/or having pain. Will you be seeing a regular Ob/GYN or someone with an ultrasound machine anytime soon? It will ease your mind. The other thing they can do is your blood work. The levels will show up on one day and if they are increasing properly a few days later, the pregnancy is developing. It will also give them an indication of how far along you are. Ask for bloodwork today and again in 2 or 3 more days to compare. Not as fast as an ultrasound, but it will be a good indication things are going smoothly AND if you have twins or not.
