Can someone please tell me what is going on? (Updated #16)

[SierraBella]

Hello Wise MDC mamas.. I have no idea what is going on with me. 5 weeks pregnant, and yesterday I started bleeding. It was a significant amount.. about like a med-heavy period, but with no cramping.

Today, I still "feel" pregnant. My symptoms are still there- nausaus, sore breasts, crazy cravings and appetite.. I am no longer bleeding today, but still have small amounts of brown spotting.

So.. has this happened to any of you? Have any of you bled but still were pregnant? Am I delusional to think that I am still pregnant? What in the world could be going on with me?

I've had a miscarriage before and it was nothing like this- it started with spotting, then cramping, loss of pregnancy symptoms, and then period-like bleeding for a week. This isn't the same as it was then. Which is why I am soooo confused.

help?

(X-posted in Pregnancy & Birth Loss)

[mae14]

I started gushing blood at 12 weeks and had no cramping.  Ultrasound the next day showed a moving around baby and placenta was fine.  I had my 18 week ultrasound the other day and found that I have a cyst inside my cervix.  I had been spotting brown blood with clots the past 6 weeks and my midwife said that the cyst could have been the cause of everything.  Baby sticky dusts to you for a healthy pregnancy!

[SierraBella]

Mae- Thank you so much. I wonder if the same thing is going on with me. Has anyone explained how you get a cyst on your cervix? This has been very confusing!

[Jaimee]

Some women simply bleed during pregnancy and that is their "normal" for that pregnancy.  I have heard of women that get menstrual like flows for months while pregnant.  Also, as the pp mentioned, cysts can cause bleeding and so can vanishing twin and a few other things.   Or it could be the beginning of a m/c.  I certainly don't think you're crazy to think you're still pregnant.  You could contact a medical provider and have beta hCG testing done- 2 tests 48 hours apart to see if your levels are still increasing at a good rate.  This could help give you peace of mind if the levels are good or if the levels are a bit ambiguous, it could make things worse for you.  Sometimes it's hard to decide if more information is better or if waiting it out is better.

Hugs, mama!  And sending sticky thoughts your way! 

[HawaiianBlesing]

SCH Subchorionic Hematoma 

Could be SCH as well.  Sometimes they don't bleed till later but can bleed earlier on.  Like many pp stated--could just be "your normal"  Good Luck!!!!

[ibusymomto5]

I had a Subchorionic Hematoma with this pregnancy. I had very heavy bleeding, passing clots and cramps at 5wks, just a couple of days after learning I was pregnant. My pregnancy right before this one ended early in a miscarriage, and I honestly thought I was having another one. However, the next day my bleeding stopped except for some very light spotting, and even that stopped within a day or so. I thought that was strange to quit bleeding so abruptly, because with my miscarriage I bled pretty heavy non-stop for at least a week or two. Also, this time I still "felt" pregnant, and as the days went by my nausea and fatigue got worse. I also kept testing each morning, and instead of the pregnancy tests getting lighter, like they did after my miscarriage, they got darker. Still, I just couldn't see how I could still be pregnant after losing so much blood and clots. I decided to call my mw, and she sent me for an u/s. I was so shocked to see I was still very much pregnant. They dated me at 6 1/2wks, and I saw the heartbeat. I had a huge SCH. At first she thought I might have been pregnant with twins and lost one, but then she said no, I think it's just a SCH but told me she couldn't be certain. She said I would likely have more bleeding, but I never did, not even the tiniest bit of spotting. Or, she said that sometimes the body will just reabsorb the clot, and that's what mine did. By the time I had my anatomy scan at 18 1/2wks the dr. could hardly see the SCH, it was tiny and he said it wouldn't pose any problem for the baby or a normal delivery.

[AnnieA]

I had cramping and bright red bleeding at 5w2d. I went to the ER and they did an ultrasound where we saw the baby but it was too early to see the heartbeat. They were unable to determine what the bleeding was from. I had a repeat ultrasound at 6w and we saw the baby with a heartbeat. I'm now 26 weeks and everything is fine. I suggest calling your GP or your OB/midwife and get in for an appointment.

[SierraBella]

Thank you so much everyone! This sounds very much like SCH. I don't have insurance so I have no idea what I can do to figure out what is going on with me. It takes forever to get on Medicaid in my state.

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by SierraBella 

Thank you so much everyone! This sounds very much like SCH. I don't have insurance so I have no idea what I can do to figure out what is going on with me. It takes forever to get on Medicaid in my state.

I'm not sure where you are living, but here in MD there is a large Amish community serviced by illegal CPM's.  If there is a real need the CPM's are able to refer clients to a place that accepts people without insurance and charges them only a minimal amount (minimal for an u/s...a few hundred dollars I think). 

[SierraBella]

Originally Posted by Jaimee 

I'm not sure where you are living, but here in MD there is a large Amish community serviced by illegal CPM's.  If there is a real need the CPM's are able to refer clients to a place that accepts people without insurance and charges them only a minimal amount (minimal for an u/s...a few hundred dollars I think). 

My university has a health clinic that does OB services, I am going to call them today and see if they can do an u/s.. I am also going to call my county health dept and see if they can help me as well. There is a program here to get coverage while waiting for medicaid, so hopefully that will work out, and I can get it ASAP.

[Abraisme]

I had that exact same thing happen to me between 5-6w.  It started with a large gush and bright red blood and then quickly tapered off into pink/brown spotting..  It freaked me out enough to go in for an early ultrasound.  It turned out that everything was fine and they couldn't tell why I had bled.  If you're worried, go get checked out.  To me it was worth it to find out that I was still pregnant.  Good luck!

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by SierraBella 

My university has a health clinic that does OB services, I am going to call them today and see if they can do an u/s.. I am also going to call my county health dept and see if they can help me as well. There is a program here to get coverage while waiting for medicaid, so hopefully that will work out, and I can get it ASAP.

Great!  Or I was just thinking, Planned Parenthood might help you as well.  They managed to retain their government funding (yay!) and they usually offer services on a sliding scale.

[rareimer]

Another SCH mama here...i started bleeding around 11 weeks.  i'd had a miscarriage in November, and there was way more blood this time than there was with the miscarriage--i was absolutely sure i was losing the baby, there was so much blood.  but i had no pain or cramping.  i went to the ER, and i couldn't believe the u/s showed a little baby in there, heart beating, moving around all over the place.  the bleeding stopped after a couple of days, and then i had brown spotting for a few weeks, and then another bleed around 14 weeks (again confirmed by u/s that all was well with babe.)  the spotting after the second bleed didn't last very long, and i've been fine now for a couple of weeks.  it still hasn't been confirmed that it was a SCH, but that is what my doc has guessed (the ER docs weren't really trained to spot that kind of thing on u/s, so i wait until my anatomy scan in a week to see if they can find a clot.) 

[LilMomma83]

I just went to a pregnancy center with my first when I didn't have insurance right away, they were able to do an ultrasound and everything - actually they did two, 8wks, and then 12wks and then my insurance kicked in..they didn't charge me anything, obviously.

[MN BabyDust]

I had period like bleeding for a few days around the 8^th week, and now I am 14 weeks and just saw my bouncing baby on u/s today.  My doctor told me at 8 weeks there wasn’t much they could do if the fetus was in trouble, and to wait it out and come in if I had cramps which I did not.  The cramping is apparently a big thing to watch for.  However, around the same time I did feel some things, but my gut told me that they were not cramps and I was right.  I think it was ligaments stretching around the womb but not like the cramps I get with my cycle.

Hang in there.  I’ve heard of lots of women who bleed at various times and have healthy babies.

[SierraBella]

I went and got a u/s and blood work done today. On the u/s, she could see the gest. sac, but not really much of anything else. The Dr. who looked at it thinks it is likely a subchorionic hematoma.

The HCG quantative blood test came back at 27,407. If it goes up (Dr. said with a number that high it doesn't have to double anymore) I should be OK, if it doesn't or goes down, it was likely a m/c.

So, I am feeling pretty hopeful. I feel sooooo sick, and very very pregnant.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, I'll keep you all updated!

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by SierraBella 

The HCG quantative blood test came back at 27,407. If it goes up (Dr. said with a number that high it doesn't have to double anymore) I should be OK, if it doesn't or goes down, it was likely a m/c.

So, I am feeling pretty hopeful. I feel sooooo sick, and very very pregnant.

Congrats!!!  No kidding you're sick that is a crazy high hCG level for 5 weeks!  Do twins run in your maternal side?  Vanishing twin could cause both these symptoms.

[SierraBella]

Originally Posted by Jaimee 

Congrats!!!  No kidding you're sick that is a crazy high hCG level for 5 weeks!  Do twins run in your maternal side?  Vanishing twin could cause both these symptoms.

Yes, they do. My mom has had vanishing twins in 2 pregnancies, so I've had that thought as well.

[ExpectantMama19]

Hi Sierra. First off congrats mama! Second, just wanted to tell you that when my mom was pregnant with my sister and I (we're fraternal twins) she had regular periods and heavy bleeding the ENTIRE pregnancy. The doctors first told her that she was pregnant with twins and that she had m/c one of them, and then were surprised when they did the first u/s and found TWO babies in there!  My mom never had any problems with this, and delievered two very healthy babies 19 and a half years ago! Sending nothing but positive vibes your way and good luck!

[ryleeee]

wow that is a high number!! good luck, mama!

(from another SCH mama who is currently 33 weeks with a healthy little one after 6 or 7 weeks of spotting off and on )