First-Timer Questions

[LoveMyLife]

Hi mamas!

Okay, it was only a week ago that I got the + on the test but I already have a ton of questions about what's going on. And seeing as how it looks like most of the ladies in here are already mamas, I'm hoping for some good advice! And I think this would be a good place for other first-timers to post questions too. Anyway, here are my two main ones:

1. How normal is spotting in the first trimester? I am about 22 days past ovulation (which is part of my next question) and have been spotting since 6 dpo. It just kind of comes and goes, nothing heavy but very annoying. I saw a nurse practitioner today and she did an ultrasound (we saw our little dot- 0.75 cm long!) and checked my cervix, which was closed. So she just said no sex and no strenuous exercise until it stops. Anyone else had this and gone on to be fine? Could spotting indicate a blighted ovum? I'm trying not to worry but the spotting is so irritating!

2. Why do we have to count the two weeks before ovulation as part of the pregnancy? I don't get this at all! I know from charting that I have been pregnant for about 3 weeks so why does that make me 5 weeks pregnant? So your due date is really only 38 weeks from conception? Does this mean babies are being delivered early or the gestation period really is only 38 weeks, not 40? I know that most people know the date of their LMP better than their O but I really don't get how the two weeks that the egg was in the ovary and the sperm was in Dh count as part of the pregnancy! Sorry if this sounds angry- I'm just confused!

Okay, please enlighten me mamas! Thanks in advance!

Karen

[prophetmother]

Good questions! I've been wondering the same thing about the counting. When people ask how far are you I'm floudering trying to explain 5 weeks but really3 but that counts as 5...

[Stream]

1) Spotting can be pretty normal. It has all sorts of causes, but if your cervix is closed and you saw your babe on the u/s, it's probably nothing to worry about. I spotted with dd at about 12-13 weeks and it freaked me out, but didn't amount to anything. I have a good friend who spotted (heavily) for the first month or so, caused by a "disappearing" twin. She just delivered a healthy baby boy. I'm sure it's annoying though!

2) The forty weeks is based on counting those first two non-pregnant weeks, so yes, gestation is about 38 weeks (or 36 or 40, depending on the mama and the baby!). Think of it as aging your egg if that helps any-- that little eggie was getting primed ever since your LMP. The real reason we include those two not-really-pregnant weeks is because most women *don't* know when they ovulated, so it's the easiest way for doctors to date a pregnancy (so yes, we cater to ignorance on some level...). That's why, if you do know when you ovulated, you should subtract two weeks from your O date and use that as your LMP. That's the risk that babies will get taken early-- somebody who ovulates a week or more "late" and has a doc who insists on using LMP to date the pregnancy.

In the meantime, enjoy the two "free" weeks. Just think, you're 1/8 of the way there!

[saharasky]

Spotting at 6 dpo sounds to me like implantation spotting (which is totally normal) ... I have heard about spotting off and on past then and that doesn't sound abnormal to me at all. Later on spotting can be associated with the position of the placenta ...so who's to say at this point. If your babe is growing I wouldn't be too concerned.

As far as the week counting thing goes ..this is a persoanl peeve of mine as it puts you on a pretty rigid time table when you get closer to the end. Most first time moms go at least 1 1/2 weeks 'late' ... and then there are the oddballs like myself who come from a long line of women who go 2 - 4 weeks 'late'. I learned my lesson from last time however and have switched my dates around to give myself at least 1 extra week before my 'times up' ... I will be VERY surprised if this little one makes an appearance before 42 weeks. I know I'm of no particular help with figuring out why ...just go with it ... and please ask your female relatives how long they carried your siblings/mother etc... it should give you a good idea of how long you can expect to carry your baby and some ammo to use when your MW or doctor tells you you need to be induced at 42 weeks.

[LoveMyLife]

Thanks for all the responses!

I feel better about the spotting now. I figured it was implantation spotting at 6 dpo but then it never stopped! It just sucks cause I don't know how long it will last. And I really want to get to the gym and work out. I'm in pretty good shape now and I definitely want to keep that up as long as I can. I think I'll go today and just walk on the treadmill. I went on a short hike the other day and found that the spotting actually stopped while I was doing that! So who knows... Good thing I'm going back to work soon so I'll have something else to think about!

As for the counting, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks it's weird! I'm kind of thinking I should just subtract two weeks from my O date and say that was my LMP, even though I didn't have one. The doctors and nurses really don't get it when I say I didn't have a LMP but I know when I ovulated! And on that note, would you count the day you O'd or the day of the temp rise? It's only 2 days apart for me so I figure it's not that big of a deal. I do kind of like saying 5 weeks instead of 3 though!

That's a good idea to ask the women in my family (except that we haven't told our grandparents yet!) about how long they went. I know my mom went into labor 2 weeks early with me (I'm the oldest) and had a C-section cause I was breech. And then I think she had a planned c/s with my sister. I will definitely ask the grandmas once we tell them! Once I get a due date I will try not to focus on it too much but that might be easier said now than done when I'm huge and tired of being pregnant!

Anyway, thanks for the advice! Hopefully more mamas will be asking and answering questions!

Karen

[Stream]

Use the day before your temp rise-- that should be the day you ovulated.

[cappuccinosmom]

Karen, I'm 5 weeks along too. Found out yesterday.

I'm glad you asked about the counting, because I was wondering too.

With our first ds, I spotted for about a week, and got pretty nervous. But having read and read and read all about pregnancy, I get the impression that pinkish-type-spotting is fairly normal. If it's brown, or bright red, better have it checked out, but otherwise, don't worry!

[LoveMyLife]

Maggie- congratulations and welcome! Thanks for the advice about spotting. I've had every color one can get in spotting and while it's definitely slowing down it's not gone yet. But we saw the (extremely tiny) baby on the ultrasound and my hCG levels are good (2,728 on 8/11 and 7,211 on 8/13) and I feel really crappy today so I'm just assuming everything is going okay.

And I have another question for everyone! I got a headache last night and hoped it would go away when I slept but it didn't. So I called the advice nurse this morning and she said no ibuprofen but plain Tylenol was okay to take. Can anyone confirm this? I like to think I deal with pain pretty well but I just cannot take headaches! I'm going to try an ice pack but if it doesn't work I'd like to know if Tylenol is okay. Thanks!

[saharasky]

I found headaches were often associated with not enough water ... so DRINK up!!! I know you probably feel like you're drinking plenty already ... but your blood volume has to increase by 1/3 over the next while so you need to put as much in as you can to do that AND continue to flush your system normally.

Personally I wouldn't take anything (but that's just me) ... I've also been told that tylenol is fine.