Here's my story to share.
My pregnancy was going along without any problems, other than morning sickness, until I reached 13 weeks. Then suddenly I woke up to cramping/contractions that felt just like labor pains. About noon I started bleeding, and it was like a medium-flow period. We assumed the worst, not knowing that you could bleed some much while pregnant. We hired a sitter and went to the ER so that we could find out what was going on.
Unfortunately the doctor was a jerk. All we asked was for an ultrasound, so he knew what we wanted, and he then put that as the last thing on his "to-do list". He said I'd have to have my bloodwork done and have an internal before an ultrasound or even a doppler check. I had been sick all day with pooping (that's what happens when I have cramps) so I hadn't been eating much...I'd mostly been on the toilet. I told the doctor I have a history of fainting with blood draws, and he didn't care. I said that I would have my blood drawn if only I could eat something first, but he refused, saying that he might have to rush me to surgery if anything turned up with the bloodwork. He wouldn't even give me a drink. I already felt weak, not having eaten, so I was very upset by this. Then I asked if I could skip the internal exam (I had a friend on the phone with me and she's a midwife...she said an internal would do absolutely nothing good and would cause more contractions). The doctor refused. I felt like this was a rape-type situation...he had no need to go into my privates but he was on a power trip. Finally we checked ourselves out of the hospital, after 2.5 hours and knowing nothing other than my blood pressure.
I called a local midwife who I've visited with a few times (but not for this pregnancy) and cried to her about our hospital nightmare. She was shocked and then couldn't believe that this doctor wasn't even an OB...the hospital usually pages them downstairs and for some reason they didn't when we were there. Ugh. She called a different hospital and ordered us an ultrasound for first thing in the morning. I rested and then in the morning went first to her for a quick check and a blood draw. She took out the doppler and said "Okay, now for the heartbeat" and I thought, what a nut! I had completely accepted that we'd lost our baby. As had my partner. But right away, there was a very strong heartbeat. I cried b/c I was in shock...not so much out of happiness at this point but because it was another shock to go through after we'd already said our goodbyes to the baby.
We then went for the ultrasound. The baby was fine, very active! The results were that I had a subchorionic hematoma. Mine was a medium-sized pool of blood across from the placenta. Had it been under the placenta, it would have been more serious, but the midwife told me that this was good news and to just rest for a few days until things healed. I ended up needing 7 days of bedrest before I felt good and strong enough to go back to work.
I'm now almost 15 weeks and things have been going well. I'm so glad that the baby has been unaffected. The midwife said that this will not affect the birth at all, which I was so relieved about, because I have plans for a homebirth.
So that's my story...so it's long and there are more details than necessary, but it's such a relief that things went from being so scary to being okay.
I want to add that I am one of those people who avoids any type of intervention. I had planned on not having any ultrasounds, never using a doppler, etc. I am very natural...almost to a fault. It was difficult for us to go to the hospital and do these things that we'd previously decided never to do. But sometimes (we feel) that they are necessary. It was interesting to remember that as much as technology can hurt, it also can help and is necessary in situations such as this.
I was so sure it was the mucous plug and that was the end...
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