Do anything different next time around????

[greenbeing]

Hello all!

I just found out today that I'm pregnant again! SO exciting!

I was wondering, for those of you that have m/c, did you do anything different during your next pregnancy??? I'm not so much talking about the things you would avoid for any pregnancy. More, like getting a blood test to check levels, getting an u/s if you didn't before, and excercise, any that you would avoid???

thanks!

[SamuraiEarthMama]

hello, greenbeing, and congratulations!

i'm an older mom (40), and it was suggested to me that my previous two miscarriages might have been affected by low progesterone. i didn't get any blood tests or anything, but i did buy a little jar of natural progesterone cream and use if for the first seven weeks of pregnancy.

after that, i started throwing up, and i figured things must be going OK, so i tapered off (you're not supposed to just quit it cold, though).

i have NO idea if it helped (it probably didn't, to be honest), but i also found research that said that it couldn't hurt, and it made me feel like i was doing SOMETHING.

i know deep down that it's a crap shoot. maybe this baby will stick, maybe not... but who knows? maybe the progesterone cream made me feel more positive, helped me get into a better headspace, gave my baby just the boost she needed... well, that's my story and i'm sticking to it!

best wishes for a healthy and happy pregnancy!

katje

[mammabean]

Congratulations~*~*~*~*~*~*~* :clap

I know what you mean about wondering if you should something different. I am feeling the same way.
I wouldn't suggest getting too many US, especially early on. I know it is hard though. It would be nice to have a 24/7 view of what's going on in there!

I am so happy for you and wishing you a sticky baby :sticky

[Eman'smom]

With ds (1) I had an ultrasound at 12 weeks, I have tipped uterus and the mw wanted to make sure things were ok.

When I got pregnant again, I figured I'd refuse the u/s since we knew about the tipped uterus. Then I miscarried.....

When I got pregnant with dd I couldn't get enough tests I wanted to be tested for everything, I ended up only getting two beta's, 3 ultrasounds, the AFP, GD, and GBS. I know that is a bunch, I can't believe I ended up with so many tests, but the miscarriage totally freaked me out and upset me so much I still have a hard time with it. I wanted everything medical technology could offer, screw intervention free, I was too freaked out.

Dd came out perfect, we'd like one more child, and I'd like to think that I'll be able to trust my body again, lets hope.

Do what you need to do to get through this, and good luck

[adventuregirl]

I have gone through different emotions this pregnancy regarding doing things differently. At first I just wanted to make sure I was good about taking my prenatals and getting exercize, and be completely non-interventive from there. But then I had a scare, pretty much from my own head, but due to a baby dream and over analyzation of my symptoms, I kind of freaked out. So now I am using natural progesterone cream, an herbal formula to strengthen my uterus and Vitamins C and E per my midwife's suggestions. Like katje said, I want to feel like I'm doing something, whether it actually does, I won't know, but it puts my mind at ease.

From my experience and talking ot other mamas, I think the best decision is always what is going to put YOUR mind at ease. Whatever form that may take is up to you.

Another decision I have made is not to use the Doppler to hear the hb. All I want is to hear that beautiful music, but I allowed it last time and never felt good about it. It weighed on my mind after my loss and was actually uncomfortable for me during the process. I know most women usually increase use of ultrasound equipment after a loss, but I feel a strong urge to run the other way. But, we shall see if I can make it through to fetascope time, that's a long way away...

I wish you all the best, I am so happy to see that you are pg again too! You will know what you need, don't ignore it.

[naturegirl]

Congratulations from me too! :D

I did have my prog. and thyroid levels checked when I found out I was pg. My prog. was low so I started prog. suppositories for this pregnancy. I also have been doing some chinese herbs to help the fetus. (Called the fetus longevity pill)

I have been bouncing around in my own head the whole doppler thing to hear the heartbeat. I kind of figure I have made it 11 weeks already and if I can hear it with a fetoscope in another 6-7 weeks I should be able to wait. However, I have my first official midwife appointment this Friday and I will see how I feel about it then.

Good luck and try to stay positive! Congratulations again. :)

Cheryl
:hippie

[SamuraiEarthMama]

I was sooo torn about using the doppler. I really didn't want to expose my baby to unnecessary u/s, but I also knew I was stressing and worrying about how he was doing in there. So I came to the reluctant conclusion that a few moments of u/s exposure was worth my peace of mind. Selfish, maybe...

But hearing that little tap-tap-tap just made my week! And I'm sure all those happy emotions made some nice endorphins, so maybe it gave my baby some good feelings, too.

U/s confirmed my second m/c, and let me get off of the "maybe i'm still pregnant despite the bleeding" crazy carousel and get to work having the m/c. This time, it let me get off the "maybe I'm just imagining this pregnancy and nothing is in there" crazy carousel and get to work being happy about this baby!

In both cases, it pushed me from being a tentative participant in my circumstances. I wish I could reach that place of peace without available technology, but I couldn't. I knew it was there and I just HAD to know!

Thanks for listening!

Katje

[greenbeing]

Thank you all for responding.

It's a tough decision, whether to use the doppler or not. I talked with my midwife about it and she said we could try to hear the heartbeat at 10 weeks, but there's no guarantee. Sooo, I think I might just wait and see how I'm feeling-maybe I might try around 13/14 weeks, but then again, I'll have to see how anxious/scared I'm feeling.

It's hard, but I think I'm going to let things take their course. I thought about getting my HCG levels checked, but I'm going to wait it out and see how I feel at my first appointment. The wait though--5 more weeks. How do you guys not stress over every little feeling in your abdomen???? I've had little twinges and think the worse.

[naturegirl]

Greenbeing, I had my Hcg levels checked about 3 times, 5 blood draws in total. It really helped me especially because I was bleeding. To see the numbers continue to rise after a bleeding episode helped me tonnes. I haven't had any bleeding since my last Hcg so I feel pretty good about this pregnancy. I do however, worry about every gas pain, little twinge, etc. Hcg tests can be a little pricey, $100 a series I think, but it was worth it to me.

Did anyone notice their tummy pouching out as early as 11 weeks? I have a little tummy now that I didn't have a week ago! :D

Cheryl
:hippie

[wolfmom]

congrats to us all growing babies! I just wanted to say that after my miscarriage i was totally hands off with this one! i didn't want tests or even an appointment with my midwife for quite a while. I knew that whatever was going to happen would happen regardless of what i did. i actually still feel obsessive urges of protectiveness over my body and this baby. The only thing i wanted was to hear the heart beat after 11 wks. it was such a relief to know that there was actually someone in there! somehow i felt better even though i knew i could still lose the baby, i at least knew my body could get preggo and grow the baby. now i am 16 wks and still very posessive/protective about this baby. The word is just getting around at work and i don't want to even talk about it. but i love feeling the baby move and i love talking about the baby to my supportive family and friends! good luck to us all!
peace,

[OakEmber]

Interesting thread.

Hmm...for me the only thing I've really done this time is make a later appt. with my midwife (9 weeks, m/c was at 8), I think if I'd gone in earlier I'd wonder if I would be coming back to see her, yah know. Last time I was eager to see her and went in at 5 weeks. I opted not to have my blood drawn, I'd just had it done 3 months before and I know that everything with me was fine so I didn't feel the need to check my hemoglobin, etc. again.

And I went for an u/s for dating purposes (midwife was concerned that my cycles didn't have time to regulate), but really I was just looking forward to seeing the baby (hadn't heard the heartbeat yet at that point either). Normally I wouldn't have felt the need to do that at 12 weeks but due to the m/c I kinda felt like I needed to see the baby to make it real. Now that I've had one u/s I feel that it is sufficient for this pregnancy unless a true need arises so I don't think I'll go for the 18 week one.

But one difference this time is I quit drinking coffee. Last time I was having one (sometimes an extra haf) in the morning. My midwife didn't think it was a problem and I don't think it caused the m/c ...it's probably more of an indicator that something was wrong that I could even stomach it...this time I lost my desire for it rather quick! While TTC I continued to drink it as I felt that by quitting I'd be admitting that I caused the m/c to happen because of it. Now that I am feeling better I endulge in my guilty pleasure of a iced vanilla frappe once in awhile.

Amie mommy to Ember(3) m/c Nov03 and EDD Oct.15/04

[HRC121799]

I was like Jenny, after two m/c in a row, I was tired of being poked every few days for hcg, the appointments, and the worry, if it was going to happen, there was nothing the dr's could do,so I didn't schedule a dr's appt. until after 7 weeks, so I could be sure that the first ultrasound would show a baby if it was going to be. I was already taking prenatals, so didn't need a prescription from my dr. One thing that sticks out in my mind that I did differently from the other two pg's before that is take vitamin b-complex(I had a borderline short luteal phase, thought that might help). Oh, I also spent the first 15 weeks pretty much on the couch, but that was out of fear I'd hurt the baby somehow by doing too much...silly I guess, but I felt like I was doing all I could...That was a successful pregnancy, ds is now almost 10mos.

Good luck, and {{hugs}}