Week 10

Dates: June 4 – June 10

How far along: 10 Weeks on June 8^th

Size of the Baby: Prune

Baby Development: Baby is about 1.5 inches long, is taking a more human shape, and getting tooth buds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 0

Maternity Clothes: Give me all the stretchy pants.

Gender: Unknown

Movement: Apparently, we are moving BACKWARDS. More on this later…

Sleep: What’s sleep?

What I Miss: Fitting into my work pants.   

Cravings and Aversions: Nada!

Symptoms: Chest is still sore and getting deep veins. My irritability is trailing off, but I’ve had some spotting (again, more on this later).  

Best Moment this Week: My phone call from the doctor today saying that my HCG levels are normal

Not-So-Great Moment this Week: Our terrifying first ultrasound. 

Looking forward to: Our follow up ultra sound next Tuesday!

An Update….

The first weekend in June was full of some terrifying, stressful moments. My 14 year old stepdaughter Peyton ran away, and we spent every resource we could think of trying to track her down. I went viral on Facebook (which isn’t very exciting when the reason is unpleasant), and her photo was shared over 7,000. Two counties, three police departments, and a sheriff’s office were on the lookout for her. Luckily, she was found safely after two days. Our prayer at this point is that she can find happiness and safety in her health, even though it will no longer be in our home.

That being said, I spent the majority of the weekend trying to regulate my stress and blood pressure. My stepmom support group (yes, those actually exist, and I am in one!) told me over and over to take care of Baby first. I tried to relax, but it’s hard to do knowing that your eldest kiddo – one whom you’ve had a rocky-at-best relationship with over the last five years and is currently hating your guts – is missing.

Tuesday morning, with Peyton safe and sound, I told Chris that I had a weird feeling about our ultra sound. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but my excitement had fluttered to anxiety and uncertainty. When the time finally came to hear the heartbeat and the doctor had me all juiced up on her machine, there was silence.

We couldn’t find a heartbeat. The doctor changed machines, switching from a heartbeat monitor to a full sonogram. Still, nothing.

We moved on to a transvaginal ultrasound, where we found a teeny tiny little yolk sac measuring just 5-6 weeks in size. Except… I’m 9 weeks and 5 days. That’s four weeks off.

As I am the Queen of Doom and Gloom, I mentally started preparing for the worst. However, they sent me for immediate blood work, which came back normal for 5-6 weeks. This was still progress from the blood work I had done two weeks prior. 

The doctor thinks I ovulated late, since I had only been off birth control for 1 month and may not have been regulated yet.  When I first tested positive on May 2nd, my HCG levels were at a measly 40, literally DAYS after conception. This week, they’re at over 13,000. So we are progressing at perfectly normal rate. I’ll just feel like I’m pregnant .f o r e v e r.

Alas, the Doom and Gloom struck again when I began spotting a few hours after the appointment. The on-call doctor said my T/V ultrasound may have caused the cervix to bleed, since it is ultra-sensitive at the moment. And since I’m only measuring 5-6 weeks, spotting is much more common.

I’ve been spotting continuously since the appointment last Tuesday; and I still have a lot of questions. 4 weeks is a big difference in ovulation. And what about that tiny little baby bump in my 9 week photo? Is that a food baby? Bloat baby? Not a baby at all? My mind has asked these questions over and over, but we will wait until tomorrow when we have another ultrasound to check the progression of my sweet little bean sac. We are praying for progress, health, and strength. (Of course, if we’re praying for things, I might as well pray for 11 weeks instead of 6 – no one likes counting backwards!)

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I'm terrified. But we are going to keep praying and staying positive. . Keep us in your thoughts and send your good ju-ju.