This is Emily's ultrasound page
On Dec. 20th, 1998 we decided to do a pregnancy test, and we got a glaring positive on the little stick. Jim and I were very excited because we had been trying for about 4 months. I calculated my due date to be around Sept 2nd, 1999. Unfortunately, I started bleeding on Jan. 4th, 1999 which was not a very good start to the New Year. I immediately went to the emergency room at our local hospital and they did an hcg test and cervical check to see if the cervix was opening at all. Good news: the cervix was nice and closed and my hcg count was at 200,000 which is a really great number. I was then told to go home and keep off my feet until I see my doctor in about two days. So the next day I called my doctor and got in on Wed Jan 6th, 1999. Well, they started doing the normal pregnancy routine stuff, like weighing and taking my blood pressure. He looked at the records from the hospital and saw how high the hcg count was and decided to check my abdomen to see if he could feel the uterus. He said that he could feel it above my pubic bone so he took out the doppler and set it on my tummy and lo and behold, the most precious sounds filled the whole room, my sweet baby's heartbeat, beating away at 175 bpm. He said, "wow, you must be around 10 weeks instead of the 5 1/2 weeks that you think you are." He then immediately made an u/s appointment for that day to date the little baby and to see if they can tell why I am bleeding.
Our baby's first u/s picture:
(click on image to see a bigger picture)
The u/s measured the baby at 9 weeks 2 days with a due date of August 6, 1999 quite a big difference from the September 2, 1999 date that we had originally calculated using our LMP date. We were very happy about our healthy little one. Well, unfortunately, that following Sunday, Jan 10th, I started hemorraging again and I had to go to the ER once again. This time they got the fetal heart tones and reordered an hcg test and called the u/s tech oncall in to do another scan. This time they found a very healthy little baby with a small tear in my placenta. They called it a subchorionic bleed. I was to go home and stay off of my feet as much as possible. This is very hard to do with 3 other children at home. I returned to my doctor's office the next day and he decided to see me every week and to order another u/s in about 3 weeks to see if the clot goes away.
This is our baby's 3rd u/s pictures, baby measured 13 weeks 6 days. Phew, we are out of the first trimester.
(click on image to see a bigger picture)
Unfortunately, the clot is still next to the placenta so my doctor(a family practicioner) is referring me to one of the OB's in our town. I met with Dr. Meyer the next day and he told me that I will be at risk for miscarriage until at least the 24 week of pregnancy. We will be doing u/s's to keep an eye on the clot
Dr. Meyer had me come in for appointments every two weeks. My next u/s was at 17 w 3 d. Here is a picture of that u/s.
(click on image to see a bigger picture)
Well that u/s still indicated that the clot was still there. Unfortunately the head radiologist and Dr. Meyer became suspicious that I might have a molar pregnancy because the clot was not behaving like a typical clot because it was not being reabsorbed by the body over a long period of time yet it was not showing any active bleeding. So Dr. Meyer referred me to a perinatologist in Minneapolis, Mn, Dr. Burrus at a local St. Paul hospital.
We saw Dr. Burrus on March 22, 1999 and got another u/s which was at 20 w 3 days or so. He concluded that the u/s did indeed show old clot and that it would liquify overtime but that could take several more weeks to months. He said to have my doctor do ultrasounds at 28 weeks and 36 weeks for IUGR or Intrauterine Growth Retardation which can sometimes happen because the clot restricts oxygen and nutrition to the fetus. I was not allowed to work but I wasn't restricted in physical activities as long as I monitored Braxton Hicks contractions and any pain. Phew, I am so relieved to be off of restricted activity.
Here is a couple of pictures from the 20 week u/s's.
(click on image to see a bigger picture)
Now we decided that we would wait until the big day to find out what the sex of the baby is. Can you believe that?
Our 28 week u/s was in May. Pictures will follow shortly.
Our 36 week u/s was in July and pictures will follow shortly.