measuring behind

[APHOLMES]

Hello everyone. I never post on things like this, but I am so desperate for answers, and I'm hoping someone has some insight that will help ease my mind.

I gave birth to a perfectly healthy girl in 2018. In 2019, I had a miscarriage around 9 weeks. The baby didn't ever have a heartbeat and at the next ultrasound, it disappeared. I miscarried shortly after. I took some time off from trying, and in late Feb 2021, I found out I was pregnant at about 4w4d. It turned out to be a chemical pregnancy, and I miscarried around 5 weeks. I had a bunch of bloodwork done, and an ultrasound to check for anything wrong with me.. but the doctor says I'm perfectly healthy and should be able to try again asap.

So, before I even got my period again, I found out I was pregnant on Easter (4/4). My numbers were low, but doubling properly. We used Clearblue ovulation kit, and I know that we had sex on 2 peak days, though I can't be sure when I ovulated. The doctor had estimated that I was either 5w5d or 5w6d, but today at my ultrasound, I measured 5w1d. There was a sac, but nothing inside it. The u/s tech and the dr both said it looks perfectly normal for 5w1d, no collapsing sac or anything like that. I go back in 10 days for a follow up, but I am shattered. It doesn't seem like I could be that early. So all that to say.... is it possible for my body to catch up? Or does it just mean that it stopped developing and I'll likely miscarry before I go back for that ultrasound?

 

[MummyToAmberx]

Hello everyone. I never post on things like this, but I am so desperate for answers, and I'm hoping someone has some insight that will help ease my mind.

I gave birth to a perfectly healthy girl in 2018. In 2019, I had a miscarriage around 9 weeks. The baby didn't ever have a heartbeat and at the next ultrasound, it disappeared. I miscarried shortly after. I took some time off from trying, and in late Feb 2021, I found out I was pregnant at about 4w4d. It turned out to be a chemical pregnancy, and I miscarried around 5 weeks. I had a bunch of bloodwork done, and an ultrasound to check for anything wrong with me.. but the doctor says I'm perfectly healthy and should be able to try again asap.

So, before I even got my period again, I found out I was pregnant on Easter (4/4). My numbers were low, but doubling properly. We used Clearblue ovulation kit, and I know that we had sex on 2 peak days, though I can't be sure when I ovulated. The doctor had estimated that I was either 5w5d or 5w6d, but today at my ultrasound, I measured 5w1d. There was a sac, but nothing inside it. The u/s tech and the dr both said it looks perfectly normal for 5w1d, no collapsing sac or anything like that. I go back in 10 days for a follow up, but I am shattered. It doesn't seem like I could be that early. So all that to say.... is it possible for my body to catch up? Or does it just mean that it stopped developing and I'll likely miscarry before I go back for that ultrasound?

A few of my babies dates didn't match up in the beginning, they don't always develop at same rate.
I remember I booked 1 early scan i was 7w3d but the scan showed 6w5d only just since tiniest flicker from the heart. Then at dating scan i was bang on for my dates.

Congratulations

 

[APHOLMES]

That is very interesting! And encouraging. Thank you for taking the time to tell me your story. It does help.

 

[dairymomma]

So here's the biggest thing to remember with measurements, especially with these really early scans. They are more of an estimate than a exact measurment. They are trying to get measurements of something that is millimeters in size using sound waves that are going through your insides and the tiniest change in the angle of the probe, the age of the ultrasound machine, the skill of the person doing the scan, the location of the probe and whether or not it's abdominal or transvaginal, etc can change those measurements by ALOT. Another thing that can effect the size of the baby is when exactly they implanted. Just because you know when you ovulated doesn't mean baby implanted right after that. My babies have implanted closer to 9-10dpo than 4-5dpo and that can add up to a big difference in dates.

Also, some babies just measure small because they want to. My two eldest measured 5-7 days smaller than my dates at my dating scan but they measured spot on with those dates the entire time. My eldest is now 11 and nearly looking me in the eyes, he's so tall. My 2nd child is a healthy happy 9 year old who loves to read and bake and spend time playing with her two close-in-age cousins. So their smaller size during pregnancy had no effect on their overall health and was likely due to them implanting a few days later than the average.

I understand your worries though. I truly do. I have miscarried 15 times (14 first tri, 1 second tri) and I've had a stillbirth. I've had complications in all but one of my pregnancies and I have a 10% chance of a successful pregnancy WITH treatment. (It's 100% certainty I'll miscarry by 10 weeks if I am not on the medications I need to sustain a pregnancy.) When you've experienced the trauma of pregnancy loss, it changes your view of pregnancy forever. I have complications in early pregnancy and I am on medications that we do not want me to continue if the pregnancy isn't viable so I'm in for dating/viability scans as soon as we can. But I have never gone in for a scan before 6 weeks because the fetal pole doesn't form until later in the 5th week, sometimes the beginning of the 6th week. I have had a scan at 6w1d and we only saw a gestational sac and yolk sac measuring 5w6d. No fetal pole, no heartbeat. I went in a week later and there was baby measuring 7w1d with a heartrate in the 130s-140s. Because of this particular scan incident and the worry it caused me, I now do not schedule a scan until 6w3d at the earliest. If I can wait it out, I try to push it as close to 7 weeks as I can so I am certain to see a baby with a heartrate. I have also had an experience where I went in for an ultrasound at 6w3d and they couldn't see anything but a gestational sac at first. But when the tech switched from an abdominal ultrasound to a transvaginal ultrasound, there was baby with a lovely little fluttering heartbeat. The abdominal ultrasound just wasn't strong enough to see baby and she was tucked away in a corner that the tech just couldn't get a great look at abdominally. (That little baby is my 6 year old DD2, healthy as can be and a diva to the max.)

In your case, there is still certainly hope. I know how hard it is to deal with the uncertainty though so I'd call your doctor and see if you can move up your next ultrasound by even a few days. Try to relax as best you can and just breathe. I have to keep reminding myself that the anxiety and worry I feel isn't good for me or the baby and I do what I can to try and distract myself from it. It's nearly impossible to forget it completely but any little bit you can do is going to help. I read, journal, meditate, do talk therapy, make a lunch date with my friends, etc. Hang in there. I have a mantra that I've used in the past to remind me to just breathe. 'For now, I am pregnant and that's enough.'

I hope this helps in some small way. I know it helped for me to hear other women's experiences. Congratulations on your newest pregnancy and wishing you a happy and healthy 9 months!

 

[APHOLMES]

Wow. Thank you for sharing your story, it’s incredible. You have been through so much, you’re one strong mama!!! Thank you for the words of encouragement, too.

It was a transvaginal ultrasound and the tech has over 32 years experience, but it sounds like maybe there’s still hope. But I’m scared to hope. It is impossible not to think about it for the next 9 days while I wait, but I will try my very best. My best friend is pregnant, and 3 other girls I work with are also pregnant (in a 10 person office), so I see myself working from home a lot haha.

if I’m reading your post correctly, it sounds like you’re pregnant again! So congratulations!! You certainly have a lot of knowledge and many good successes on your side, so I pray it is a smooth and healthy pregnancy for you.

 

[stephx]

I was smack on with O dates too.

1st scan at 5w6d, just a sac no HB measuring 5w2d

2nd scan at 8w, measured perfectly and saw HB

3rd scan at 12w5d, measured 13w2d and has kept up with that! I’m now 19 weeks pregnant

Honestly wouldn’t worry at this stage, early scans are really hard to date.

 

[dairymomma]

No I am not pregnant. I am actually recovering from my latest miscarriage that I lost at 6w4d over the weekend. It was likely my last pregnancy because I'm so high risk for complications now, am in the beginning stages of menopause anyway, and my husband just finished up a year of cancer treatment for Stage 4 colon cancer. We were NOT trying whatsoever and with my own genetic issues as well as my DH's fertility likely severely compromised thanks to 8 months of chemotherapy and 25 radiation treatments, the odds of us having another successful pregnancy are pretty much in the negatives now. This pregnancy should never have happened (tbh, we don't know how I conceived in the first place since we have been preventing pregnancy for the last year per doctors orders) and I'm actually seeing my doctor next week to discuss my options for permanent prevention.

I am glad that I could help ease your mind a bit and I just wanted to help in some small way because I've been there too. Miscarriage can feel so lonely but once you find out there are others who have experienced it too, it's not quite so lonely. For me, hearing that what I felt was totally normal was HUGE. So I'm happy I could help in that regard.

 

[Reiko_ctu]

Hello everyone. I never post on things like this, but I am so desperate for answers, and I'm hoping someone has some insight that will help ease my mind.

I gave birth to a perfectly healthy girl in 2018. In 2019, I had a miscarriage around 9 weeks. The baby didn't ever have a heartbeat and at the next ultrasound, it disappeared. I miscarried shortly after. I took some time off from trying, and in late Feb 2021, I found out I was pregnant at about 4w4d. It turned out to be a chemical pregnancy, and I miscarried around 5 weeks. I had a bunch of bloodwork done, and an ultrasound to check for anything wrong with me.. but the doctor says I'm perfectly healthy and should be able to try again asap.

So, before I even got my period again, I found out I was pregnant on Easter (4/4). My numbers were low, but doubling properly. We used Clearblue ovulation kit, and I know that we had sex on 2 peak days, though I can't be sure when I ovulated. The doctor had estimated that I was either 5w5d or 5w6d, but today at my ultrasound, I measured 5w1d. There was a sac, but nothing inside it. The u/s tech and the dr both said it looks perfectly normal for 5w1d, no collapsing sac or anything like that. I go back in 10 days for a follow up, but I am shattered. It doesn't seem like I could be that early. So all that to say.... is it possible for my body to catch up? Or does it just mean that it stopped developing and I'll likely miscarry before I go back for that ultrasound?

My sister got bumped back 7 days at her ultrasound and she’s sure when she ovulated so that can’t be right. The baby was just measuring small. But she’s 13 weeks now and baby is doing just fine!

 

[Suggerhoney]

I got bumped up 12 days going by first day of my last AF and 5 days going by ovulation.

I definitely O on cd 10 we had been trying for 11 months I unfortunately had 4 pregnancy losses last year. I was using OPKs and temping.

Going by the first day of my last AF
I should be only 15+3 weeks and going by O I should be 17+3 but at my dating scan I was put forward. I'm now 18 weeks.

Crazy because I know the exact day I O and there is no way I Ovulated on cd5 i was still on AF and opks very negative.

Hope that helps.

I know its going to be horrible waiting and I really hope when u go back again u see a HB.

 

[Suggerhoney]

No I am not pregnant. I am actually recovering from my latest miscarriage that I lost at 6w4d over the weekend. It was likely my last pregnancy because I'm so high risk for complications now, am in the beginning stages of menopause anyway, and my husband just finished up a year of cancer treatment for Stage 4 colon cancer. We were NOT trying whatsoever and with my own genetic issues as well as my DH's fertility likely severely compromised thanks to 8 months of chemotherapy and 25 radiation treatments, the odds of us having another successful pregnancy are pretty much in the negatives now. This pregnancy should never have happened (tbh, we don't know how I conceived in the first place since we have been preventing pregnancy for the last year per doctors orders) and I'm actually seeing my doctor next week to discuss my options for permanent prevention.

I am glad that I could help ease your mind a bit and I just wanted to help in some small way because I've been there too. Miscarriage can feel so lonely but once you find out there are others who have experienced it too, it's not quite so lonely. For me, hearing that what I felt was totally normal was HUGE. So I'm happy I could help in that regard.

My goodness what a strong mama u are.
Reading everything u have been through broke me.
I am so so sorry u are going through yet another loss.
U are a amazing womon.

Sending u such big hugs

 

[Bevziibubble]

The measurements can be inaccurate early on. Hoping everything is OK