Sch group (Subchorionic Hematoma)

[blessedmomma]

Brown is old blood so it may be the last of what was left in there just making its way out. I would continue to take it easy and call your doc when you can to let him know, but not get too worked up. Hopefully your body is just getting rid of what was left

 

[tvm5108]

Thanks! It was like one initial bit of brown and within 20 minutes even the light spotting had stopped. It would not have even been enough to soak a panty liner, so I never bothered to call my doctor since the next day was Sunday. If it had happened during the week or continued longer than it did I think I would have called. I am okay with brown as long as it is not coming out in a constant flow. I have an appointment next Thursday, so I am hoping nothing happens before then. My biggest fear was that it would turn to red. I am not sure why, but my bleeds have always started as dark red, but somehow end up getting mixed with lighter red colors. I did not see red, so I will try not to freak out. I still am constantly checking to see if I am bleeding or what not, but I doubt I will stop doing that until I am told my SCH is fully gone. I cannot even imagine a normal second half to the pregnancy. It seems like too much of a perfect dream.

I hope you all are doing well and have been bleed free.

 

[blessedmomma]

I hope it doesn't come back for you hun! I would probably still let your doc know at your appt.

I was told my sch is gone, but then had some light spotting so I'm not sure what that was. I'm reluctant to tell my dr since she called me a worrier for telling her I was bleeding in the first place. not feeling very comfortable with her right now.

 

[tvm5108]

That is exciting it is gone, but frustrating your doctor would act that way. Most pregnant women would be concerned. I would definitely bring it up. My doctor tells me to call about any concerns. He has said he would rather me come in with a concern than bring it up weeks later when he cannot do anything. Can you switch OBs to a doctor you feel comfortable with? Since we are military this is the first time I have been able to chose my doctor and it is definitely great to be able to find a doctor I like. When is your next appointment?

 

[fluterby429]

Hi ladies. Just popping in to encourage you.
Melissa I'd get a new doctor. I had to switch midway through my pregnancy because my concerns weren't being taken seriously. It's the best decision I could've made.

Having an SCH stinks! I was terrified. Google freaked me out on the way home from the ER. Since having it, I've come to find that it's more common than you'd think. Especially among IVF patients for some reason.

Anyway, I'd like to show off my little SCH baby. These are some pics of his 3 month photos

 

[blessedmomma]

Fluterby he is adorable!

Thanks ladies, I have began looking for a new dr so we'll see if I can find a good one. I have concerns that I'll pick another and they won't be any better. Or that my ob I have now will be the on call doc at the hospital when i deliver and I will have to face her after switching. I need to just pray about it I guess. My dh just said to go to my next appt and see how she acts and switch if I'm not comfortable. Idk what to do yet

 

[blessedmomma]

I could switch hospitals and have a different ob as well, but I delivered at the other hospital with one of mine and it was not good. I definitely prefer the hospital I plan to use. I would hate to run into her again if I switched

 

[mara16jade]

Not to be discouraging....but most doctors aren't very knowledgeable about SCHs. And most just shrug it off with a "you'll just have to wait and see attitude". I switched from my first doctor for a few reasons, but the next one who happen to be the chief of obstetrics was knowledgeable, but never really showed my concern. I suppose that's ok, but no one ever directed me on what I should or shouldn't do besides no sex. This board (specifically this thread) helped me through it all.

 

[Babydreams15]

I agree that most doctors aren't truly knowledgeable on SCHs. I've talked to 3 doctors. My cousin is a doctor and she basically gave me the typical 50/50 chance and theres nothing you can do speech, which we all know is so discouraging. My actual obgyn is a fertility specialists, and she was a lot more knowledgeable in the sense that she had me on bedrest and was very supportive of my fears. But, she also acted like it was no big deal. She did, however keep a close eye on it every 2 weeks until it cleared up. She gave me her personal cell number just in case I bleed again and I can email her my questions and she always replies within hours. I feel incredibly comfortable with her... And that's just priceless.

I also saw a fetal specialists at my last ultrasound and he told me that they're incredibly common and usually nothing to worry about. He said he sees them all the time and just said they were pesky and annoying, but in most cases harmless.

I think that it is very important to have a doctor that you trust and that you feel understands your fears. In my last pregnancy (which ended in MC)... My doctor was very dismissive and cold... It always felt like he was talking down to me a little. He made me feel a little guilty for being a worrier ... And that's not OK. I knew this time I wanted a doctor that would listen to my fears, no matter how annoying I got.

 

[lanet]

My dr was wonderful and anytime I bled she wanted me to be seen, listen to heartbeats and have a scan. I was told mine was gone and then had a heavy bleed weeks later. Turned out to be a low lying placenta that time. Now I have 2 healthy 5 month olds

 

[tvm5108]

It is interesting how every doctor seems to have different statistics and beliefs on SCHs. My OB is an older man, so he said he has seen a lot of SCHs. He told me it generally does not cause miscarriages if it does not cause a miscarriage right when it develops. When I visited him at 12 weeks because I was bleeding horribly and had been having at least one big a bleed since week 9 he still said I had 80-90% chance everything would be okay. I think my doctor may like to be on the nicer side since stress is not good for pregnancy, but I still find it helpful for a doctor not to be all gloom and terror. I am a nervous wreck enough over my SCH as it is. I do not need a doctor to tell me there is no hope.

 

[blessedmomma]

Well I'm pretty sure I'm switching ob's. I just don't feel comfortable going back. I would think if I'm bleeding I should be able to go to my dr and not get called a worrier. Her exact phrase was that even after so many babies I must just be a worrier. Well I could understand that if I was worried for no reason. But I do think bleeding in pregnancy should be told to the dr. I do have 7 children and I also had 2 miscarriages. But this baby is just as special and important as all my others and I will always be an advocate for them. So I'm looking into other ob's in the area and have found a couple places I want to call. What good is insurance and freedom to choose a dr if I don't make sure I'm comfortable with one?

 

[Babydreams15]

Exactly! Good for yoy blessedmomma!!! You have every right and reason to worry!!!! And no doctor should make you feel silly for caring and worrying!

I hope you find a wonderful doctor that you're comfortable with soon

 

[tvm5108]

I am glad you stood up to finding a doctor you feel comfortable with.

I go back tomorrow to see my doctor. I cannot believe I have actually made it three weeks between appointments. Due to weekly bleeds I had consistently seen my doctor weekly from week 7-13. At my last visit at 13 weeks he said my SCH looked like it was starting to heal and I did not need to come back for another three weeks unless I had another bleed. I never thought I would go four weeks without a bleed. I literally run to the bathroom at least 30 times a day to check if I am bleeding. I am really glad it had been four weeks since my last bleed, but I am still super nervous my blood clot will not be shrinking. At 12 weeks (a visit I had due to a big bleed) my SCH was starting to flatten out, but was getting longer. At 12 weeks it was 5.92x1.98cm. At 10 weeks it was 5.38x.98x2.93 cm. At my 13 week visit he did not measure it, but said it looked like it was getting smaller. I am really nervous that there will not be progress with my blood clot. Also, it may be that I am so paranoid in general about this pregnancy, but I do not think I have felt movement yet. This is my fourth pregnancy and by 16 weeks I had felt movement with #2 and #3. It could be my nerves and I attribute movement to normal digestion, but it does not help when my pregnant friends who are 12 weeks along tell me how they feel so much movement. I have debated getting a doppler, but my babies have been so active or will huddle up into tight balls when I am pregnant. With all my pregnancies I have had to have ultrasounds at one point or another because my kids would not cooperate for the doppler. In all the cases they had very strong heartbeats, but do not want to get their heart rate taken with a doppler. If I were not able to get a heartbeat I feel like I would freak out and call my doctor immediately. I would not want that to happen daily. I will let you all know how my appointment goes tomorrow.

I hope you all are doing well.

 

[tvm5108]

I just got back from the doctor and the baby is fine, but my blood clot is roughly the same size. I was really disappointed since I figured after four weeks of not seeing any blood it would be shrinking. It was 5.92x1.9cm at 12 weeks. It is now 5.92x1.6cm at 16 weeks. He told me not to worry that as the pregnancy progresses it becomes less of a threat and will get squished out. I cannot help but still be nervous and worry about more bleeds.

The baby is measuring perfectly on track though and is definitely a BOY! We have one boy and two girls now, so that is awesome to have two boys and girls. I guess I will try and focus on the positive and exciting stuff instead of the negative, but I feel like all I can focus on is the blood clot.

 

[blessedmomma]

Congrats on your boy tvm!!! I hope the sch does go ahead and shrink. It's disappointing that after not bleeding so long it hasn't shrunk. Is it by or under the placenta? That is my main concern since my sons was and it caused his placenta to pull away. But I know that's not the only concern. I hope it does go ahead and shrink!!

 

[tvm5108]

Thanks blessedmomma. My doctor said it has not impacted my placenta. My placenta is all to the right of it. The SCH at this point literally looks like a thin layer beneath the fetus. I just want it gone! How is your SCH doing?

If anybody knows I have a few general questions:

1. Is a SCH is essentially like a cut that can always be reopened if it is present? I would think that even if it has "dried up" it is a threat until it is 100% gone since something could always cause it to tear and start the bleeding over again. Anybody know how a doctor can say it is still present, but will no longer present a threat?

2. Has anybody had an experience where they stopped bleeding for a few weeks, but there was no change in the size of their blood clot? Then, did it eventually shrink?

3. Has anybody ever have it squished out as my doctor says will eventually happen?

 

[Babydreams15]

From my own personal experience... I had stopped bleeding for 2 weeks straight... And I thought for sure my SCH was gone, but an ultrasound showed that it was still there. It was a little longer, but more flattened out. I was also told that it was a good sign. Then 2 weeks later it was completely gone. So in my case, it was still there even though there was no more bleeding... It had just gotten squished, then it finally disappeared.

I did read previous posts here where the SCH would get larger before it started to shrink. I also remember a couple of moms mention that theirs did get squished altogether as the baby grew.

 

[eyemom]

Hi ladies! I'm not on bnb as much anymore, but I am a "graduate" of this thread. My sch girl is almost 9 months now. I just wanted to pop in in hopes I could encourage someone.

I think I gathered that SCHs can be a big deal...but very often are not a big deal. I remember being so frustrated because I didn't know if people didn't make a deal of it because it truly wasn't such a big deal. Orrrrr if they just didn't want me to worry since at that stage there's nothing to do about it anyway.

I had one scan when the sch was diagnosed, another scan a week later only because of a car accident, and then my next scan was the usual anatomy scan. At my second one after the accident, mine was a bit bigger, but iirc the sonographer also said it was darker, which is a sign of it liquefying (?) and therefore on its way to resolving. I know it's different, but imagine when you get a bruise. The blood is fairly localized at first. But as it heals, the bruise actually gets bigger/more spread out as it reabsorbs.

As far as how it can still be there but no longer a threat, I think it's a matter of size relative to the baby/placenta. Before long, even if the clot doesn't change much, it'll be way small compared to the baby, and I learned before that the placenta actually is more than your baby requires. As a failsafe so to speak. Meaning you can lose however much of the placenta and baby still has enough. I can't remember the exact way it was explained to me. It made a lot more sense than I'm making. But that was the gist I got from it.

Sorry if anything is a repeat or out of left field. I didn't properly catch up on the thread.

Praying everyone stays well and the sch days will be a distant memory when you're playing with your sweet LOs!

 

[blessedmomma]

With my first sch I had with my son, I bled for first tri and most of second tri. They kept an eye on it until it cleared up. But at some point it came back, and a few weeks before he was born it caused my placenta to start pulling away and his fluid dropped. They hadn't realized it was back til they induced from the fluid going so low with him. While in labor they realized the only fluid around him was blood and I began to hemorrhage. He was born gasping for air, blue, and not doing to well. Upon delivering the placenta was when they realized it must have come back as they found my placenta had been pulling away for weeks and therefore was what caused his fluid to drop. It's amazing he made it.

This time my ob only had me go to get a scan once. When I was still having the bleeding and told her about it is when she called me a worrier. I haven't made an appointment with my new ob yet since I wouldn't have someone to watch my other kids til this week. So I guess we will see how my new ob handles it. Haven't bled for a couple weeks now so I'm hoping it's just an afterthought and everything will be ok!