first try

seems to be working

I started a letter to you today, gave you the whole OB history, but had not yet googled "subchorionic hemorrhage," which I just did.

The simplified version (the one I understand) is that I have a sac of blood under the yolk sac, or between the endometrium (uterine lining) and the yolk sac/embryo. Mae (my OB) told us that this did NOT mean I was going to have a miscarriage, but that I should return in one week as scheduled for another ultrasound. They can't yet see the flutter of a heart beat.

I am to "take it easy" this weekend, so I am. I awoke at midnight with cramps and some menstrual type bleeding, then again at 3:30 last night. The second time I was up with two hours of horrendous cramps, some bleeding and some vomiting. No sign of a big clot, which Mae told me to watch for, and no sign of excessive bleeding - just menstrual in quality. She warned me that I would have more bleeding, but said it would be brownish. Well, this is bright red blood.

Still, there's nothing I can do but take it easy and see what comes with time. I felt 99% sure heading to Mae's office yesterday that I was in the process of miscarrying, so the fact that the pregnancy may still be viable is good news.

And I gather that the little bugger has grown. Last Friday the ultrasound tech said it was about 5 weeks, yesterday it was 5 and 6/7 (almost 6) weeks. This should also be good news.

On-line web sites have everything from "the vast majority resolve and go on to a normal pregnancy" to "grave prognosis." I don't know, though she showed me the area of blood on the ultrasound, if this is considered large, medium or small, which apparently factors in to prognosis.

I feel oddly at peace. This has put priorities in perspective and I feel like the most important thing right now is to take care of myself. So, yes, I am being served herbal tea and sprouted wheat bagels. We went for a short (20 min?) walk in the neighborhood, but nothing more than that. I have now been instructed to take a little nap while Richard takes a bike ride, so I am headed to bed with my book (just one chapter... I am reading the Narnia series, now on Prince Caspian).

This format may work exceedingly well. I will still write, of course, and have much to tell about the new job, etc. But it's nice to be able to check in regularly with everything that's going on.

Re: seems to be working

That growing has got to be pretty good news. I can't imagine a baby in the process of miscarrying would have resources to grow. But the unknowing has got to be killer. I am glad you are feeling peaceful and focused. I am not sure I would be. Sammy and I are also reading Prince Caspian! We are just at the part where Caspian's army is doing badly and they are trying to decide if they should blow the horn.