This baby is just asking for a time out!

Today has been a roller coaster.

I returned to my RE today for a follow-up appointment. And what a miraculous appointment it was!

I went in expecting the worst and Dr. H just told me "With the early pregnancy scans it's sometimes difficult to see things. Let's look today and if we see what we need to, great. If not, we'll discuss what needs to happen."

He does the vaginal ultrasound and all we see is the gestational sac. He looks around for the baby and doesn't see anything. He starts discussing how this might be a blighted ovum and he had a patient a couple of years ago who returned in a week after the initial ultrasound and had a normal, healthy embryo. So he keeps looking and ends up finding the fetal pole but no heartbeat. He then begins discussing what may need to be done if the sac is still there in a week. As he's doing so he moved the wand just so and about drops it. THERE WAS A HEARTBEAT!!!!

We're not out of the woods, in fact far from it, but there's hope. From my LMP (last period) I should be at 6w4d. The gestational sac was measuring 17mm at 6w1d and the fetal pole (the baby) was 5w6d. So it's behind where it should be but it's little heart was beating at 131bpm. It was the most beautiful little flicker I've ever seen!

The hospital called this morning with more test results and found I have a UTI. I'm on antibiotics for that. Dr. H is putting me on progesterone cream in hopes to help the baby stay put and grow. He said there's no data that it actually helps but it doesn't hurt either. I have to go for a thyroid study (more blood work) this week to be sure there isn't something weird going on that needs to be treated. I go in next Thursday for another ultrasound to check progress. If the baby is growing accordingly, great. If it's not we need to discuss what's next - whether it be keep checking or end it if there's no heartbeat.

So we have a ways to go and I am relieved and terrified at the same time. If I get any cramping or bleeding it's likely over but for now there's hope. I'm hanging on tighter than ever to that hope.