Well, the good news is the baby has clearly grown, and is still alive. Heartbeat
was 110. Just on seeing it on the screen, I felt better. The part where
everything in me just sank was when the RE did a CRL- the fetal pole
measured 6w2d. I'm 6w6d today, or rather, I'm at the start of the 6th
day of the 6th week, since this was around 9:30 am. By that token, it is
measuring at least 3 days behind, if not 4. If I compare this to my 2nd
pregnancy, by 6w6d, my baby was measuring 6w5d and the heartbeat was
130. So its looking crappier than the last time, which looked almost perfect at this point.
The good news is that it visually appears like there has been
growth. Its highly likely that the first measurement (of 6w1d at 6w2d) was rubbish given
we could barely see anything. In the second ultrasound, the embryo looks
a little curved to the right of the yolk sac (do you see it?) and I wonder if that could mess up the
CRL too. Impossible to say, but please, throw in your inputs.
I did some googling for delayed growth at similar timepoints. The results are very mixed- I found a couple of instances where miscarriage occurred within a few weeks, and quite a few instances where things turned out to be just fine. Its really impossible to say, all options remain on the table, with a probably slightly raised risk for a unfavorable outcome within the next few weeks. Apparently, trisomies are supposed to show delayed growths. I've been mostly relaxed (or so I thought) before my first ultrasound and in the gap between this one and the last. But when I came home and burst into tears, and cried for a good half hour, I realized the stress I'm under. Its insane. Nobody should have to go through this.
I'll be fine by tomorrow and will probably remain comfortably numb (with that tantalizing, beautiful flicker of hope still thrown in) for the most part, till the next terrifying ultrasound rolls around, which should be in the middle of the next week. It will be with my RE again- no graduation to OB yet. After realizing that it was behind, he called me in for round 3, mostly I think to reassure me. This scared me a little though because the nurse had said that if the RE deemed it was a good U/S, I'd be released to the OB at that point.
I know this can go south, in any number of ways. I know this could end well. If any of you have any anecdotal stories to share about being behind at this point ending well, then please, share. I really could use the momentary reassurance.
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| Current pregnancy 6w2d, apparently measuring 6w1d(really?) by CRL |
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| Current pregnancy, 6w6d, apparently measuring 6w2d by CRL |
I'll be fine by tomorrow and will probably remain comfortably numb (with that tantalizing, beautiful flicker of hope still thrown in) for the most part, till the next terrifying ultrasound rolls around, which should be in the middle of the next week. It will be with my RE again- no graduation to OB yet. After realizing that it was behind, he called me in for round 3, mostly I think to reassure me. This scared me a little though because the nurse had said that if the RE deemed it was a good U/S, I'd be released to the OB at that point.
I know this can go south, in any number of ways. I know this could end well. If any of you have any anecdotal stories to share about being behind at this point ending well, then please, share. I really could use the momentary reassurance.
No wise words, except that I am sorry you are going through this stress and uncertainty. It is so unfair. Sending lots of good wishes your way.
ReplyDelete((big hug))
ReplyDeleteThinking of you!
ReplyDeleteWith my pregnancy with Foxie, I measured about four to five days behind and they estimated my due date 5 days later than my IUI would predict. I delivered a healthy baby a day after my adjusted due date. I hope that this is the case with this little one as well. Hoping for a healthy pregnancy for you!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, nobody should have to go thru this. I think its really early so accurate measurements are difficult & seeing definite growth is promising. My REs office wouldn't even do scans before 7 weeks & I had to wait until 8 weeks for my 1st scans. Thinking of you & thinking good thoughts
ReplyDeleteLike Tiara, my OB wouldn't even allow me to be seen until 7 - 8 weeks because of the lack of accuracy...it is really early, and it seems like the measurements are just "best guesstimates." In any event, I sure am sorry you are having to go through this hell.
ReplyDeleteTara
Sorry to hear this. No good stories, just hugs.
ReplyDeleteMy kiddo (now nearly 3 years old and perfectly healthy) always measured 3 days behind at every scan. I was told that a few days behind is nothing to worry about. I know you like to compare to your previous pregnancies, but those didn't turn out to be viable, so I think having something a little different is not a bad sign. And even healthy pregnancies vary greatly from one to the next. I know you can't rest easy, but just take the good news for now. Many REs don't graduate their patients to OBs until 8-12 weeks. Many OBs don't have you come in until 10-12 weeks for the first visit anyway.
ReplyDeleteI also have a RE who won't do u/s until 7 weeks. He says it just brings on more confusion and worry to do it early. I'm sorry that the results of your scan did not provide you with the reassurance you needed. For what it's worth, when I read your post, I was mostly encouraged and reassured that things were going well for you. There is growth from last time, so things are headed in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts are with you.
I've been told by others that there's usually a 3-4 day margin of error on these things that early. I think the important factor at this point is the heartbeat. With my son, his heartbeat was on the low side in the 6-7 week era; I was worried, my RE wasn't. The kid is 8 months now.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with others: most OB will not see patients until at least 8 weeks anyway.
With both my successful pregnancies, though, I overlapped care, seeing an OB before being completely released from the RE. bought me some extra ultrasounds and peace of mind.
Best wishes.
No stories. I have yet to get pregnant. But hugs. I know this has to be tough, especially with what you've gone through before. Really hoping this one sticks for you.
ReplyDeleteI have no wisdom or stories to offer just good wishes. My second ultrasound is scheduled two weeks after the first. My RE doesn't think that there is enough of a difference. So I hope that both of our next ultrasounds reveal healthy, growing babies. By the way, my embryo measured one to two days behind last time also. We can only hope.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to echo what others have said, our first scan with our daughter was at 8w6d and she measured 3 days behind (8w3d), even though it was IVF so no question about the conception date. We were told anything plus or minus 4 days was completely normal at that stage. I know I was a bit further along than you are, but I'm sure I've read that measurements get more accurate as time goes on, so presumably even more variation is normal at 6w6d? Anyway that went on to be a completely normal uncomplicated pregnancy, she was born naturally at 40w6d and is now a healthy 2 1/2 year old. Don't know if you follow her blog but Angie at 'Our TTC Journey' also had a similar thing (measuring 2-3 days behind at simiar gestation to you) and is now 32 weeks along, all fine. Our clinic in the UK don't scan anyone until at least 8 weeks, as it is just so hard to get accurate measurments or any kind of definitive answer so early on, although I totally get how tempting it is to scan earlier, the wait to 8w6d nearly killed me at the time. I know it's impossible but try not to worry, I've read so many stories of babies measuring behind and all being well, they just grow at different rates, so if you're within the normal range then it's reasonable to assume all is well I think. Best of luck for the next scan, keeping everything crossed for you x
ReplyDeleteI measured 4d behind until about 10 weeks. I knew my dates, so I was scared to death (with prior m/c), but everyone told me how normal it was. I thought it was all a bunch of BS by people who didn't know their actual dates. Turns out, perfectly fine baby who is now 15 months. There are still no guarantees with any pregnancy at this point (or any point), but just know that there are alive babies who were behind.
ReplyDelete