Bump Diaries 1.5

The first pregnancy test I took was from the dollar store.  Now, being a scientist, I know that all urine pregnancy tests work pretty much the same way.  And I also know that it doesn't cost that much to make one and that the name-brand tests use the same stuff but just cost more.  But that didn't stop me from going to Walmart and buying a name brand test just to check.  Hey, I could have gotten a freaky weird one from that dollar store that gives a positive no matter what.  It could happen.

I got the Clearblue digital one.  I didn't mean to get the digital kind, and I kinda wondered why it was so pricey, but this was no time to be stingy.  I needed answers.  And with the digital read out, there was no room for analyst interpretation.  It says "pregnant" or "not pregnant".  Right to the point.  I like that.

Well.  Can't argue with that.


Later that week, I started having really bad cramping.  Full on, starting my period cramping.  This sent me into another panic thinking I was losing the baby already.  I called my OBGYN to see if she could get me in sooner, but because I was a new patient, I had to wait until the scheduled appointment.  The insensitive nurse on the phone told me to go to the ER if I was that concerned about it.  So I went to the ER.  I have never been to the ER myself before.  I didn't like it.  They got me to a bed pretty quickly and talking to a nurse, so I thought it would be out in a decent time.  Not so much.  When the doctor heard the situation, she ordered an ultrasound.  Yes!  I was going to get answers!  The US tech came pretty quickly.  First time in a wheel chair.  Didn't like that either, but I know hospital procedure.  The US took some time.  The lady was very thorough and nice.  She even showed us what she saw and explained somethings to us even though she really wasn't supposed to.  In my uterus was a yolk sac with no fetal pole yet.  She estimated that I was about 5.5 weeks pregnant.  I also had (what I considered a large) cist in my right ovary.  That concerned me, but she said it was "unremarkable".  Hmmm...

I was hooked up to an IV and blood was drawn.  I also had to take a urine test.  This confirmed I was pregnant and that I also had a UTI.  Awesome.  But it might account for the cramping I was feeling.  They checked my hormone levels too.  That combined with the start of what I thought was my last period (October) and the ultrasound pic, gave the doctor a doomsday message for me.  I was not as far along with baby development as my hormone level indicated.  I was sent home with an antibiotic and a feeling that history was about to repeat itself.

The ER doctor gave me a copy of all the information she collected so I could give it to my OBGYN at my appointment.  With those papers, Kevin immediately went to Google.  He started pulling up hormone charts and fetal development.  He concluded that I was right on schedule with both the hCG level and the ultrasound pic.  He said that it was just an ER doctor and we would get the real answers at my lady doctor appointment.  This made me feel a little better and I was able to make it the next two days to the appointment. 

Kevin came with me.  I ended up seeing a midwife.  I was a little nervous about that but I really liked her.  She answered all my questions honestly but with comfort.  She said based on my October period and that I should be farther along in baby development.  So, who was right?  The ultrasound picture that said I was 5.5 weeks along or my October period that said I was 12 weeks?  She scheduled another ultrasound to check viability and see what was really going on in there.  The only problem, it would be after we came back from MI for Christmas.  I would have to spend my whole vacation wondering...