Worring About #2

Okay, so we know stress is not good on growing babies... so first try to relax. The doctor definitely would have told you if something was wrong. The thing about this is that Doctors want every situation to read like their textbook, when it doesn't they do all sorts of things to try to reach the textbook case. Maybe you were earlier in the pregnancy than either of you thought, making the count low... who knows? But since the tests are fine, I would not worry, especially considering what stress and worry do to you, and to the baby.... Take good care - Congratulations

Hi S.,

My first 2 kids were jsut a regular blood test and one ultrasound at 20 weeks.

The 3 kid was 1 set of blood and an ultrasound at 8 weeks and again at 20 weeks. Same doctore with the 2nd and 3rd children, but different "standards" of care were in place, only 2 years between them.

Nothing suspicious or "physical" reason for the changes. I think that insurance payment schedules, because I did have different insurance plans between all of the children.

It sounds normal to me. I'm pregnant with my second one and it's so much more complicated than my first. WE have run so many tests and blood work because I have a thyroid condition. It sounds to me like they are just taking all the precautions necessary. If your sick thats a great sign too! Good luck and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy

S. ~
I'm an OB nurse, so have seen blood levels in early pregnancy. Like other writers have said, every doctor is different, which could be why they ordered the HCG level before your appointment. When it was 800, it may not have been as high as it should have been for how many weeks you thought you were, which is probably why they ordered them to be re-drawn. Most often it just means that you aren't as far along as you think you are. The level should double every couple of days. So with the re-draw, if it went up like it should, then everything should be fine. I don't know why they would do a urine test after already doing a blood one, because all the urine test does is say if there is HCG in your system. The multiple tubes could have been the regular blood work that is done at the beginning of a pregnancy - they check for your blood type, hepatitis b surface anti-gen, if you are rubella immune (that one is german measles - you wnat to be immune), stuff like that. The ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy is also normal. They like to "date" your pregnancy with an ultrasound to double-check how far along you are, not just based on your last period.
Hope that helps!
D.

I had the same issue 4 years ago. I missed my period, so I figured I was pregnant. I took a few home tests and they came back positive, but the positive sign was really light. I called my doctor and they sent me to have blood work. My HGC levels were super low. We later realized that I wasn't as far along as I had thought. What happened was, I had ovulated late. So when I missed my period, it wasn't technically late yet. I kept having my blood drawn and the levels kept increasing. When I went in for my ultrasound to make sure everything was ok, they determined that the baby was about a week and a half to 2 weeks younger than we had originally thought! Everything was fine and 7 and a half months later I had a 9 lb, 8 oz son! I'm sure everything will be just fine for you as well! Good luck and Congratulations!!

I'll just add my 2 bits to all the great comments already given. It's a new doctor, and every one has a different way of doing things. All those tests seem scary, but some doctors prefer them. But, the question is, do you? Your pregnancy sounds normal, and nature will have to take its course either way, but the best thing you can do is to enjoy your pregnancy, eat right, exercise, and try to stay positive. If you aren't sure about they whys for tests, get answers. If you don't like the answers or don't agree, find another doctor or midwife. It's a hassle, but the hassle is better than having a stressed out pregnancy, constantly worrying about the outcome of all these tests, when 1)it's not likely you have any problem, and 2)even if there is a problem, there isn't much, if anything, that could be done about it (except to make sure you have plenty of protein and iron in your diet). You stay healthy, the baby will continue to grow, and everything will be the way it's meant to be, and you can be happy with your babies, both present and growing.

Remember, too, you don't have to have all, or even any, of the tests/procedures the doctor wants you have. It is perfectly okay not to have any of them! Do what is best for you and your sanity, and everything will be okay.

I didn't like the constant attempts at medical intervention during my pregnancies, nor the attempted guilt trips if I wouldn't do the procedures they wanted, so I went to a midwife who had a similar philosophy and comfort level with letting nature take its course, and a knowledge of natural, non-intervention ways of doing things, focusing on diet, and overall health, and the knowledge of what to look for and when and how to prevent problems, and of when medical intervention is necessary.

So, I had only minimal tests for 3 of my 6 pregnancies (2 of them were miscarriages, which nothing could have helped) -- an initial blood prick to check my iron levels and adjust my diet accordingly, and (for the last one) that GBS test at the end to make sure I didn't have too many of the strep bacteria at the birth. That was it -- no ultrasounds or vials of blood or anything else. We had regular prenatals to check on the growth of the baby and my overall health and diet and weight gain, and diet adjustments if necessary, and that was it. They were very peaceful pregnancies, and they all turned out well.

Everyone is different, and have different comfort levels with medical intervention. Do what you feel most comfortable with. Use a doctor or midwife that you are comfortable with, and whose practices you are comfortable with. Above all, stick to what you are comfortable with, and trust your own instincts.

Congratulations, and good luck!

I am also 7 weeks 3 days pregnant. I found out I was pregnant at 5 weeks adn had my first appointment at 6 weeks. There I gave a urine sample. Then I went to the hosp. la and had 8 vials of blood drawn. There is nothing unusual about that. That is completely normal and I have had then with all four of my pregnancies. The ultrasound.....I had one with pregnancies 4 days ago. She gave me the ultrasound to make sure there was a heartbeat and to make sure that the baby was a live in there. I asked why she said only precautionary since I have had a previous miscarriage and 2 C-sections. Everything was fine and we saw the heartbeat. I think your Dr too is just being precautionary. If you are having the morning sickness then that means that the progesterone is "flowing". The progesterone is what gives you the morning sickness and fatigue. Good luck. I wouldn't worry. If you are next time you see your Dr. ask her the questions you have. The "whys" I always do becuz I too am a worry wart especially about my babies :) Good luck with yoru pregnancy.

I've only had one baby, but I remember that because of when my last period was and when I found out I was pregnant they thought that I was farther along than I actually was. So, when I went in for my 6 week appointment they couldn't find the hearbeat and had to schedule an ultrasound and everything ended up being okay except for the amount of weeks I actually was. I would just tell them that this is different from what you experienced before and would like to know why. It's definately okay for you to ask questions, but I wouldn't be too worried.

That all sounds really normal to me, those sound like the same tests I had in early pregnancy. Also, having morning sickness is a GREAT sign!

If they thought something was wrong, I think they would have told you very directly. The fact that they didn't say they thought something was wrong is a good sign.

But, I think you should call your doctor and ask a lot of questions until you feel comfortable with why they are doing the tests! Just tell them that they are totally freaking you out and you just want to be reassured that they don't think anything is wrong. I also would ask that the doctor call you back, not a nurse.

I have learned that you sometimes have to be moderately agressive, but you can do it nicely, to get the answers you're looking for!

Good luck and congratulations!

S., almost the same thing happened to me with my 2nd son. I knew I was pregnant at 4 weeks, called my OB. They didn't want to see me til I was 8 weeks even though I still had blood work done. My drs. office had told me that since I was early in my 1st trimester that anything could happen and that they wanted the fetus to be at least 10-12 weeks before they started seeing me regularly but that I should start eating right, making sure I was taking my vitamins. Well he will be 2 in December and he is fine and I know that this is a scary time but just do what you are doing and you will be fine. The tests are done to see if there is anything that they can see now. But if you are feeling pregnant, tests say your pregnant, then you should let nature takes its course and enjoy being pregnant.

I had blood tests to confirm my hormone levels were going up with my second (i had previously miscarried). I had ultra sounds with both pregnancies at my first real (8 week) apt. I'm not sure what the reason for the extra labs is...but the ultra sound is normal.

If you have ANY questions or concerns, call and ask to speak to a nurse or your OB. Remember that you are the patient, it is your body and your baby and you have a right to know what is being done and why. A five minute phone call could give you a lot of comfort.

Hi! I just looked back to my records from last year. My levels were 1212 at just under 5 weeks...I was pregnant with twins!! They are now a year old!

I wouldn't worry, my doctor took tons of blood/urine test and several ultra sounds. We didn't know we were having twins until 6 weeks and two ultra sounds later :)

Congrats!

S.,
I wouldn't worry if I were you. Modern technology is here and doctors are using it to provide you the best care possible. Are you by any chance over 35 yrs old? Sometimes they order extra tests in those cases... good luck with your little one.

First off Congratulations! I think you have nothing to worry about. All dr.'s are different. When I first found out I was pregnant I was going to a test happy dr., like you this didn't make me feel comfortable and I started to worry a lot, so I switched to a different dr. He was perfect for me (us) since he was so relaxed and reassured me that everything was a-ok. You could always switch, you should feel comfortable and confident with your pregnancy.

Congratulations about pregnancy 2!! I had a lot of blood work with my first daughter, not with my second but an ultrasound at 5 weeks with her(different doctors). However, I had some early spotting with both - which prompted the extra tests. The HGC level that they referred to is a horomone that is generated only when pregnant. In the early stages that hormone doubles every so many hours. I had to have it drawn twice about 72 hours apart, the first confirmed the gestational age, the second confirmed that it was still a viable pregnancy. Ironically, the ultrasound with our second daughter showed that I was not as far along as we had thought, we had thought we were 6 weeks, but we were only 5 weeks. They may just be looking to confirm size and gestational age, especially if your blood numbers aren't matching up with the 7 week mark. As long as you're not showing any signs of a miscarriage, you're fine and I wouldn't worry to much.

S.,

Try not to worry, each OB is different. I had the same doctor for both pregancies and they treated my second pregancy different than my first. So hang in there if your blood count went down they would have called you in. So as long as your count keeps going up your should be ok. As for the ultra sound. With my second child at 11 weeks (Which was the first appointment) they gave me the vagial ultrasound. I didn't get that with my first.

Try not to stress out and when you do get into the OB share with them the new process stressed you out a little.

Best of luck!
P.

Please don't worry, my OB/GYN gave me a TON of tests, just to check things out. When things were even a little out of normal range, they called me right away to further check things out. So the fact that they haven't called is a good sign that everything is great. Technology is just so advanced, there are a lot of tests to run. Everything turned out fine for me, by the way.

You should ask your doctor. If they are reluctant or tell you not to worry, be persistant. This is your body, and your baby's body and you have every right to know what is going on! I am pretty sure they can get into legal trouble if they don't share with their patients if the patients wish to know what is going on. Go ahead and ask.
The 5 vials drawn could be your blood tests to look for std's (a common thing they do with every pregnancy) and other things. I had 5 or so drawn at the beginning of my pregnancy, but I WAS informed what they were doing.

I hope the best for you and Congrats on the new little one!

I've been there!!!

I am currently 18 weeks pregnant with Baby #2 and I have a 2 year old son. This pregnancy started off very rocky and I was 99.9% sure I was going to miscarry (I even went to the store and stocked up on maxi pads!). My first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage so I've been EXTREMELY paranoid that it's going to happen again.

Anyways, I did spot with this pregnancy and had my HCG levels drawn many times, along with ultrasounds at 5 weeks, 6 weeks, and 7 weeks. My levels were very high at first but then stopped rising at the same time my spotting started.

I had myself absolutely worried sick, literally sick! The waiting is the worst part of the whole deal. For my own sanity, I had to come to terms with the fact that whatever was going to happen with this baby was out of my hands. I was hopeful that I was going to see a little heart beating on the ultrasound screen, but I was scared to death.

The ultrasound is the #1 test that will tell you how things are going. If you're really worried, call your OBGYN and let them know how you're feeling. They should be willing to move up your appt. if it would make you feel better.

Sounds normal to me too! Currently pregnant with my second too, due late March, and I had the whole blood routine *twice*. I have a thyroid condition which is the reason they did it a second time, but they took 5-ish vials of blood, urine, long history (again), internal exam, pap and an ultrasound two weeks ago.

Hi S., The big clue is that you have a different doctor.
some doctors really like a lot of 'information' - maybe because they treat pregnancy like an emergency waiting to happen. Some pregnancies start off with lower numbers and that sets off an 'approval' for higher medical involvement. is this right? who knows? they (with their hospital & insurance buddies) can then make money by seeing you more often, precribing ore things, doing more tests. Some would say the unintended consequence of this kind of care is that the patient and moreover the narrative of pregnancy grows and grows towards fear and thinking that the tests and medical intervention is the only way to 'save' the pregnancy and thus adds to the cycle.
if you like this highly medically interventive treatment stick with your doc. if not, find a new one. either way, take a moment to try and figure out the why behind your feelings.
good luck!

Relax S., it all sounds normal! It sounds likeyour doctor is very thorough, but the problem is that you are not talking with him(her). At your appointment, get communication from him, not the other staff. If you were talking with the dr.or nurse practitioner, then all of your questions would have been answered and there wouldn't be this gap in communication that leaves it open for worry. When you do met with the dr. find out how the office is run, who doyou call for questions between appts. etc., it might not be the type of setting that will work for you, and you do have choices. And congratulations!

Hi S.! Congratulations on our wonderful news! I want to put your mind at ease about this pregnancy...I went through all of these same procedures ( I am now 21 weeks pregnant). I think it really has to do with the doctor you are seeing and their procedures. I would not worry at all about the health of your baby. You and the baby will be just fine! Good luck throughout the rest of your pregnancy!

Try not to worry. Every doctor has very different "norms" The lab workers are not trained "people persons" and should probably not have been telling you it was not normal. For that doctor it easily could be. I had my second in March and I had all kinds of tests (blood and two confirming ultrasounds). Some doctors want an ultrasound right away and some do not call for one. IF you are worried at all CALL your doctor and tell her your concerns. This is what she/he is trained and paid to do for you. The doctor will be honest if they feel there are any concerns.
Good luck and Congrats!

Every doctor handles things differently. I wouldn't worry about it at all. It sounds normal to me. My friend and I were pregnant at the same time, different doctors. My doctor didn't do an ultrasound until 20 weeks and that was it, hers did one at 8 weeks at her first appointment and then at 22 weeks. Each office and each insurance company is going to be different as far as what is done when.

Also, if something was wrong, they wouldn't have scheduled you in two weeks. They'd have had you come in the next day!

Hi S., It sounds like you are not having any symptoms of a miscarriage so I would ask to meet with your doctor. They are supposed to explain every test you have and why you are having it BEFORE they schedule it for you! There may be a very good reason your doctor has for sending you but it needs to be shared with you. If not I would start questioning these tests and why you were not informed of reasons ahead of time from your obgyn. I had a wonderful obgyn that walked me through every step with wonderful explanations with all the information that I needed and more. I always knew what I was being tested for and why. You may want to try another ob. or just make it clear that you want to be informed of the reasoning for all tests. Sometimes bad doctors get test happy for insurance money? Again you seem to be worried and you probably dont need to be:) Please call and schedule an appointment with your doctor or swith to someone who will be more forward with you:) Good luck with your pregnancy it sounds like you are doing great:))) Dont be afraid to ask questions its your body, your baby:) J.

the HCG level is supposed to double every other day in early pregnancy.. so if the dr does 1 blood test and the level is not exactly where it should be... they often do a second test to see if the number is increasing as it should be. If the HCG level is low or decreasing it could mean the pregnancy is not progressing and a miscarriage could be occuring.

I went to the dr pregnant with bleeding and they did a HCG and then had me come back in 2 days for a second HCG test. the number was declining so the dr thought I was going to miscarry and I did.

the morning sickness is a good sign. HCg causes morning sickness... sounds like you are doing fine.

Hi S.. I had a similar experience with baby #2. It was 8 years ago, so my memory is sketchy, but my blood levels were funky also. First visit-my ob thought I would miscarry-, 2nd visit-levels still going down-again told I would miscarry, 3rd visit-vag. ultrasound-healthy fetus! She seemed shocked, and I just wanted to know what was going on-was I pregnant, or not? I delivered a healthy, 9.8 lb baby girl at 42 weeks exactly. I think I just get pregnant this way, and my first visit was so early into the pregnancy. Good luck, I am sure things will turn out fine.

Hi S.~
When I found out I was pregnant I called my OB right away and they did the same thing and my levels were a lot lower than expected because I wasn't as far as long as I had initially thought. I was never regular and my cycles varied a ton from PCOS and endometriosis. When I did schedule my first visit they did verify via ultrasound and gave me my due date which was 3 wks later than I initially thought! Try not stress about it (which isn't easy!) and you'll know more at your visit. It really isn't easy, I freaked out and was very nervous until that first visit...Wish you the best and let us know how the visit goes!

It all sounds normal to me. Some docs have different intake procedures and some have different routine labs/ultrasounds. It all sounds okay.

~L.

Sounds like you have a very cautious dr... :-)
The confirming ultrasound is standard with my dr... The blood test I don't know... But then again I don't go to the dr until about 2 months along... What can they do anyways before that? :-)

If there was something wrong your dr would have called to have you come in early to do an ultrasound to figure out your levels...
Breathe deeply, relax, and enjoy the ride...