The Seven Week Ultrasound

I didn't sleep much last night. I kept catastrophizing, thinking about what I would say in this blog post if the doctor only found an empty sac or something else that would indicate that I wasn't pregnant or wasn't pregnant anymore or something was really wrong with the fetus in the ultrasound today.

This morning I felt hot, nauseous, and exhausted as my husband and I drove to the Victoria Fertility Centre. Despite going pee twice before the ultrasound at the office, by the time I was on the table, I felt like I had to go again. Literature says that around this time, the uterus doubles in size or so and that puts pressure on everything in its vicinity including the bladder, hence having to the go to the washroom all the time.

In the waiting room at the Victoria Fertility Centre anxiously awaiting my seven week ultrasound.

We were both really nervous.

On the examination table waiting for the ultrasound.

Dr. Hudson performed an internal ultrasound on me this morning. He let me take pictures for the blog as usual. I was focussed on zooming in and getting the phone camera focussed on the ultrasound screen. When he said "this is your baby," I couldn't believe it. Did I hear that wrong? Then he pointed out the top image in the uterus (the dark shape in the middle of the greyish white on the ultrasound image), a small white shape and said that that was the baby. The small whitish mass under that is the yolk sac (this is the first aspect of the gestational sac that is seen in humans. It conveys blood and nutrients to the fetus, later the placenta develops more and takes over this function).

The black mass is my uterus.

In the dark mass that is my uterus there is the top mass which is the fetus and the bottom mass which is the yolk sac.

Closer up view of fetus and yolk sac. This is very magnified. The fetus is about the size of a raspberry right now.

The measurement top to bottom of the fetus is at the bottom, as you can see, it's very very small right now.

He kept moving the ultrasound wand around and then he said "this is your baby's heartbeat." Suddenly, we could hear its heartbeat and I burst into tears. He said the heartbeat of the baby is 150 beats per minute. He said that everything looks "perfect."

I couldn't believe it. I then completely lost it and sobbed uncontrollably. It took me a few minutes to collect myself before we met Dr. Hudson down the hall in his office. He gave us some information on tests we could have performed in the second trimester (like amniocentesis) and told us that he would meet us once more in 3-4 weeks and then I would be discharged from the Victoria Fertility Centre. He said that in the mean time I should call and get an appointment with a doctor who specializes in pregnancy and he gave me a referral letter to give to that doctor.

I bought more prescription hormones from the dispensary at the office to last me for the next week that I have to take them (I can send the receipt to the insurance company but I doubt I'll see a cent unless I fight them since they are still refusing to cover our fertility drugs).

As we left the office, I was in complete shock. Reality has still not sunk in and I still feel so emotional thinking about hearing that heartbeat for the first time and seeing the tiny baby that only measures 14.45 mm (or 1/2 an inch for you imperial users) "head to foot" right now. Week seven the baby is about the size of a blueberry and week eight about the size of a raspberry or about 1.5 cm or 15.00 mm. I am seven weeks and six days pregnant today, so it seems that the fetus is right on track and as he says perfect.

Naturally though, there is still the risk of miscarriage. We won't be out of the first trimester for another four weeks and one day. Since we have heard a heartbeat though, the risk of miscarriage has dropped considerably. But having been through a miscarriage already this year, I remain mindful of the fact that I may not have that baby that I've always wanted and that I must still be cautious. After all, people even have miscarriages in their second trimester and onward.

I must take Endometrin (progesterone) and Estrace (estradiol) for another week (until the end of eight weeks gestation). Starting week nine, next Friday, I will no longer be shovelling down Estrace three times a day and inserting Endometrin twice a day. I suspect that the deletion of these prescription hormones from my life may make me feel less awful, but who knows.

I tried calling the doctor who my sister used for her pregnancy, but he was already gone for the weekend, and their voicemail doesn't take messages, so I suppose I'll be calling on Monday to try to get my first appointment with a pregnancy doctor. Dr. Hudson says that I should see one before my next appointment with him, as soon as I can.

My husband told one of the nurses at the Victoria Fertility Centre, as he held up the three printed pictures of our baby from the ultrasound that this was the best birthday gift that he could ever remember. I agree.

One of the printouts from the ultrasound today. The fetus' heartbeat can be seen at the bottom.