Out, damned spot!
11 weeks into our pregnancy – and not quite 1 week into DazedDad.com – I’m quickly realizing that it’s hard to know how much to share with others (and with the interwebs) when it comes to how things are going, complications with the pregnancy, etc. I asked Sarah about sharing this and she was okay with it. The last week has not been a fun one for us.
Tuesday morning, Sarah woke up with a lot of bleeding and we immediately called Kaiser and tried not to freak out too much. We went in for an ultrasound and they showed us the babies, the strong heartbeats and everything looked normal and okay…except for the bleeding. It continued for the rest of the day, although it lessened as evening approached.
Since then, we’ve learned that almost 80% of women experience mild to severe bleeding at some point in the pregnancy, and that it is normal. Normal? Well then why wouldn’t anyone mention that before hand? To say that it was a scary situation is to put it mildly. I am very thankful for the 24/7 Kaiser Advice Nurses who have been present for situations like this.
Sarah had no bleeding at all on Wednesday and all day Thursday, until around 9pm last night, when we had a repeat of the Tuesday morning incident. Again…absolutely a scary situation. Luckily it has shown me that in situations like this, adrenaline kicks in for me and I have no problem at all dealing with blood. This is interesting because if I try to read things about medical conditions online, or read about bleeding and pregnancy, I start to get really woozy.
At any rate – we just had another ultrasound this morning and again, we saw the babies alive and well, kicking and moving and hearts beating. Seeing those ultrasounds allows us to breathe a deep sigh of relief – but the frustration surrounding why Sarah is experiencing this continues. We are on our way to another ultrasound right now for a more detailed examination, and maybe we will get some answers then.
Complications this early are extremely frustrating. Being pregnant with twins alone already makes you get labeled as a “high risk pregnancy” – and these additional complications are making for a really rough week. We have some wonderful support from our church family here in Livermore, but it’s still difficult.
And it’s very interesting to see how having a scare like that begins to affect you. On Tuesday morning we walked out of our appointment and ran into someone from Livermore that we know who is pregnant, but I don’t think she knows we are pregnant. We said hi, but that was all. I didn’t tell her we were pregnant. It’s almost as though the scare made me apprehensive of telling more people in case something goes wrong.
It doesn’t make any sense – we’ve seen the ultrasounds – the babies are totally healthy and everything is completely normal with them. But when you experience the two scary situations that we’ve experienced, it adds a new dimension to the excitement of being pregnant. It certainly makes you think even more about the precious fragility of life, even life that is still in the womb.
We’d certainly appreciate your prayers and kind thoughts as we deal with some of these early complications.
sending so much love to you and the baby cleakers. you’re doing everything you can do to take care of those little ones…hang in there.
Adam,
Thinking about you and Sarah during this time. I can relate…. I was nervous (and still am at 31 weeks) when anything “out of the ordinary” happened. It’s a precious time for you guys and your little twins. Praying for you all during this time and hoping all is well. Thank goodness for advice nurses (and ultrasounds!)
Thanks LeAnn! Advice nurses are good and ultrasounds are even better. When we see those miniature legs kicking around and see those heartbeats….that’s awesome.
Adam, I met you at Montreat a year ago and follow you via fb and your blogs. I want you to know I’m praying for you and sarah and the two little Cleakers. My two are 9 and 11 now, but I still worry at every complication that occurs. This year alone we’ve had sprained ankles and a tonsillectomy. Life is so precious and for me, being a parent has been a reminder to treasure every moment of such an amazing miracle — little people and life. Sounds kind of trite, but when you’re a parent, even a parent of two in the womb, it’s anything but trite. It’s the most amazing thing in the world. Thank you for your vulnerability and honesty. And may God’s peace overwhelm you.
Thank you so much Katie!
Adam – sometimes there aren’t answers – clear ones, or immediate – when scary things happen in pregnancies. Reading and asking questions can help, and can complicate/confuse with info overload – that old two edge swoard. My thougths and prayers are with you and Sarah as you live into, and through, what this expereince is and will be for your family.
Sarah
Reading things hasn’t been that helpful – but we’ve received many notes from friends who have experienced similar things – which HAS been hugely helpful. But you’re right…we have to watch out for the two edged sword.
Totally keeping you all in my prayers!
Thanks Charles – that means a lot! Any chance you’re taking the Matthew class with Park? I am. Yay for Tuesday night classes up in San Anselmo (hell of a commute!)
That is so stressful! I’m hoping that Sarah feels better — I know this is fairly common and many of my girlfriends have experienced it, and had a healthy pregnancy . When is Sarah due? I’m due March 3rd so I think it’s around the same time?
Thanks Jenny – we definitely appreciate the prayers. Sarah’s due date is March 17 – but they say twins can come about 3 weeks early (generally) and even earlier sometimes. So, yah – we will be having kids around the same time. Crazy! And fun….and scary! And all of that!
Just wanted to share that I had a completely uneventful pregnancy with my daughter, but this one (31 weeks with twins) has had a million complications. I had spotting in the 1st trimester too. It is unbelievably stressful. It resolved on its own and the babies are doing great! Hang in there!
Amy – thanks for those words. I’m really sorry that you’ve been having complications a as well – but it is reassuring to know that we’re not the only ones dealing with some frustrating times during this pregnancy.