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I’m writing this because it’s not only my story to share. I was also talking to other moms and moms-to-be who’ve gone through similar experiences and felt as lost as I did. Sometimes when you don’t know what to do, keeping the flame of hope alive and trusting your motherly instincts can work wonders.
My story goes back to nearly two years ago. My husband and I had been trying. And after a few attempts, we got the good news we wanted!
But to be absolutely sure the news was good and true, I decided to take a beta hCG test rather than an at-home pregnancy test kit in my fourth week. Being a doctor, I knew the hCG results would be more reliable and accurate, confirming the best news I had heard in a while!
And it turned out exactly as I expected! And wanted. The result was 186. The pregnancy was on! Since we had opted for an IUI (intrauterine insemination), I was very confident of my dates. So I called up my gynecologist and booked an appointment for my fifth week.
A baby. I was having a baby!
I really couldn’t be happier!
But little did I know then that my sunny days of happiness were about to be eclipsed under dark clouds of doubt and uncertainty.
When I went for my appointment, I was in for a rude shock. After the sonography, the doctor told me that he couldn’t find my gestational sac. Stressed as I was, he asked me to perform another hCG and then come back.
So I did as I was told. Now the thing with an hCG is, it indicates a healthy pregnancy. If it doubles in 48 days, you can be sure your pregnancy is on the right track. When I measured mine again, it came to 1500. There was no doubt that I was having a healthy baby.
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The relief that had washed over me didn’t last long. After three days, I went for my next checkup, and the result was the same. After performing a vaginal scan, the doc still couldn’t locate my gestational sac. He told us it might be a tubal pregnancy and suggested surgery for the same. But I wasn’t convinced. So we decided to visit a radiologist for sonograms.
The very next day, we went to a radiologist. The sonogram detected the sac and confirmed it wasn’t a tubal pregnancy. My baby and I were fine! I could finally breathe a sigh of relief again! Or so I thought.
In the next ten days, I had another USG due to check up on the baby’s heartbeat and if this pregnancy was viable. To my dismay, the radiologist could not detect my baby’s heartbeat.
At that point, I felt like the world was playing a cruel joke on me.
But I wasn’t going to take this. I had opted for a second opinion before, trusting my instincts, and it had proved me right. And I was determined this time would yield the same result. I took another hCG blood test and discovered it had increased. My baby was growing. My gynecologist prescribed hCG 5000 injections for two weeks and suggested repeat use.
The next 15 days were the hardest and the longest of my life. Though I tried to be optimistic, gloom took over in bursts, leading to tears I couldn’t control.
Soon the eighth week arrived, and it was time for another USG. And this time, lady luck was finally on my side. Cardiac activity had been detected! My baby was alive and kicking! The timing was off by a couple of weeks, but my pregnancy was healthy and in full swing. And today, I have a 9-month old angel to be grateful for.
The moral of the story? There’s a chance it can happen to you, too (god forbid). If it ever does, don’t give up hope. Trust your motherly instincts and take that second opinion. Doctors can be wrong, too, sometimes.
