Second SCH, Second Trimester
Weeks 11-14 were bleed free, cramp free, and relatively worry-free (all things considered). So I “relaxed” a little the weekend before Halloween and walked out of the house to the edge of the front yard to sit and watch the Costume Parade (about 400 kids parade through the neighborhood). We then drove around the corner and I sat with my feet up at my brother-in-law’s for dinner. That Sunday night I started bleeding (brown blood, sorry for TMI but in SCH talk, brown blood is old so it means the bleed is not fresh, which could indicate the SCH is exiting the body)
I reached out to the nurse on call and she said she wasn’t worried but that I should go in for my peace of mind, so I went in that afternoon with Dave and Phoebe. We saw a beating heart and moving baby, which was such reassurance. We haven’t told Phoebe that I’m carrying a baby, but she knows what a baby looks like in an ultrasound pic, and she immediately pointed up at the screen and said “baby!” Meanwhile, when she looks at my growing belly and I say what’s in there, she replies “stuff”.
It is so difficult to have a calm pregnancy after multiple losses in the past, and present bleeding - fresh or old. I’ve found that keeping busy is key to avoiding getting sucked in to negative thought patterns. I’ve also found that starting each day by reading a portion of the Bible has been a huge blessing. The week that I didn’t, I noticed my anxiety increasing. One other thing I’ve been doing is listening to worship music which has been helpful in keeping my mind in a good place. Christmas music in November has also lifted my spirits!
Weeks 14-18 have consisted of constant bleeding, but it has been brown, so I’m telling myself that it should be a good thing and possibly means the hematoma is slowly exiting my body. The location of this SCH is right by the cervix, so thankfully it is not disturbing the placenta.
The remainder of my second trimester went through relatively uneventful. I had a 23 week appointment on December 26th and my boxing day gift was to resume ADLs (Activities of Daily Living). This meant I was off bedrest, could move back upstairs, and start back at my regular activities. Still no exercising or heavy lifting though. That being said, we had been aiming to start potty training our 2 year old during Dave’s break from school so this news was extremely helpful in that regard!! I will work on linking the helpful potty training items that we used as we really thought it was going to be a lot more challenging than it was, but with the right preparation and supplies we were in business!
Coming off bedrest was not without its challenges. I found my back getting very sore very quickly, and my legs felt the burn after going up and down stairs, but it’s all part of regaining that muscle and I’m glad I have a trimester left to get some strength back!
