Annnnnnd, we have a gestational sack!

Though I am a mere 5 weeks/2 days along, this morning I found myself at my first ultrasound. My OB prescribed it when she learned I was having pains in my upper left arm. Shoulder pain, it turns out, is a symptom of ectopic pregnancy, and even though it was a long shot, she (and I) wanted to be safe. I've spent the past 5 days getting various tests to check it out.

The Bloodwork: As a precursor to the ultrasound, my OB had me take two blood tests 48 hours apart. She wanted to determine whether my HGC levels were rising at a rate typical of a healthy pregnancy. My levels were at 1600 units on Wednesday and at 4800 by Friday. The Nurse Practitioner(NP) called me on Friday to let me know that was a good sign. That meant I spent the weekend being a little less nervous about today.

The Ultrasound Experience: I was instructed to show up with my bladder full (and was happy they took me on time!). I'd had breast and thyroid ultrasounds before, and the belly one was pretty much like those: warm gel on my skin to help the wand glide as it emitted subtle sound waves I could sense. The technician did the belly one first, but at 5 weeks it was hard to see much with the belly test alone.

...which is how I ended up with a vaginal ultrasound to round out the exam. This one was much different :) But a lot more sensitive and effective in showing the embryo in early pregnancy. So I sucked it up and climbed into the stirrups to see what we could see.

The Good News: We could see the gestational sack--it was black and shaped like a kidney bean and astonishingly clear and discernable in a sea of white. Inside the little bean (taking up ~5% of its mass) clinging to the top left wall was a whitish blur that the technician identified as the yolk sack. That it was visible was a good sign. The technician checked my ovaries and said they looked healthy. since the pregnancy was visible in my uterus, there is no more fear of an ectopic.

The Somewhat Disappointing News: Most women can hear the heartbeat between 5 and 7 weeks. I know I'm only at the beginning of 5 but I had hoped, hoped, hoped, but no dice...yet. The technician wanted me to come back in next week for a follow-up but I'll be doing the family vacation thing on the east coast. Now I need to wait two weeks, 'til Monday the 4th, to do an ultrasound again. By then, we should be able to hear the heartbeat loud and clear!

Confession: It has been nerve-wracking to have to worry about complications so early in the pregnancy. To be honest, I don't know how I'm going to handle the next 8 months of worrying about random aches and pains. On the other hand, this false alarm has afforded me the ability to get a "sneak previw" of my baby! My OB's "pregnancy confirmation" appointment isn't scheduled for another three weeks and i may well have driven myself crazy worrying about aches and pains until then. ::sigh::

Thanks for all the support so far! I appreciate all your comments and well-wishes as you hope, right along with us, for the best!