Pregnant and Scared!!!

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I've been a lurker for a long time, but I really need some help. I

just found out I'm pregnant this last Tuesday. It could be only 4

weeks, but there's a strong possibility it's 8 since my period in

April was VERY light. I have one 12 cm fibroid (on the outside of my

uterus), I 4cm internal, and several tiny ones. I can now feel the

12cm beginning to grow, and I can actually feel the 4cm for the first

time so it must be growing too. I'm so scared. I want this baby so

badly, but I'm terrified that all this growth will make it

impossible. My doctors won't see me 'til June 2nd, and I'm just at

the end of my rope. How can I wait 3 weeks while my fibroids seem to

be growing overnight?

I just don't know what to do. My belly is already hard and big like

I'm 4 months pregnant, but it's just the growing fibroids. I'm

starting to get pain from the 12 cm one, and it's just so congested

and uncomfortable. Is it really even possible for me to have a baby

in this environment? My doctor said it would be fine, but now I don't

believe her. I feel so betrayed by my body.

I don't want a big scary emergency-filled pregnancy. But I have the

feeling that's what we're in for. I wanted this more than anything,

and now I keep feeling like it was such a crappy decision... God,

what do I do?

Sorry for the long email...

Liz

[Guest guest]

If I were you, I would insist to see the doctor sooner!!! Get on

the cancelation list or find another doctor right away.

> I just don't know what to do. My belly is already hard and big

like I'm 4 months pregnant, but it's just the growing fibroids. I'm

> starting to get pain from the 12 cm one, and it's just so

congested and uncomfortable. Is it really even possible for me to have a

baby in this environment? My doctor said it would be fine, but now I

don't believe her. I feel so betrayed by my body.

[Guest guest]

That's wonderful news! I was scared when I found I was pregnant, too. My fibroid

was 6 cm at the start of the pregnancy and 13 cm when my daughter was born.

Within three months after her birth, it went down to 11 cm and stayed there

until I had a myomectomy. My fibroid was on a stalk outside my uterus.

In addition to my fibroid, I was worried about the risked posed by my age (I was

38) and my in utero exposure to DES. I was so anxious that I couldn't even

imagine that the pregnancy would be successful, and I couldn't make an

emotional investment in hoping for a healthy baby at the end of it. So I just

took it one week at a time and tried not to get my hopes up too much.

Throughout most of the first trimester, was so nervous that I couldn't even

read pregnancy books. Once in a while, I'd go to the bookstore and start

browsing through them, but I'd get so overwhelmed by all the possible

complications that I had to stop looking. But somehow, as each monthly checkup

brought good news, I started to relax more. The turning point was when I had my

second ultrasound, which was done during the 17th week. Just being able to see

all of the baby at once--tossing and turning, waving to us, and wriggling her

toes--somehow made it all seem within our reach. We did have a scare with the

Triple Screen Test, which indicated a 1 in 30 chance of Down's Syndrome, but

the amniocentesis showed there were no chromosomal abnormalities.

During the second and third trimesters, I was much less nervous about the

outcome. I relaxed the most after I passed the 27-week mark, which is when

babies start having a good chance of surviving if they're premature. This was

an important turning point for me, because there was a greater risk of

premature labor as the result of my DES exposure (which often causes an

incompetent cervix) and my fibroid.

Some fibroids cause discomfort throughout a pregnancy, while others cause

discomfort through only part of the pregnancy. It can depend on the size and

location of your fibroid, which may change as your uterus grows. My fibroid

caused the most discomfort during the first trimester. It felt like a rod in my

abdomen. But as my uterus grew, my fibroid moved to the left and stopped being

so uncomfortable. I did still have some moments of discomfort in the later

stages of the pregnancy, but they weren't as constant as early on. I hope that

your fibroid, like mine, becomes less uncomfortable as your pregnancy

progresses.

I started out seeing an obstetrician and switched to midwives in my third

trimester. All of them told me that they've had many patients who've had

successful pregnancies despite their fibroids. I know how hard it is to relax

and enjoy your pregnancy when you feel like you have so much stacked against

you, but it is important to try not to dwell on the risks too much.

In my case, the risks turned out to be inconsequential. Not only did I not go

into premature labor, but I had my daughter 16 days late.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy pregnancy.

Cheryl

e_m_snyder e_m_snyder@...> wrote:

>I'm so scared. I want this baby so

> badly, but I'm terrified that all this growth will make it

> impossible. My doctors won't see me 'til June 2nd, and I'm just at

> the end of my rope. How can I wait 3 weeks while my fibroids seem to

> be growing overnight?

>

[Guest guest]

First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! I wish you the

best. If, however, you feel uncomfortable waiting until 6/2 for

your doctor's appointment, can't you either tell them you feel it's

an emergency -or- look into changing your ob/gyn to someone who

might have a sooner available appointment? Perhaps if you give us

the name of the city you live in, one of the LOLs can recommend a

few good ob/gyns you might try, to calm you concerns. Again, best

of luck to you, Edie from NY

-----------------------------------------

> e_m_snyder wrote:

> >I'm so scared. I want this baby so

> > badly, but I'm terrified that all this growth will make it

> > impossible. My doctors won't see me 'til June 2nd, and I'm just

at

> > the end of my rope. How can I wait 3 weeks while my fibroids

seem to

> > be growing overnight?

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi

First of all don't panic! As I understand it, many women go through

pregnancies with fibroids and they don't cause problems for everyone.

If you are unlucky and the positions of the fibroids do cause

problems, it's a situation gynaecologists must surely deal with often

and will have experience of tackling. Fibroids are very common.

Is there someone else suitably qualified that can see you in the

meantime to discuss it if noone will bring the appointments forward

for you?

You could try the ttc myomectomy Yahoo forum for advice or the newly

formed Fibroids and fertility. Also have a look on Dr. 's

website about this topic.

I know doctors can make mistakes , but I don't think a doctor would

say everything will be fine too casually. They have to be very

careful not to mislead patients one way or another, and causing

upsets.

Good luck with your appointments Liz

Aztek

[Guest guest]

Hi Liz,

Congratulations! I just wanted to send a quick note

to let you know I too was very scared when I became pg

with all my growing fibroids (I had at least 8 large

ones and some smaller ones as well). One was growing

inside the wall of the uterus with the baby. Any

problems I had with my pg due to the fibroids were

only felt by me and did not affect the baby. As a

matter of fact she was 8 lbs 1 oz. at 37 weeks when I

had her via c-section and she was completely healthy!

Good luck with everything and keep posting any

questions you may have. I did throughout my entire pg

and got lots of helpful advice and support from the

people on this site.