The First Heartache

In March 2001 we were pregnant with our first child - We could not believe it!    I went right to the bookstore and bought the Pregnancy Week by Week book.  The 7 week ultrasound appointment was coming up.  On that day I felt special sitting in the waiting room.  I never had any kind of ultrasound before.   As I laid down  for the procedure I was so excited - what would I be able to see?  The tech started scanning and reviewing the image on the screen, she was quiet.  I could see what looked like a bubble - but nothing else.    She tried to get other angles, but then excused herself for a minute.  She returned with another person - perhaps an MD but I dont know.  He repeated her process and both remained quiet.  I dont remember what they told me.  I left and waited for my OB to call me.   I thought there was supposed to be a heartbeat at this point.... When I arrived home my mom came to deliver flowers.  They were beautiful - but I was not happy.  The next 10 days or so are a blur.  The ultrasound showed an amniotic sac - but nothing else.  Dr Balfour wanted me to take blood tests to monitor my prenancy hormone level.  They went down instead of rapidly increasing.  After several tests and another ultrasound it was determined that I had a "blighted ovum", which is a fertilized egg that attaches itself to the uterus and forms the sac - but no embryo.   So we made an appointment for me to have a D and C surgery instead of waiting for the the miscarriage to happen.  After I received the official call at work I went to the bathroom and cried.