Ectopic

Do I look pregnant? (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Ectopic, Postpartum, Question, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 18 Comments

Hi Im really confused at this point and just want some honest opinions. I believe in “intuition” so somebody go there if you will. :)

Im a mother of 3..I had a tubal ligation in 1997 and I became pregnant again in 1999, it was ectopic and ended in surgery. I have not been worried about being pregnant again until now..I was told I had a cyst on my ovaries a few times..some very small ones but they cant ever really be sure if it was a permanent cyst or due to ovulation because both images were taken a few days before my cycle. Other than that I dont have any known conditions.

My question today is do I look pregnant or do you think I have something else causing great swelling. My stomach has continually grown over the last few months. I have taken several pics just to monitor it all but Im about to go crazy:) No positive urine test, although I had a very faint line one time I also had some opk tests which I used recently over a period of 3 days and all gave a line which I am told can sometimes detect hcg, I had an ultrasound earlier this month, it was the fastest one I ever had so I cant be positive she didnt miss anything but its said nothing was seen. The doctor noted my uterine lining was thicker than normal but could of been due to my cycle coming. I have not missed any cycles they have shortened and been less though. I have all other pregnancy symptoms such as bigger breast, heart burn, movement (quickening), cravings, tired and urinated like crazy (a few months ago), my hips have spread, and most of all I got a growing abdomen and a “crooked” darkened linea negra?

I would conclude this all in my head if only there was no movement, and no growing abdomen..So please anyone take a look and all ideas are welcome. The first pic is today 6/21/2010 The second pic is a combination of how my stomach looked in november 09 or so and 5/2010, and the last one is a few days ago 6/17. If anyone feels I am pregnant Im interested in why or how far u think ect?

My Body Take 3 (Emma)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breastfeeding, Breasts, Child Loss, Ectopic, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 14 Comments

I don’t think I have much to say, I am 22 years old and have three gorgeous sons, Jacob age 5 years, Benjamin age 3 years and Arthur who is 8 days old :-) Here I am with the youngest at 8 days post-partum. I felt incredibly empowered and attractive when I took these photos, and I chose not to edit them at all. You can see stretch marks from all three pregnancies on my stomach, hips and breasts, and surgery scars from the ectopic pregnancy. Also featured are self-harm scars from my teenage years. It took me a long time to love my body like this, but I wouldn’t have it any other way now.

young 22 year old mother of 3, soon to be 4 in need of advice (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Cesarean, Child Loss, Ectopic, No Photos (Story Only), Question, Submissions 26 Comments

I am a 22 year old mother of 3, soon to be 4. I am now 20 wks preganant. I am having very mixed emotions. This is my seventh pregnancy. I was 14 when i miscarried twins. i had my oldest daughter at 16, she is now 5. My second is 4 and my youngest just made 1. Yes, all girls!!! But they are so beautiful and fun. They were all born by c-section. I am a little bitter about that becuase my doctor never really let me know why my first was scheduled i was only a day overdue and i didn’t even get the chance to be induced. I have had a total of 3 miscarrages, one which was ectopic( where my left tube was removed). So I have been cut in the same spot four times already. i am really scared about having a fourth c-section being that my youngest will only be 18 months on my scheduled delivery date. i know every womans body is different, but I hemmoraged with my last. i am soo worried right now. I actually contemplated getting an abortion. My kids father wasn’t really supportive of having another child at the begining because he believes that i am already stressed out and he worries that he will be left to take care of our three daughters if something were to go wrong. But I just want to believe that this is all part of God’s plan for me. I can’t honestly say that i am excited because we are having financial problems and our house is going into foreclosure. My husband really doesn’t keep a steady job and he isn’t really much help when it comes to domestic duties. i am trying hard not to stress out but i can’t help it. i really love my girls they are so beautiful and talented but i cry when i think of losing them. I know I probably sound dramatic but with my last they told me not to have anymore only i was too young to get my tubes tide. i feel so lost right now i feel like i can’t control my emotions. I don’t want to say that i am depressed but i don’t feel like myself these days. It’s really as though I don’t even know who I am. My whole life is centered around my kids i don’t go out, i’ve never been to a club and i don’t have friends. Don’t get me wrong dress-up and tea parties are going to always be great but i just want to know who I am outside of being a good mother. It doesn’t help that people constanly tell me how I look 16 and I’m only a baby what am i doing with all these babies. But I don’t regret them. I just want to define myself outside of my house. I just feel so alone. Does anyone have any type of advice for me?

Ripened by Pregnancy (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Breasts, Child Loss, Ectopic, Pregnant, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 13 Comments

Before I got pregnant I was a very petite person. I used to worry about whether I’d manage to “stay pretty” during pregnancy, keep my weight gain reasonable, avoid stretch marks, etc. But the first time I became pregnant, unfortunately, it was an ectopic and the diagnosis was missed. The pregnancy in my left fallopian tube ruptured, I lost my tube and very nearly my life. After that reality check, I didn’t care so much about having a beautiful pregnancy – I just wanted to have a healthy one, that I could carry to completion without dying. I conceived again only months after the surgery but had an early miscarriage. We started to think it just wasn’t going to happen. I have a vivid memory of lying on a hospital gurney holding my husband’s hand, sobbing, apologizing for my apparent inability to give him the thing I know he has always wanted so very much…a child. The first photo below was taken at 6 weeks pregnant, when it was confirmed that the third time’s a charm…we had an embryo in the uterus where it belonged. It was a miracle! The egg had come from my left ovary, where we could see the corpus luteum on ultrasound, and navigated all the way across and through the remaining right-side fallopian tube into the uterus. I took the picture to document my pre-pregnancy body, hoping that this time instead of suffering a loss I would actually get as big and round as a healthy pregnant woman should. The second photo was at 36.5 weeks, just barely before my boy arrived. I love the round fullness of every curve, even though it’s never going back the way it was before…the new softness of my body is proof that it can do what it’s supposed to. No matter whether it ever becomes firm or lean again, or whether my boobs droop halfway to my knees when we stop breastfeeding, my husband and I are both grateful for the gift of a son. I love what my body has finally achieved, and will wear its new colors and shapes with happiness.