I am 8w1d and felt a series of sharp pains in my uterus this morning. I was concerned and told my husband, but decided to go to work. At work I started having the pains again as soon as I got there so called my doctor's office and was able to get in with the Nurse Practitioner. She knows my history of miscarriage of my first pregnancy, cholestasis and preclampsia in my second, and my advanced maternal age (40 in a couple weeks) this time around. She sent me to get an ultrasound and also asked that I get an appointment with the specialist I saw during my last pregnancy for next week so they can help monitor me more closely.

My husband went with me to the appointments and held my hand tight as we got the ultrasound. I immediately saw the baby but couldn't tell I'd there was a heartbeat. (Background: we had our first ultrasound this Monday and baby was measuring exactly on time and heartbeat was strong at 152). The ultrasound technician was just so nice and comforting without saying anything really but it made a difference as we were so nervous. She checked everything like my ovaries and placenta before checking on the baby (which she told us she would do so we werent panicking) and finally we saw the baby and she said there is your baby and then I finally saw the heartbeat at 169. Talk about relief! She shared the ultrasounds with the doctor and said everything is normal. She said that I should make sure to drink lots of water because the uterus can cramp because of dehydration. She also said that since the uterus is growing it isn't uncommon to feel pains and cramping.

Here are my ultrasounds this week:

Monday (Transvaginal):

Today (Friday):

When she measured the CRL I saw that the measurement actually was 8w3d so feeling comfortable that baby is growing even after just four days.

Wishing all you mamas comfort and peace in your first trimester. Trying times for sure!