Journey Couple Kirstie and Chris Share Devastating News.
I stayed off work during the 2 week wait in the hope that this would help me relax and make sure my body was ready for the implanting embryo. I have been through the 2 week wait twice before so it was nothing new.
I resisted any temptations to do any stick pregnancy tests at home. We were both feeling quite positive and really hoping we would get our first ever positive pregnancy test!
On 19th April I had my blood test done. The results came back around lunch time and we could not believe it – it was positive! We were pregnant for the first time ever. It was the happiest moment in our lives.
Our dream had finally come true and nothing could stop us feeling so happy. We knew it was early days but we just could not help feeling so excited. Another 2 blood tests over the next week showed the beta level was increasing as it should. We booked our first early ultrasound scan for 8th May.
On the day of the first scan we were feeling so nervous but of course very excited also to see our baby for the first time. The clinic advised us at this stage the baby measurement should be around 7 weeks.
The good news at the scan was that we saw the heartbeat for the first time. It was an absolutely incredible feeling – we knew that was our baby with a good strong heartbeat. The only slight concern was that the measurement was showing as only 6 weeks. The ultrasound clinic urged us not to worry and booked another scan for 7 days later.
We went for the second scan and were feeling really excited again to see our baby and hoping that there had been a good level of growth in the space of a week. Again, we saw the heartbeat but there was concern – baby had not grown at all and was measuring the exact same as the previous week. We were naturally worried about this and the clinic advised us to get another scan in a week.
During the next week it was all we could think about. We thought that maybe the baby’s position was impacting the measurement and also of course at this stage the baby is so small so it must be incredibly hard to measure accurately. I was advised I have a tilted uterus so this could also impact the results.
We booked a scan for 22nd May at our local early pregnancy unit in hospital. We were really hoping for some good news. The doctor started the scan and didn’t speak for a minute or so.
This felt like an hour. She then said it was bad news – she could not find a heartbeat and she was not seeing what she should be at this stage. The baby should have been measuring around 10 weeks but it was now measuring less than 6 weeks and did not have a heartbeat. We were advised in all likelihood we had suffered a silent miscarriage.
It is very hard to describe how we felt that day. The pain and hurt was incredible. We could not stop crying or think about anything else. I still had all the pregnancy symptoms and didn’t have any bleeding at all. Why did this happen? Why us?
The hospital booked another scan the following week and it was confirmed there was still no heartbeat. It was a silent miscarriage, a miscarriage in which there are no symptoms and the baby just stops growing. I was then advised that my best option was to have a D&C procedure to remove the pregnancy tissue.
I went in to the hospital for the procedure 2 days later. I was put to sleep and had to stay in the hospital for the full morning. Afterwards, I had some heavy bleeding and quite intense pain which lasted a week.
We could not put into words how heartbroken we are. We have come so far on this journey, 2 failed transfers and on our 3rd transfer we finally got our positive test. We were so happy. It is still so hard to believe that this has happened and we have lost our baby. We will never get over it. The amount we have been through together and we are still only 25 years old, it is so sad. There are no embryos left at the clinic in Greece as all 4 were used on the 2 transfers.
Our journey is over for now as we cannot financially afford treatment. That was why we entered the competition. We don’t really know what to do now. All we know is that we will not give up. We truly believe one day our dream WILL come true. We just don’t know how.
Mediterranean Fertility Institute have kindly provide Fertility Road with a free IVF cycle for Kirstie & Chris.
