The Roller Coaster: Seeing Red

This is the second post in a special bi-weekly series.  It's a sequel to The Longest Weekend of My Life series.  Please check back next Saturday for Part 3.


Part 2: Seeing Red

Thursday morning I noticed a slight brown tinge in my underwear when I went to the bathroom. I thought “OK, it could be nothing. Stay calm. Just watch and wait.” I pushed it to the back of my mind and went about my day. Later that afternoon however, I noticed blood, like the start of a period. I said to my husband (who was in the other room) “I'm bleeding” and he said “You're calling the doctor right now!”

I didn't want to call the doctor. In my mind I was telling myself that bleeding in pregnancy can be normal and harmless, and there was no reason to panic. Even as I thought this, my mind was also reminding me that bleeding during pregnancy was NOT normal for me! I had never had a period or any bleeding whatsoever during pregnancy before. I'd had 5 completely normal, uncomplicated pregnancies, with no bleeding! If it had been a stand-alone occurrence, without the events of the previous weekend, I might not have been so worried. However, with the situation I was in I didn't know what to think. I really didn't want to overreact and end up going through pointless tests and procedures for something that could be nothing. I also didn't want to be negligent and think it was nothing, only to have it turn into SOMETHING.

I started to dial my OB's office. My husband said “Are you calling the midwife?” I hung up and said “I don't know”, but I thought it was a good idea. I called my midwife's home and was told she was gone but could be reached on her cell phone. She answered and I explained the situation . She calmly told me that it could be nothing. She said that if it was time for my expected period I could just simply have the period and be fine. She said “You could still be pregnant, and it's safe to assume so unless you have reason to believe otherwise.”  She then said that she was at a prenatal appointment and asked if she could call me back in about an hour. I agreed, thanked her, and said goodbye.

Then I thought “What in the world did THAT mean?” I hoped she would call back and could explain things a little more clearly.

Part 1: Looking Up

Part 2: Seeing Red

Part 3: Malaise

Part 4: Possibilities

Part 5: Break Down

Part 6: Support

Part 7: Perspective

Part 8: Normal?

Part 9: Hindsight

Part 10: Shift

Part 11: Empty