Positive Pregnancy Test: When to Celebrate

So the day is here. You made it through the ‘two-week wait’ from ovulation to pregnancy test time. Throughout this time you have spent worrying if the test is negative or positive and probably has caused you stress and anxiety and at this point, you are just ready to hear the results. Your doctor’s office calls and tells you the good news: you’re pregnant! From the day you get the first positive test, you have a road of hurdles and milestones to reach before delivering a healthy baby.

Depending on where you are in your fertility journey, this might be the first positive pregnancy test and you and your partner are over the moon and ready to tell the family! But for other couples, this could be the third or fourth positive test and its hard to get excited when the anxiety falls over that this pregnancy will end like the other ones.

What to Expect in your First Trimester

At Center for Reproductive Care, our physician follows patients very closely in the first trimester of pregnancy. Once you have your first positive HCG level, you’ll continue to come in frequently for blood work and ultrasound, first to determine if your pregnancy hormones are rising appropriately, and then later on, to determine the location and normal development of the pregnancy to establish fetal viability. An ultrasonographer can normally detect fetal heartbeat between 5 ½ – 6 weeks of pregnancy.

Transiting From Fertility Specialist to an OB-GYN

Once fetal heart is established, your appointments are scheduled once a week until the end of your first trimester. We recommend that you set up your first visit with your OB-GYN at the 10 week mark so there’s overlap between your first visit with your OB and your last visit with our office before you ‘graduate’ to your OB full-time.

Mental Health Post Delivery: Postpartum Signs 

More than 3 million US cases of postpartum are diagnosed each year.  Symptoms of postpartum might include  insomnia, loss of appetite, intense irritability, and difficulty bonding with the baby. Dealing with postpartum for new mothers, especially mothers who have been through fertility battles, can be paired with a feeling of guilt and denial. Postpartum does not mean you are ungrateful for your beautiful miracle, but instead your body has been through hormonal changes and if you feel like you could be going through postpartum, ask for help and talk to your doctor or loved ones.

Though it’s a long road, our physician, nurses, and staff are with our patients each step of the way to provide support in any way we can. We miss all our patients once they leave us, but know that hopefully the next time we see them, they’ll be showing off the bundle of joy we helped create.