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Freaking out about discolored discharge (sorry, probably TMI)
Monday morning I noticed some discolored discharge. It was a pale brown. I called my doctor and spoke with the nurse. She told me I could come in that morning if I wanted (I was suppose to come in on Thursday), so I of course said I'd be right there. Transvaginal u/s showed everything was fine. Heartbeat was seen. No bleeding found and the discharge had turned back to white/clear. Then yesterday morning I wake up with more brownish discharge, this time it is more and a lot darker. It doesn't go away. I call my doctor again and speak with the nurse. She tells me this is normal, but to call back if it persists. It lasts all day. I call my doctor on her after hours number on my way home from yesterday evening. She also says it is ok and that everything looked fine the day before. She also says if it is blood, there is nothing to be done. She suggests maybe stop running for a few days and see if that makes any difference. It gets lighter in color throughout the evening and I'm starting to feel relieved. Then this morning it's back, brown discharge. I know both the nurse and doctor said it is ok but I am completely flipping out. Has anyone ever experienced this?? Am I crazy if I demand to go back in and get checked out again?? When she saw me on Monday it had dissipated, so she never actually saw the brown discharge. I'm just nervous that it's back and not dissipating.
Thanks for reading and please send and t&ps you can spare.
Re: Freaking out about discolored discharge (sorry, probably TMI)
The nurse is right-it can be very normal. Brown discharge is old blood, probably left over from a prior period. New blood is bright red. And she is also right that if something is going wrong there is nothing that can be done. I know that sucks to hear, as I have certainly been there and tried to find ways to stop the inevitable. But unfortunately, if that is the case, it is inevitable and cannot be stopped at this point.
But like I said, brown discharge is old blood, not new. You just saw the baby and there was no discernible reason for the discharge.
Lesson #1 in pregnancy: it is a true lesson in patience. It's a long 40 weeks. There will be moments of concern. Sometimes it is reasonable to act on those concerns. Sometimes it just needs to be waited out, maybe until you get some sign of relief at home, maybe until your next appt. dr appts are four weeks apart until you get towards the end, so there is a lot of down time. I certainly encourage calling the nurses line if there is some true concern, that's what they are there for. But there are also times to give it a few hours or a few days, especially if the office has just accommodated you between appts to give you peace of mind.
Relax. Why not do some reading on early pregnancy so that you can have a better idea as to what you can expect, or potentially expect. That way you will be educated and prepared. A lot of weird and scary things happen to our bodies while pregnant. This probably won't be the first instance that you find yourself freaked out over what is happening.
Drink lots of water, and try to relax. Hoping that it's nothing!
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I have always spotted brown and even red around the 6-7 week mark (and if I remember correctly, you are in that ballpark). I have had two healthy first trimesters and two non-viable ones.
You saw the heartbeat, you need to take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Brown spotting is very, very, very common. If it changes to red, I think you have the right to be more concerned, however it is likly still ok after you've seen the heartbeat.
Oh, and stop googling. Consider reading a book like "Your Pregnancy: Week by Week" which I found helpfel in my first pregnancy for outlining what to expect without naming all the possible complications. Good luck
TTC#1 July 2010 PCOS dx April 2011 DS born: February 21, 2012
TTC#2 June 2013 MMC Sept 2013 (partial molar), CP 02/2014 DS2 born: December 5, 2014