The first 4-8 weeks of being pregnant were an absolute roller coaster. And I wish I could’ve been spared some of the drama.
But I am just filled with so much gratitude and happiness and am excited for this new chapter and sharing my experience!
Finding out I am Pregnant at 4 Weeks Pregnant
When the two lines appeared on the pregnancy test, I couldn’t have been more surprised. Even though we were trying for a baby, I did not think it actually happened in this cycle. We had visitors, were traveling, and I had a surgery on the day of ovulation. It didn’t help that I ovulated two weeks later than what would be normal.
I was scheduled for a fertility consultation a month later. Having PCOS, I needed hormonal help to ovulate regularly and get pregnant and therefore received letrozole 2 years ago. You can read more about my letrozole pregnancy success story here.
So when my period did not come, I grabbed a pregnancy test and sure enough, two lines appeared. And we couldn’t have been happier.
Early Signs of Pregnancy at 3-4 Weeks Pregnant
Increased Discharge
When I got pregnant with our first baby, there was one sign that only happened in that cycle, and it did happen again this time around. Which is lots of discharge around 2-3 days after ovulation.
This never happened during the other cycles, only both times I got pregnant. With my first pregnancy, I noticed an unusual amount of discharge for about two to three days, and it was definitely noticeable different. But I hadn’t heard or read anything comparable in forums, so I decided it doesn’t mean anything.
Sure enough though, this cycle I did get pregnant so I remembered to look out for it this time around.
And then it happened again. This time, I almost missed it. Due to the traveling and visitors, I wasn’t able to fully track my ovulation, and I was off by about 4 days (I ovulated later than I thought). So when the discharge happened again, it was about 6 days after I thought I ovulated and only lasted one day.
I did think about it, but also given the timing and that it lasted much shorter I thought maybe that’s not it after all. But when I eventually went to see my OBGYN and learned I ovulated later than I thought, the timing works out once again.
Mild Cramping – Implantation Cramping
The second early sign of pregnancy that made it’s appearance in my first as well as this pregnancy is mild cramping. It is probably what is considered implantation cramping.
It feels like light pulling in the lower abdomen, and could easily be mistaken for period cramping. Because even when I get my period, I start cramping a few days prior so the timing is very similar.
In both pregnancies, the implantation cramping started at about 7-9 days after ovulation. And it did last for a few weeks. In this pregnancy, the day I took the pregnancy test it became more and more apparent, and I felt like I had something heavy sitting in my lower abdomen.
Pregnancy Symptoms and Body Changes – 4-8 Weeks Pregnant
Cramping
In those first few weeks of pregnancy, the only symptom that really made me sure something is happening was the slight cramping. Even after the embryo has finished implantation, I was experiencing light cramping and pulling in my lower abdomen.
I knew not to worry about it, as I remember this happening in my first pregnancy as well, and it being just the ligaments and everything stretching.
Nausea
A new symptom appeared in this pregnancy, which is nausea, and it started when I was about 6 weeks pregnant.
In my first pregnancy, I didn’t really suffer from morning sickness or much nausea at all. I had lots of cravings for unhealthy foods, and there was one or two days where my stomach felt uneasy. But I never experienced true nausea.
In this pregnancy, it was a little different. I never had morning sickness or anything terrible, but I did get incredibly nauseated throughout the day. I could still eat all my foods, but I couldn’t go too long without eating.
Whenever I felt queasy, it helped to always have saltine crackers on hand and lots of water, even right before I went to bed and right after I woke up.
Food Cravings
This time around my cravings for fast food were not as intense as in my first pregnancy.
While I was still really into it, I was also truly enjoying lots of salads and healthy food, lots of fruit. I was just overall happy and lucky that I was able to fully enjoy most if not all foods and eat well-balanced meals.
Moodiness
The symptom that surprised me the most was the moodiness. Once again, very different from my first pregnancy, I was incredibly moody and went from super happy and sweet to bitching all day long.
And this symptom lasted a while, which was a little unfortunate for my husband as he suffered from my mood swings the most.
Fatigue
The pregnancy fatigue set in at about week 6 or 7. I remembered this from my first pregnancy and this is probably the symptom that I dreaded the most. I just felt sleepy all day long, I had zero energy and the second my toddler went down for a nap so did I.
It was not very helpful that I was also recovering from my knee surgery. And looking after an energetic toddler all day long takes a lot out of you.
Painful Nipples
Yes, it sounds as painful as it is. And it definitely is more extreme as in my first pregnancy.
Many women get tender breasts during pregnancy. While mine are not getting very tender overall, I have a really hard time with sensitive nipples that are incredible painful to the touch.
And it doesn’t help much to have a toddler at home who loves crashing into me and my chest at this point, but of course she is too young to understand.
Body Changes
Early in pregnancy, I didn’t see too many changes just yet. At 4 and 5 weeks pregnant, my body still looked just as before. Which makes sense, as the baby is the size of a poppy seed.
Starting at 6 or 7 weeks pregnant, I started feeling a little bit softer around my midsection.
By 8 weeks pregnant, I definitely noticed my belly slowly filling in a little bit, and the bloating came in. While I still looked almost like before, at night time my belly started getting quite a bit bloated. I experienced the same thing in my first pregnancy.
And while it does feel slightly uncomfortable, it definitely started to look like the beginning of a pregnancy.
Subchorionic Hematoma – Bleeding at 5 Weeks Pregnant
One thing that happened at 5 weeks pregnant that I wish could’ve been avoided was a heavy bleeding.
I woke up, went to the bathroom to pee and as I wiped I noticed dark red blood. Looking down into the toilet, it looked like I had just full on started my period.
I was absolutely crushed. I knew this early on a bleeding like this would most likely indicate a miscarriage. It was for sure not implantation bleeding, which would be light brown or pinkish. No, this was fully dark and then bright red fresh blood.
I spent the morning sobbing, went through a few pads as the bleeding was quite heavy, and just prepared myself for the fact I had a miscarriage. I messaged my OBGYN and she confirmed a heavy bleeding would indicate a miscarriage and told me to monitor it and come in should it become too heavy or abnormal.
Later that day, the bleeding started to ease and eventually stopped completely. Confused, I didn’t think to much of it and just went to bed.
The next day, the bleeding still hadn’t resumed. After way too many hours on Google and reading through forums I learned that such a bleeding, especially if it stops, might not necessarily mean miscarriage at all.
I called my doctor and they scheduled me to come in. She didn’t sound hopeful but wanted to check t make sure in case it’s a miscarriage it would be a complete one, because an incomplete miscarriage has severe risks of its own.
An ultrasound showed I still had something in my uterus. It was two black bubbles. My doctor said it could be two sacs, or subchorionic hematomas, but it was unclear. She ordered a blood pregnancy test to see if I was still pregnant. When it came back positive, she ordered me to come back for testing every 2 days to check on my HCG levels and to see if they are rising, meaning the pregnancy was still there and the embryo growing.
Low Rising HCG Levels 5-6 Weeks Pregnant
The following 2 weeks, week 5-7 or pregnancy, were the most difficult ones for me.
When I went for my second blood draw, the HCG levels came back higher, but apparently not high enough. According to my doctor (and the internet), HCG levels should double every 2-3 days. Mine doubled maybe every 3.2-3.4 days.
For 2 consecutive weeks, I had my HCG leveles checked every other day and they never rose enough to put my doctor at ease confirming I was pregnant. With every result she sent me, she indicated that in case I started bleeding and miscarrying, I would need to monitor and got to the ER if it gets to intense.
Viability Ultrasound at 7 Weeks Pregnant
Once I was almost 7 weeks pregnant, my doctor ordered an ultrasound to check for viability.
My HCG levels were still rising slowly, indicating I was pregnant but also indicating there could be something wrong.
But to everyone’s surprise, the ultrasound revealed a single, normal looking and growing embryo with a heartbeat.
The ultrasound then also confirmed the existence of the subchorionic hematoma that caused my bleeding at 5 weeks. My doctor warned me that the fact that it didn’t dissolve yet meant there was still an increased risk of miscarriage. And it was sitting quite close to the embryo, too.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t have been happier, after the ultrasound. And receiving the good news that the pregnancy is viable and growing!
First Official Checkup and Ultrasound at 8 Weeks Pregnant
Once I reached 8 weeks, it was time for my first official prenatal checkup and ultrasound.
The subchorionic hematoma was still in my uterus, but so was my baby. And it was growing and developing just as it should.