Viable Pregnacy?

[kymanne]

Hi there, my name is Kimberly , I am 38 with one adult son. This past October I suffered a miscarriage at 11.5 weeks.  Everything seemed to be going great, no spotting or cramping but when we went for the 12 week scan it showed I had a blighted ovum and miscarried a few days later. This was very traumatic for me because I felt we were completely blindsided.  I found out I was pregnant in Feb. and as of Sat. I am 8 weeks along.  
Because of the last miscarriage I went in at 5.5 weeks to have an ultrasound at the hospital.  We saw the baby's heartbeat(117 bpm) and then when I was at 6.5 weeks the doctor ran a HCG test.  The first test had me at 156,000 and while I don't know the exact number taken from the draw 3 days later, the doctor called to tell me that my HCG went up and she was very excited for me.
I know I should be happy, but I am very stressed out. My next ultrasound is the dreaded 12 week ultrasound and after the last m/c I am a nervous worried wreck.  My pregnancy symptoms have seemed to be winding down a bit (and that is not helping my nerves) I know there is always a chance of miscarriage, especially with my age.  I was just wondering if it is normal for pregnancy symptoms can fluctuate at this stage, and if with hearing the heartbeat, and my good HCG I can at least somewhat rest assure that I have a viable pregnancy.

Thank you
Kimberly

[kymanne]

Thank you so much for your answer!  I know in life nothing is certain but at least I can relax a little bit:)  My son is 24(I had him at 14) and has been out of the house for quite sometime. He moved cross country to become a chef and has lived in San Diego with his pastry chef wife. They are due for their first child this Sept!  I am due Oct 16.

It has been difficult for him because in a year I moved out of the country, got married and am now expecting. He was not very happy the first time i was pregnant, but has been very supportive during this one.  I think he finally realized that I unconditionally have supported him with his life changes , he needed to do so with mine.  :)

[Dsmomma1207]

Yes they can don't be alarmed if one dissapears n don't be surprised if followed by another one :)

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
Usually when we identify a normal heart beat on ultrasound, I give my patients about 90% chance that the pregnancy will continue.  If you HCG is that high that is also an excellent prognosis.  Usually the HCG peaks at about 7-8 weeks and then starts trending downward. Usually morning sickness and other early pregnancy symptoms follow the HCG.  So, from everything I can tell, you should be well on your way to a baby! How is your son handling all this?
I wish you all the best!
Dr B