Baby's Heartbeat Low and Size Small; D&C??? NEED ADVICE

I would get a second opinion. Find another OB and see what they say. The doctor can't force you to get a D&C. And you don't have to do anything you're not comfortable doing.

Get a second opinion!!!!

I agree with what everyone else has said. I just wanted to send you tons of positive thoughts and prayers. Good luck!

Jen

If I were you I would eat and drink before the appt. Eat a snickers and drink OJ. That will get the little one's heart rate jumping. I definately wouldn't jump into the D&C right away. Id wait till after you appt next week, so you and your hubby can make the decision together. If they need to schedule it for the following week fine, but allow yourself the time to deal with it first.

Im a little more pro-choice than other posters, but my feeling is, go with your gut. Instinctually how do you feel? If your HCG and progesterone levels are normal, you can wait it out. Ultrasounds are not at all accurate. I know many women who know their conception dates and the US says different, as well as many women who were induced on the basis that the baby was going to be 9lbs+, and baby was only 6-7lbs. Hang in there and don't lose hope yet.

If however you feel that if there is something wrong, it may be better to start the healing process asap so you can get back to trying again asap. Always get a second opinion before jumping into a medical decision you are unsure of. After a D&C, I believe you can start trying again within a few months. They usually have you wait for three months after a mc, so Im sure it will be the same in your case, though it depends on how quickly your levels drop.

There is something though to be said for letting your body miscarry naturally. However by doing the D&C it could help you speed up the process to try again sooner. So ultimately this is your decision, and no matter what you decide, it will have been the right decision. You will still be a wonderful mother either way you go. Chin up and try to think positive before the next appt. It's amazing what the power of positive thinking can do. (and visa versa) Good luck and best wishes to you and your little one.

Please let us know how it goes. I think I can speak for everyone else here when I say we're praying/hoping/caring about you!

I don't have any advice other than to say we're here, all of us, whether we've been through it or not (I haven't, but my mom has). Whatever happens, you're part of our community, and we care deeply.

:::Here are more hugs than I can otherwise express. Either way, hang in there!:::

My heart goes out to you. It is your choice to have a D&C not your Drs. I would not go to that appt and get another Dr. ASAP!!! My dr wanted to do something I knew in my heart was not right based on a test. The test was wrong. I had a D&C with my 3rd pregnancy and I got my period 6 weeks after. It didn't hurt, but my heart hurt after. Please get another opinion. God bless, J.

I have never had this situation, and I feel for you. I will be praying for you to hear the news that you want to hear. I also want to say that although you may have to struggle through to the bitter end, why would you terminate before the heart completely stops? Let the decision be out of your hands. When the life force stops, then take action! Up until that minute, this is your baby and it's chance for a miracle. If we have no hope, what have we got? I will definately be praying for you and your baby, M.!

M.,

I feel your pain. I found out I was pregnant with my 2nd child, told everyone, and then 10.5 weeks in began spotting. The doctor on call told me just to lie around and put my feet up. I tried. On New Year's Day, 2000, this began. On June 6, I went in to the ER because of lots of bleeding. As it turns out, I had miscarried at home. I was devastated. To me, it makes no difference how old your baby is, it is a difficult time. I immediately had a D&C. I opted for a spinal instead of an epidural so I could go home sooner. I didn't want to be at the hospital any longer than needed. I had no trouble after my D&C. At my follow-up appointment, my doctor asked about questions. I had one-how do we have to wait to try again? He told us that we couldn't have a baby unless we tried, but to wait until I had one menstrual cycle. That way my body wouldn't try to get rid of the new baby.

I wish you well and will pray for you. I hope that you have a strong network of support as well. It made a difference for me.

Take care,
B.

I would recommend switching drs. too. A slow heartbeat and size is not a guarantee of a non-viable baby.

Why not give it some time and see what nature says.

A heartbeat that is very slow for dates CAN indicate a problem BUT in very early pregnancy being off by only a few days can make a huge difference in what you would expect to see. I would not even consider having a D & C if my baby still had any sort of heart rate. Do not allow your doctor to convince you to do that- you are already conflicted, you will second guess yourself forever. That is not your doctor's decision, it is your decision. I would also consider finding a more compassionate doctor or midwife, it sounds like your current one is kind of a jerk.

I haven't gone through this but it seems strange to me that they insist on a d&c right away. If the heartbeat doesn't improve, what is the harm of waiting and letting the baby abort itself if it comes to that. I mean, if the baby isn't miscarrying yet, maybe it wont and the heart beat will improve... i would ask why the want to d&c so quickly and if you could wait. just a suggestion. sometimes it seems like docs are too quick to make decisions like this and if it is necessary, then they should give you good reasons why you shouldn't wait and let it happen naturally if it's going to happen. just go in there with all the knowledge that you can about it so they can't decide for you. and i will be praying for you and your baby.
B.

M.-
Get a second opinion asap!!! Doctors have been wrong. One said that my friend was going to have a baby with one arm and need serious help. She investigated and found all the resources for her unborn child, then gave birth to a healthy baby girl with two arms! I am praying for you and your family. Please keep us posted!

I pray that everything will turn out alright for you! I am totally shocked that a Dr. would give you this advice. My advice - FIND a new Dr. who cares about you and your baby. I did have a miscarriage between my 2nd & 3rd child. It is heartbreaking. Worst yet, the one Dr. I saw wouldn't even tell me if I was pregnant. I refused to see him again and have a WONDERFUL nurse midwife that I can't say enough about. She takes time for me, always asks about me & my family, and truly cares about my well-being. There is so much out there in today's technology. Just because a Dr. has a degree, doesn't always meen they know best. It is your body and your baby. Go with what you feel is right! Good luck with everything and I hope for the best!

M.,
I am sure you are feeling confused,anxious, and scared right now. When I was trying to get pregnant with my first baby, I had a miscarriage at about 11 wks. When I went to the doctor at 8 wks, there was a low heartbeat and the doctor believed that it was not a viable pregnancy. She advised me to let nature take its course and not have a D/C. She said that it would help me to get pregnant faster if I just did it on my own. Although it was painful and devastating, I got pregnant again 3 months later with my son who is now five years old. Go with your gut feeling. If you do end up miscarrying on your own without a D/C, don't hesistate to ask your ob/gyn for a pain killer like vicodan. It will help you rest and help with the cramping. Good Luck!

I'm really surprised that the Dr would recommend a D&C, after all it's your choice. If the baby still has a heartbeat on Monday, that means he or she is still alive!! If Dr sends you for a D&C it would be like having an abortion. If this baby was not meant to be you would miscarry or the baby would be stillborn. If it were me I would wait it out, I would not be able to face the future with the "what ifs". I pray that everything turns out ok for you and your family!
If anything get a second opinion!

M., Prayers, prayers for you. It must be so frightening. I want you to know I am thinking of you and praying for you. And keeping my faith and optimism. I know as you know that it could be a very sad outcome. But they told me my second son was downs syndrome, they told me he was not alive, thought he was twins at one point and well he came out a healthy 9 pound 3 oz baby boy and has just graduated highschool. No one is God. No one can make the determination of what will exactly happen. So although I am not going with science, I am praying for you. And hoping for an outcome that is happy. I did not read the other responses from the moms yet. Ad I don't want to give you false hope, but from the bottom of my heart I say hang in there. We never know what God can do when Science tells us otherwise. Hugs, S.
UPDATE: oh M., I just read this and saw the date. I wish to know what happened to you. Are you alright?

I would not jump into a D & C. I would research on the net and talk to more docs. Unless they don't find a heartbeat or your water breaks you should be fine in the mean time. Its your body and your choice so take the time to decide what you want to do. And don't let anyone pressure you! G. Chambers

Please give your baby every chance possible and don't get a D&C. It saddens me that you're doctor told you to do this. Maybe you should find a doctor that values life more. I will be praying for you.

Hi M.

I'm jumping on with everyone else here....what kind of doctor would send you for a D&C while your baby has a heartbeat? I'm hoping perhaps you misunderstood. I'm hoping you can get in to see someone else, I don't think I could trust someone who recommended that, it's just not right. I also wanted to add that ultrasounds can be really wrong! I can't tell you how many women (including myself) who were given incorrect info from ultrasounds. Call around, explain to the nurses you talk to when making an appointment what you were told, I know my doctor would NEVER recommend to terminate your pregnancy while your baby's heart was beating...slow or not. Good luck with this. If worse comes to worse and you do loose this baby, keep in mind my SIL has had 5 pregnancies and only carried 2 to term. My niece and nephew are wonderful, happy children. One last thing, I was 38 when I had my first baby, don't let the crazy tests they give older women scare you! My baby tested positive for Downs and the genetic testing didn't improve her odds, her risk of Downs actually doubled with those results....she is fine! Keep the faith, I hope this all works out for you!

No way. I'm shocked that a low heart rate would have your doctor talking D & C already. I suffered two M/C before our first son and the first time I was early on. The D & C became an option once it was obvious that my body wasn't taking care of things on its own.

The second M/C I was further along (like 12 weeks) and my doctor advised on a D & C right away. I was a bit surprised, but he told me that since I was much further along that it was better that way. (I recently found out from a friend who M/C at home at about 12 weeks that it was a HORRIBLE experience. Let's just say that the fetus is over 2" at that time.)

So, I would just wait and see what Monday holds. If there's NO heartbeat, then you can start talking about your options. Until then, I'd take it easy and pray for your little one.

As for the procedure, I'd be happy to share my experiences with you. For right now, focus on positive thinking.

M.,
Oh hon, my heart goes out to you. Please pray about what to do. You wanted this baby so much. I can tell by what you type. God never gives you more then you can handle. Even if the baby has special needs and I'm the mother of a child with Down syndrome. Even if God came to me and said I will make your child perfect, but he would be a different child, I would say please no. I love my son more then life itself. Tests are just tests. Let God make this decision for you. He has a plan for everything. I've never had a d&c, but you may not be able to get pregnant again. I've never struggled with getting pregnant, but I have mentored 6 women who struggled with infertility. I was so shocked when the last of the women I have shared my encouragement with, hugged me last week at church and told me she was 7 months pregnant. I couldn't even tell she was pregnant. She isn't telling anyone, because she and the baby are in such danger. She has been in and out of the hospital the whole pregnancy. Doctor's have been begging her to terminate, but she wants this baby so bad. She told me even if I only get to hold the baby for a few moments, she has wanted this baby for 11 years. I will lift you in prayer M..
J. H.

I agree with what C D said. I have not heard of anyone having a D&C unless there is no heartbeat, and they cant force you to go and get that done. That is not right. Dont give up hope yet. There is a heartbeat and hopefully this little one in there will get stronger in the next 4 days. I will be praying for you. I really will. Let us know how it goes please.

S. Bailey CLD
Aurora
www.tendermomentsdoula.com

Hi M.,

I agree with everyone else on this - wait it out. I don't know why a doctor would prescribe such a procedure with the baby's heart still beating. You just never know what could happen and if you are uncomfortable with, the emotional issues after could be really difficult for you. Listen to what you've already heard from women who've posted and been through this! I've heard so many stories of women whose docs recommended terminating a pregnancy for one reason or another just to find out later that everything was fine. Keep the faith! If you are going to miscarry, it will most likely happen on its own and be somewhat easier to deal with emotionally (of course, losing a pregnancy at all is never ever easy). My heart and prayers go out to you! Trust your feelings on this! It is too important! Good luck!

I wouldn't be concerned - it's early. A friend of mine adopted a baby girl because she was told she couldn't have children. The second was conceived when she was artificially inseminated and she was content with knowing that she would have two children. And....well...the third and fourth.....were totally unexpected and were normal pregnancies! Stay hopeful and positive. You are in my prayers.

M., I have no specific advice for you, but my first instinct says that I am shocked a dr. would ay if it doesn't improve in 1 week you'd need a D&C. I have no medical knowledge in this area, but I am surprised they wouldn't at least offer you an option of waiting it out. Before you do anything drastic, I would definitely seek a 2nd and maybe 3rd opinion. Good luck.

M.,
I am so sorry that you are going through this. Having been there myself, I know how stressful and difficult it is.

My first pregnancy started out the same as yours...(low heartbeat, smaller growth then normal, Dr. wanting to do D&C). However, my HcG levels were also low. I didn't listen to the D&C advice, and the baby continued to grow for aboutone week. I did eventually have a miscarriage. But never had to go through a D&C. My body just took care of itself. I, like you, could not give up hope on the little one. Looking back, it was the right decision for me to wait it out, and I am glad that I did.

Pregnancy #2 for me was normal, resulting in a healthy baby.

Pregnancy #3, however, started out with bleeding, normal HcG levels, and slower than normal growth. Once again, I chose to wait it out, not listening to the Dr.'s D&C advice. Lo and behold, this baby thrived and is today a bouncing baby girl.

Conclusion....follow your heart. If you need/feel today that you want to give this baby a fighting chance, than do that. Days/weeks down the road, if things have not improved you can change your mind. Or, God willing, your baby will thrive.

All my best to you. You will be in my prayers.

Hi, M.. I think it's best to err on the side of caution. As long as there's a heartbeat, the baby's still alive. I think it would be a lot easier on you to wait it out. If you miscarry, then that's nature. If you have a D&C, that's a human choice. If you go through with the D&C, you'll be left with a whole lot of questions. Like, what if the heart rate would have improved given more time and the baby would have been viable the entire pregnancy? What if the date was off by just a few more days? Ovulation, due dates, and conception dates are all estimated. There's no way that your doctor can even be sure that you're exactly so far along. You'll also be feeling a whole lot of guilt on top of the emotional pain you would naturally feel over losing the baby. Neither road is an easy one. If you miscarry, you'll hurt and grieve, too. But, like I said, then you won't have the guilt and all the questions on top of it. My sister went through a miscarriage and 2 ectopics. She's afraid to try again, and she does hurt. But she feels a lot of guilt with the ectopics because a woman has to make the choice to terminate those or have a blown tube. Actually, my sister's tube blew with the second one because she waited too long to terminate it. She doesn't feel guilt with the miscarriage, just emotional pain that has been able to heal a little with some time. Good luck!

M.

HI M.,
I had a doctor tell me I was going to miscarry and here I am 20 weeks pregnant! I just had my 20 week ultrasound and he is perfect. I actually had the pleasure of telling the doctor off for scarying me! I went to the doctor at six weeks because I was bleeding and they did an ultrasound and they couldn't detect a heartbeat which is when they told me I would miscarry. I came back one week later and the heartbeat was normal. Ignore them, sometimes they just check too soon.

It's really creepy that your doc wants to D&C you when there is a heartbeat. I would be looking for another doctor.

If you believe in God (which I assume you do since you were asking for prayers), I would put your trust in Him right now, and go with your gut.

What harm can it do to wait it out? What harm can it do to not wait (it can do a world of harm, I think)?

I know I would never be able to live with myself not knowing what would've happened had I not waited. Nature has a way of taking care of itself (whether we believe in a god or not).

You have the choice to deny a D&C. Remember that.

M.,

My thoughts are with you. Please wait a while. My son was born at an extremely healthy 9lbs 2.5 oz. and he measured 11 days smaller than I KNEW we conceived at the first sonogram. I tried to argue with the doc, but he was adament that my son was not as far along as I knew he was. Sure enough, after a couple of months they adjusted his due date back from Sept. 11 to Aug. 31. I knew when he was conceived and you probably do, too. Don't let size be the main thing right now. Focus on that heartbeat and what your doc is saying. I'm sure you are very nervous having worked so hard to get pregnant, so just try to calm yourself for a little bit and see what happens.

M.,
What did you find out? Have you tried supplements and acupuncture? email me back for more info.
P. ;-)

I wouldn't do anything until there is NO heartbeat. My daughter who is now 7 months old had a very slow start also but now is absolutely perfect. At 5 1/2 weeks her heartbeat was 87. The dr told me it should be above 120 and that most likely this won't be a viable pregnancy. I went back in a week later at 6 1/2 weeks and it was 100. I was so excited that it went up but a different dr at the same practice said that there is still a risk of miscarriage since the heartbeat is below 120.....but she said that there is no need to end the pregnancy just yet since there IS a heartbeat. I couldn't believe she even said that. I was of course worried but would never think of ending the pregnancy because of a low heartbeat. I had just had a miscarriage at 14 weeks 4 months prior. Anyway a week later at 7 1/2 weeks her heartbeat went up to 150. The rest of the pregnancy went just fine and here she is today.....doing great! So please don't give up. Don't do anything until you know for sure whether the pregnancy is or isn't viable. Sometimes babies have slow starts. I will be thinking and praying for you hoping you have a positive ending like I did.

I agree w/ others here, do NOT get the D&C!!! Having experience w/ 4 pregnancies that heartbeat does sound like something for the Dr to surely be nervous about. Just be preparred in your mind that you may very well have a miscarriage but you could be just as lucky to be able to witness a miracle and have a different outcome. I also do not like the idea of the Dr suggesting a D&C if there is still a heartbeat there, if it needs to be done then let it happen as naturally as possible.
GOOD LUCK!!!!

I'm so sorry you are going through this. Personally I would not listen to the doctor-- I can't believe he's recommending termination when there's still a heartbeat! Outrageous! Just like PPs said, wait as long as possible before going that route-- until you're absolutely sure that the baby has passed. Also, both my babies always measured smaller than they were "supposed to"-- and I did charting, etc and was pretty sure of conception date too. Hang in there!

I agree with everyone else on this. You need to wait. I had a D&C because they found no heartbeat when I was 12 weeks. My doctor still waited a week for my body to do something on its own and I also had blood tests every other day to see what my levels were doing. My levels were obviously dropping like a rock so it was definitely the end of my pregnancy.
The D&C is not a big deal physically. Mentally it was tough. It is an outpatient procedure but for me they put you on the OB floor at the hospital before and after the procedure. So, I had to listen to all the new babies and see all the pregnant women while I was waiting for my D&C. It was really tough on me and my husband. The good news is I went on to have 4 more kiddos for a total of 5!
So, stay positive!! Maybe eat a snickers or drink a Coke before your next ultrasound...give that little baby a boost :)
J.

Do NOT get a d&c done!!!!!A friend of mine was told at 10 weeks that her baby had no heartbeat, she chose to not have a d&c done. She wanted to do it naturally. Guess what...she has a healthy 1 year old girl. They did an ultrasound 2 weeks later when she did not pass the baby and they saw a heartbeat..Amazing...Things work in wierd ways.. Follow your heart.

http://www.babycenter.com/400_spotting-and-low-fetal-hear...

Personally, at 6 weeks you can barely detect a heart rate. Here are some bb center comments. I don't agree with the ones about the fetal heart beat being so high at 6 weeks. It just doesn't sound right. Anyway, good luck to you and your wee one. Don't give up hope and faith!

My doctor could not find the heartbeat at about the same number of weeks, and sent us the next day (more than a 24-hour wait) to the hospital for an emergency ultrasound. I was freaked out, needless to say. My daughter will celebrate her 20th birthday on June 26. She was fine. Just not as big as they thought she was. Doctors don't know everything, and you need to keep your thoughts positive and pray and be calm. Why is your doctor rushing this D&C thing?? That seems to be totally against the hippocratic oath -- "first do no harm..." She is recommending abortion, and that is just maddening to me. Don't let the doctor make decisions for you. Even if there is no heartbeat, you don't HAVE to have a D&C. Focus on the positive here and someday yours could be a story like mine. I'm praying for you.
Bobbi

My SIL went through a very similar situation, only she was told she had miscarried when in fact, she was still pregnant. She had gone in for a routine checkup at around 10 weeks or so and the doc couldn't find the heartbeat, so he automatically assumed she had lost the baby. She went home, grieved for months, and then slowly started gaining weight. She went to a different doctor who told her she was 7 months pregnant! She had no prenatal care whatsoever b/c her other doc had told her the baby was dead. She now has a beautiful, intelligent 7 yr old daughter. I'm very pro-choice, so my advice is simply coming from someone who has watched someone go through a process of unnecessary grieving for a baby who was alive and healthy. I say give it a little more time and see if the baby's heartbeat picks back up. It is very early; I remember my midwife having trouble hearing my son's heartbeat at 7 weeks. Good luck. My thoughts are with you. Make sure to take care of yourself through all this.

I've been down the infertility road myself. If this was my situation, I would not get the D&C but wait it out. I would always wonder if I had made the right choice. It might end in miscarriage, but I would know that I didn't end the baby's life, dying or not.

A miscarriage is painful enough to endure without having to make the D&C decision.

My heart goes out to you.

V.

I am so sorry that this is happening to you. I have been there and it is a horrible experience. I have had 3 miscarriages and they left emotional scars. As for your baby, I would hold off on the d&c for as long as possible. When I was pregnant after I finally had my first dd, I went for the first checkup with problems. I was spotting continually. They did an ultrasound and found no heart at all. All there was was the yolk sac. The doctor told me that I was either earlier than I thought or that the heart had just never formed. He sent me home for 2 weeks to rest and "see what happens" I was heartbroken because I was sure of the dates. I got a lot of pressure from some people in my family to just end the pregnancy because there was a big wedding coming up and my daughter was supposed to be in it, I was helping with showers, etc. But I felt like I owed my child 2 weeks to give it a chance. Two long weeks later, I went back and there was her heartbeating strong and healthily. She is now a beautiful, sweet, funny 10 yr old. The truth is that you don't really know what might happen. If your progesterone levels are good, then I would let the pregnancy continue as long as there is a heartbeat. With my 1st two pregnancies, there was no heartbeat at all so we had no choice but to do a d&c. I worry that you will always wonder what if, if you don't wait. Think of it this way, waiting could turn things around and the only thing that you have to lose is a bit of time. As for a d&c, I had two and physically, there are not too many side effects. I was a bit achy for a couple of days and that was it. I also bled like my period. Emotionally, it is difficult, though. I still wish that it hadn't been necessary and I have dealt much better emotionally with my last miscarriage which occured naturally. I hope that this helps you. No matter what you decide, you should not feel guilty about it. It is a difficult decision and you have to just do the best that you can. I also have to agree with everyone who is saying to find another doctor. Your doctor is jumping the gun here. Even when my doc found no heartbeat at all, after seeing one for a couple of weeks, he insisted on waiting a week to see if things happened naturally. And he gave me a choice between waiting longer or having a d&c

Okay, I'm not a doctor, but if there is a heartbeat WHY would they do a D & C? I would not let anyone touch my baby as long as it's little heart is beating....NOT anyone...doctor or not. Until there is not heartbeat then back off. And what is one week off???? Who cares. They can never pinpoint the exact maturity of a baby without your information about your period and ovulation...so who cares if it is measuring one week off.

My son measured 3 weeks more advanced than his real maturity based on my period.

Please don't let them do a D & C if there is a heartbeat!!! In my opinion, and that's exactly what it is, that is nothing more than aborting a baby they term to be weak.

You aren't that far along. I've never even heard of doing a d&c at that gestational age. I lost my a baby at 7 weeks and the doctor didn't do a d&c. She said common practice is to let your body cleanse itself. You wouldn't do a d&c unless you were much further along (my second miscarriage was at 12 weeks and they did a d&c that time).

I would just tell the doctor that you will let nature take its course. If you miscarry then so be it. It was meant to be...but if you don't then that little one might just be a little bit of a late bloomer.

They couldn't even find the heart beat of my third child without an ultrasound for the first three or four months. He was still a pain to find in the office the week before I gave birth.

Please get a second opinion. That baby has a heartbeat and that means it is alive. My first child always had a slower heartbeat than normal. She wouldn't even react when I had NST's where they buzzed her. She's five now and perfectly healthy. She was born a week overdue at 8 lbs 14 oz.

I just can't see why they would abort a baby because of a weak heartbeat. Let nature do it's thing if that is what is meant to be.

I have had one miscarriage like I said at six or seven weeks and the doctor said to let my body do what it will. It was like a normal period but the cramping was a little heavier. Then with the second miscariage (twins) at 11 or 12 weeks they did a d&c. About the same in my opinion. Bled about the same and cramping was a little stronger than normal.

I did get pregnant after the second one after my doctor had blood tests ordered and discovered I had a gene mutation called PAI 1. It causes blood clots in the uterus when pregnant. Guess it lies dormant in some cases because I already had two normal pregnancies before the miscarrages. I was put on a blood thinner as soon as we knew I was pregnant. I carried my son full term. He was the one that hid from us at every appointment. If it hadn't been for ultrasounds we wouldn't have heard his heartbeat but maybe three times during the whole pregnancy. The first visit the doc had to rush me to the ultrasound to make sure the baby was okay. I was eight weeks at that appointment. He was born 8 lb 15 oz. One ounce bigger than his sister that always had the slower heartbeat.

Medicine is not an exact science. I could go on and on about the things doctors have been wrong about during my lifetime. Don't let him do a d&c when there is a heartbeat. Change doctors. I wouldn't want to be attended by one that would do that anyway.

While I don't have any advice I just wanted to say there is HOPE! Don't give up on your little one.

Read this link, down to week 7, fetal age 5 weeks. It's about halfway down and it says that the heartrate should be between 90 to 110 bpm. While 70 is slower there are a million reasons that could cause that. Don't give up quite yet.

Your doctor can't force you to do the D&C while the baby still has a heartbeat, that is essentially an abortion. Let your heart guide you through this one.

Hi,
My prayers are with you. I have had 3 dnc's. I will tell you that I was knocked out everytime. Afterwards there wasn't much pain except for in my heart. Thats as far as I will go for now, because I still have hope that everything will be ok. If you need to talk let me know.

As a Christian and a mom I say put it in God's hands, and do some research. I don't know the medical reasons or implications of a low heart rate at that age, or what the outcome would be if the child were to grow to term but I do know that God created that child for a reason and He will decide if it is healthy enough to continue growing or if the pregnancy should end.
My prayers are with you.

I have never went through this problem but I did go through infertility. My opinion is Get another opinion before let them take you baby from you.
It is your choice what you would like to do NOT your doctor's. If your babies heart is still beating the hospital would be killing a living person. I know that sounds harsh but your child is a blessing, if the Lord takes you baby it is at his hand. Don't let the hospital take your baby from you. You may be taking the life of the next Madam Curry or Albert Einstein, your little baby is in your hands.
Who is to say that your little guy is not just off to a slow start. Please go see a specialist that specializes in pre-birth problems.

I will add you and your baby to my prayers. In Christ's Love.

S.

Dear M.,
I have a 5 year old son, then I had two miscarriages in a row, then I got pregnate with Jack. When I first went in for an ultrasound I was supposed to be 7 weeks, I was absolutely sure. The doc. could not find the heartbeat and said it did not look good, I was devastated. I waited two whole weeks, and when I went in for the ultasound, they found it! I was so happy, even though, that does not mean I was out of the woods! Wait it out, get a second opinion, and pray hard.

Hello M., I just wanted you to know that I believe that God can do a miracle for that baby that is growing inside of you. I believe that you can wait it out. I do not know where you stand when it comes to faith but I trust in the Lord and I know that God can do something if it is His will. I did have a D&C once but the baby was already deceased so I had no choice. The process for me was an outpatient procedure. The only thing I felt afterwards was alittle cramping. The doctor told my husband and I to wait about 2 months before trying again. Almost exactly a year after I got pregnant and the pregnancy went well. I know this is a trying time for you both but and I will keep you in prayer. If there is a heartbeat it is still living so pray and ask God for His help because I believe it should be your choice. Did the Doctor say you would be at risk if you were to wait? Please let me know how everything went. You are in my prayers.