During our first ultrasound at 8 weeks pregnant, we were super excited to finally see our baby for the first time and hear the baby’s heart beat. It was an amazing experience that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. But as the ultrasound continued, we noticed that there was a small dark mass near the baby. Little did we know that it was in fact a Haematoma located in the lower part of my stomach. The physician advised that we needed to speak to our doctor at 9 weeks pregnant in regards to it.

Though it didn’t seem to be a major issue with the physician who marked it on the ultrasound picture for us and muttered the word ‘blood’, we were taken back a little as we didn’t know what a Haematoma was. It was particularly confusing as the conversation was all in Spanish and my knowledge of Spanish thus far is very basic to say the least. So when technical medical jargon is thrown in the mix, I naturally walked away from the ultrasound feeling confused at what I may of heard.

From 8 weeks to 9 weeks pregnant, we took some time to research and understand on our own what a Haematoma was before our next appointment with the doctor. We wanted to feel eased and prepared if there was any complications or problems.

What Is A Hematoma?

When we got home, we immediately took the time to research only the term Haematoma. We found out that it’s a blood clot located in the stomach. It is caused by extreme physical activities and causes the tissue in the stomach to be damaged. A Haematoma is pretty common and most women who have a Haematoma end up have healthy babies without any issues or complications.

Our first reaction to finding out that there was a Haematoma was not good. I think the Haematoma was caused by the hiking and trekking we were doing during January when celebrating our first wedding anniversary. This was right before we found out we were in fact pregnant as I showed no major symptoms or signs I might be pregnant until I missed my period. I also worked out everyday and this could have also contributed to the Haematoma.

It was a relief to read though that apparently the blood mass is suppose to be naturally absorbed by my body over time. By the time I am passed my first trimester (13 weeks), the blood should be gone. We stopped reading forums and articles online after 20 minutes of so. We felt like we didn’t want to stress ourselves out and thought it would be best to wait for our appointment with our doctor to discuss further what we could do to minimize the damage. Sometimes too much information or personal pregnancy stories can make it worst.

Is there links between a Haematoma and miscarriages?

Although in our case I did not present any spotting or visible blood externally, we did take some time to read up on whether or not there was any risk of a miscarriage and how to prevent it. From our understanding, there is no connection between a Haematoma and miscarriages according to several studies we found online- which was a huge relief.

We do want to point out that our Haematoma was about 1cm in diameter, very small and thin. Due to the position of the Haematoma, the blood seemed to stay in the stomach and not leak out. There is a higher risk of miscarriages in the first trimester so even though there is no connection between a Haematoma and miscarriages, it is still important to take care of yourself and minimize stress and heavy lifting of objects.

Should I be worried about the Haematoma?

I think this is on a case by case basis. All we can say is to speak to your doctor about the severity of the Haematoma and what you can do to minimize further damage. In our instance, when we came back for our doctor’s appointment at 9 weeks pregnant with our blood test results and our ultrasound results, the doctor did prescribe us medicine. Although the Haematoma was small, she wanted to make sure that I take blood thinning medicine to help reduce the size and encourage my body to absorb the blood mass. The medicine also helps to strengthen the stomach lining to ensure that the blood stays within the stomach and not cause further problems.

We were also advised that I should not have any physical activity including sex, exercise and even long walks, until the next ultrasound at 12 weeks to check on the status of the Haematoma. Basically, I was put in bed rest for the next 5 weeks, which worked out well since I then started to experience the bulk of the morning sickness woes and need more rest than expected. Our doctor also told us that if I started to bleed or notice any spotting, to come back to the medical clinic immediately for further examination.

Our Haematoma scare at 9 weeks pregnant was one that we hope to never relive. Although everything worked out fine and the baby is healthy to date, it was a scary experience especially being our first pregnancy.