Content warning: miscarriage
On one hand, it was fascinating to me. Refreshing my memory about oogenesis and whatnot was a nostalgic experience (took IB Biology in high school and also Intro & Advanced Biology back in undergrad). Plus, we’re glad it happened when it did because it would’ve felt worse had a miscarriage happened in 2nd or 3rd trimester.
But, it still sucked because I had already started to strategize & plan things out for a tiny human arriving in April 2025.
So, subconsciously, the month before the “Honestly-Unsurprising-October-Surprise of 2024” happened, I was already in an exhausted place mentally from just that experience alone. Plus the lingering work-related burnout.
Content warning: miscarriage
After doing a lot of reading, my partner and I came to the conclusion that it was likely similar to what is known as a “chemical pregnancy” https://www.webmd.com/baby/what-is-chemical-pregnancy
Content warning: miscarriage
On one hand, it was fascinating to me. Refreshing my memory about oogenesis and whatnot was a nostalgic experience (took IB Biology in high school and also Intro & Advanced Biology back in undergrad). Plus, we’re glad it happened when it did because it would’ve felt worse had a miscarriage happened in 2nd or 3rd trimester.
But, it still sucked because I had already started to strategize & plan things out for a tiny human arriving in April 2025.
Content warning: miscarriage
It wasn’t until we got home and looked at the summaries they printed out & gave us, that the numbers from the one test seemed a bit “off” for me being ~7 weeks or so along; the numbers for the one test were at the level one would expect for being ~1 week along in the pregnancy.
Content warning: miscarriage
After doing a lot of reading, my partner and I came to the conclusion that it was likely similar to what is known as a “chemical pregnancy” https://www.webmd.com/baby/what-is-chemical-pregnancy
Content warning: miscarriage
Anyways, I remember waking up from a nap on a Friday (I took the day off due to still feeling crappy from the double ear infection) and realizing, “Something’s not quite right”.
So off to the ER we went. They did a bunch of tests, and they said we still had the pregnancy. Phew, 😮💨
a relief.
Content warning: miscarriage
It wasn’t until we got home and looked at the summaries they printed out & gave us, that the numbers from the one test seemed a bit “off” for me being ~7 weeks or so along; the numbers for the one test were at the level one would expect for being ~1 week along in the pregnancy.
Content warning: miscarriage
Well anyways… finally made it a little over halfway through the first trimester & it turned into a miscarriage.
Additional backdrop context up to that point: when it happened, I was still in the midst of the double ear infection that just did not want to leave. My GP had prescribed me antibiotic ear drops, but my usual pharmacy had it backordered for at least 3 more weeks. So I had to jump through a lot of hoops to find a pharmacy within a 75 mile radius in stock.
Content warning: miscarriage
Anyways, I remember waking up from a nap on a Friday (I took the day off due to still feeling crappy from the double ear infection) and realizing, “Something’s not quite right”.
So off to the ER we went. They did a bunch of tests, and they said we still had the pregnancy. Phew, 😮💨 a relief.
Like, we were joking around that our kid’s first word is probably going to be “drush” 🤣
(Context: my partner is also a Drupaler)
Content warning: miscarriage
Well anyways… finally made it a little over halfway through the first trimester & it turned into a miscarriage.
Additional backdrop context up to that point: when it happened, I was still in the midst of the double ear infection that just did not want to leave. My GP had prescribed me antibiotic ear drops, but my usual pharmacy had it backordered for at least 3 more weeks. So I had to jump through a lot of hoops to find a pharmacy within a 75 mile radius in stock.
I was still kinda shocked when we found out, so after a few days I confided to a couple of colleagues about it (mainly because I was significantly more noticeably distracted than usual—partly due to the news and also due to ceasing my ADHD meds for obvious reasons 😅
)
And because of excitement too I guess.
Like, we were joking around that our kid’s first word is probably going to be “drush” 🤣
(Context: my partner is also a Drupaler)
Things seemed relatively financially & professionally stable for both of us: my partner having been with our alma mater for a little over a decade & being well-established there workload-wise, tech-wise, and people-wise, and then me nearing my 5 year $former_employer-versary and—despite being burnt out and frustrated with the gradual “organizational enshittification” over the years—being well-established with certain aspects there (teams, certain tech, people, procedures).
I was still kinda shocked when we found out, so after a few days I confided to a couple of colleagues about it (mainly because I was significantly more noticeably distracted than usual—partly due to the news and also due to ceasing my ADHD meds for obvious reasons 😅)
And because of excitement too I guess.
When following up with my GP to plan next steps to nuke the infection out of orbit, we found out I was pregnant.
Which was great because it’s a chapter we’ve decided to start writing.
Things seemed relatively financially & professionally stable for both of us: my partner having been with our alma mater for a little over a decade & being well-established there workload-wise, tech-wise, and people-wise, and then me nearing my 5 year $former_employer-versary and—despite being burnt out and frustrated with the gradual “organizational enshittification” over the years—being well-established with certain aspects there (teams, certain tech, people, procedures).
So. For example, late summer before the “Honestly-Unsurprising-October-Surprise of 2024” I was dealing with one helluva sinus/ear infection. It morphed into a double ear infection after the first round of antibiotics (my luck of course 🤣).
When following up with my GP to plan next steps to nuke the infection out of orbit, we found out I was pregnant.
Which was great because it’s a chapter we’ve decided to start writing.
Natalie