I wanted to share this because when I was desperately searching Reddit during the darkest parts of this journey, I needed stories like this.
My first beta was low, and beta hell but betas kept doing what they needed to. Then came slow growth. We repeatedly measured behind. At one point, I was told the pregnancy likely wasn’t viable and to guard my heart. I spent weeks convinced I was heading toward loss.
Every scan became terrifying. I memorized measurements, calculated growth per day, compared every CRL to IVF posts / research , and spiraled over every symptom change. I cried over being “behind.” I read stories for hours trying to predict my outcome. It felt impossible to trust anything.
But the baby kept growing.
Slowly. Not textbook. Not perfect. But consistently.
Today, at 9w3, we graduated from our fertility clinic. Baby measured 21.9 mm with a heartbeat of 175. And my doctor said something I don’t think I’ll ever forget:
“Sometimes things don’t follow textbook.”
I know this won’t be everyone’s outcome, and I never want to give false hope where it isn’t warranted. But I also know how black-and-white infertility spaces can sometimes feel when numbers or measurements aren’t perfect. I spent weeks believing there was no chance we would get here.
And yet here we are.
Still pregnant.
Still growing.
Graduating today.
For anyone currently deep in beta hell, measuring behind, doom scrolling Reddit, or trying to survive one scan to the next: I see you. This experience is unbelievably hard. And sometimes, despite all the fear and statistics and expectations, babies really do write their own stories. 🤍