Lost in the Confusion

First off...CONGRATULATIONS!!! I am a bit confused as to why you say you are 8 weeks along. I'm guessing since the pregnancy has not been confirmed by a Dr. yet, that you are basing it on you last period. Luckily for you, in this case, that is not necessarily a very accurate way to date a pregnancy. So there is a decent chance that you are not as far along as you may think. However, even if you are 8 weeks pregnant, the baby is very well protected and should suffer no ill effect from the drugs taken earier in the pregnancy. As someone else mentioned the best advice at this point is try not to stress, take prenatal vitamins and eat healthy diet.

Hi
It is strange that they could have missed your pregnancy!
Nonetheless, to calm you down while you wait for your first appointment with an OB, just imagine all the women who did not know that they were pregnant and took various kinds of medication at some point.
However, I am certain that someone should be able to see you sooner than 3 weeks from now. Is it beause of the military insurance that you have to see a certain doctor? To ease your mind you could just pay for the visit with some other doctor, just this once.

Gosh my heart goes out to you. Is your pregnancy now "confirmed?" I assume so, since you said you are 8-weeks along. Did they do a urine test or blood test? Please try and see another doctor if possible, one who can see you sooner! Also, make sure you are taking care of yourself... take pre-natal vitamins including folic acid, eat healthily, rest when you need it, get enough calcium, and omega-3 nutrients. This is the routine I was on when pregnant and which my OB recommends. You should also get yourself a book on being pregnant... a good one is called- "what to expect when expecting" (you can find it anywhere and at Amazon.com). Also, let your baby's father pamper you... you are a 1st time Momma and you need to take care of yourself and rest.
Until you get a pre-natal check up, just take comfort in your baby, talk to it, rub your belly, play peaceful music, imagine good things and your baby will "feel" those feelings coming from you too.

As for your "wrong" pregnancy testing and narcotic pain treatment... well, I"m not sure what you can do...but if you want "legal" advice, then you would need to look into that with a proper resource.
Good luck and take care,
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

As an labor and delivery nurse I see lots of people with lots of adverse situations. I can tell you (and I am in no way condoning this) but there are plenty of hard core drug users who have relatively healthy babies. That's not to say, "Go out and do whatever you want" but it should put your mind at ease that a few doses of narcotics should not hurt your new baby. It is however a call to action to take extra good care of yourself now. Get those prenatal vitamins, start eating lots of fruits and veggies, increase your milk intake, and get some moderate exercise everyday. Good luck and don't worry!

You have to love military medical facilities & tricare contractors :)
No seriously, they're not all that bad. Even if you go to see a doc now out of pocket there isn't going to be much they can do/find out. You will have to wait for your first ultrasound (12wks?) & they might be able to check at that point. Honestly though, most of us have done things that we shouldn't have (drinking, smoking, rx's) in the the few weeks between concieving & finding out, and still have healthy, happy, beautiful babies. I think you should try to relax & not think about it, because the stress is sometimes worse than anything else.

I can't add much but just want to be one more voice of reassurance. We ALL worry about our babies. It may help you to know that they use narcotics sometimes as a painkiller for women in labor (not in the epidural, but as another option). I like the response best that said that your body is built to protect that baby. That's exactly right, and the most important thing now is to take good care of yourself going forward and not worry about things you can't change. Hopefully your appointment(s) with the OB/Gyn will put your mind at ease. It is possible to do an intravaginal ultrasound earlier than the conventional kind (they use a tool that they insert into yes, your vagina). I had one at 10 weeks because there was some uncertainty about my due date. You can ask for this if you want extra reassurance. You will also be able to listen to your baby's heart, and you each time you visit the doctor you will be reassured about how he/she is growing, etc. Just relax now and enjoy the ride as much as you can! Being pregnant should be a special time, so the less you can worry the better. Oh, and maybe try to find a pre-natal yoga class. Besides getting your body ready for delivery, the breathing exercises can help you calm yourself during stressful times. Good luck!

Did you have a positive blood test at an MTF? If so, did you go in and pick up your paperwork, prenatals, and sign the insurance form at the admin office? Once all that is done, which literally takes minutes, the referal is sent off to Tricare. Within 72 hours it is in their computer and you are assigned a doctor. You don't have to wait for your letter. Call Tricare as soon as you can (I believe they are open 24/7) and ask them for the name of your doctor and your referal number. As soon as you have those two things you can make your appointment. *** If on the off chance you actually have an ob/gyn or hospital at your base/post... Good Luck and BE PUSHY!

If you are anywhere near Torrance/LAAFB I recommend Dr. Friedman, highly! Most military referals are sent to him but not all. If you don't get him you can ask to have your referall switched if you want (it might take another day or two, but you have to switch before you make your first appointment). If you get him he is awesome. I had my first ultrasound with him at 9 weeks. If you not in this area, then I hope you get a doctor you really like.

As far as the meds, don't worry too much. There isn't anything you can do about it now and worrying will only make you tired and you can't afford that right now. I took some horribly strong pain killers after undergoing general anesthetic for wisdom teeth removal when I was 5 weeks pregnant with my 2nd. I didn't find out I was pregnant until 3 days after I started taking the pain killers. Everything was totally fine.

Well, there is no way to reverse damage to a fetus that has already occured...however it is not that likely that the fetus was affected (though possible)...Your body is built to protect the baby and while yes the drugs could potentially harm the child it is probably only causing you much unnecessary stress and anxiety to worry about it. Focus now on protecting the baby, by eating healthy and steering clear of unnessary medication. Try not to blame the hospital or be angry, pregnancy tests and such can only be so accurate...I did not know I was pragnant for 12 weeks...I have a thyroid condition that "usually" makes you sterile and if not sterile very difficult for your body to conceive...the symptoms of an episode are very similar to the early signs of pregnancy...and so I had no idea...while I am hardly a reckless drinker, I did drink occasionally befor I knew and I know many people who have taken medications/alcohol/etc. Prior to knowing they where pregnant and yet they gave birth to happy healthy babies! Try not to worry, that can cause damage in and of itself!

I just want to counter some of the comments below. It really isn't that strange to miss a pregnancy and some women who take pregnancy tests even later on in pregnancy will register not pregnant b/c each woman has different HCG levels (pregnancy hormone). I also agree with some of the comments. Your body is designed to protect and nurture your baby. Even if you don't eat right baby will take what it needs out of your skin, blood, and bones. I wouldn't recommend not eating right, you also need to care for yourself. :) Many women will take medication not recommended for pregnancy early on in their pregnancy b/c they don't know they're pregnant and they still have wonderfully beautiful healthy babies. Try to relax (as a Mom of three I know that's easier said than done in pregnancy, especially your first) and enjoy your baby as he or she grows! What a blessing from God!

Lol, i too am fimilar with the hurry up and wait process i did not find out i was pregnant until i was 20 weeks along (depo). I have mrsa and i had surgery and the also perscribed me morphine and a whole bunch other pills after my surgery. My daughter is now a year old and perfectly healthy, all i can say is hang in there and pray or meditate or do whatever you do to center yourself. Also if you call your local obgyn instead of family practice and tell them your situation(leave a message with a nurse practioner) and they might be able to get you an appt. even sooner. Please stay positive and get extra tlc from your hubby. Also start taking prenatal vitamins you can get them at any gnc and i think even walgreens. I hope this helps.
~R.~