In early October 1999, I took a pregnancy test that came up negative. As with Alyssa, I waited until I was late to take another one. It came up faintly positive. On October 23, 1999, I was in a rear-end hit-and-run collision. I went about a week with what seemed like no ill effects to the baby. After that week was up, I started spotting. I called the doctor and the nurse told me to avoid intercourse and to take it easy. I doubt she even left a note for my doctor.

The spotting and bed rest continued on and off for the next 4 weeks. I went to my first prenatal visit and all was fine, except for what appeared to be a yeast infection. That night, I went to the emergency room because I was bleeding heavily. They did an ultrasound and tested my HCG level. Everything appeared normal. I was sent home on bed rest. I spotted on and off for about 3.5 weeks, then decided it was time to go back to the emergency room. The doctor listened for a heartbeat but couldn't find one. He didn't seem all that worried, but had me follow up with my OB/GYN anyway.

I went in for my ultrasound on December 20, 1999. When the doctor turned on the monitor, I thought it was stuck on freeze-frame because the baby wasn't moving. It turned out that the baby had died about 2 to 3 weeks earlier. I was diagnosed with what they called a molar pregnancy. I was ordered to get a D&C done 2 days later. I had a very difficult time in between, packing up what were supposed to be the baby's belongings. I took a picture of what I had planned to bring him home in, and I had the ultrasound picture. I saved both of them. The D&C went well. There were no major complications, and I healed well. I was a little sore for a few days, but it was nothing that I couldn't handle. In that time somewhere, I decided that the baby needed a name. I chose Noah Blaine because together it means little and restful.

I was diagnosed with a partial molar pregnancy. At the time of my D&C, my HCG levels were over 18,000. I was ordered to do weekly blood tests until my level hit 5 or less. I did the weekly tests, and recieved Depo-Provera because I had to wait a year before I tried to concieve again. My levels dropped well. They began to slow down, and at about 9 weeks post-D&C, they were at 125. From there, the level dropped to 63, then 42, then 25, then finally, they reached 6. Once they reached 6, my doctor told me I could come in bi-weekly until my HCG was negative. They considered less than 5 negative. I went for my first bi-weekly test, and I was FINALLY negative. I had to go for one more, just so they could be sure the level had stayed down. If my level had gone up or stayed the same, I would have had to recieve chemotherapy. Thank God it didn't.

After the negative result was determined, I went to monthly tests for 3 months, then went to having it tested every 3 months. In that time, I went to a new doctor and asked if I could be cleared to have another baby. He said no, that it was safer to wait until the year was up. I got off the Depo shot and went on the birth control pill. This was early July. My level stayed at <5 and I went to the doctor again in late November because I wasn't having my period. He ordered my last blood test and did a pap smear. I was cleared to try to concieve. Two weeks later, I got a phone call at work. My pap smear showed abnormalities. I went in for a biopsy that showed level 3 pre-cervical cancer. In other words, a couple more months, and I would have had cancer. I went back in and had a LEEP procedure done, where they electrically shave off the outer layer of the cervix. This put me back to not being able to try to concieve for 4 to 6 weeks. I was also told that there was a risk of incompetent cervix if I did get pregnant again.

Finally I was able to concieve again and did so in early March. God blessed me with my youngest baby, a girl, on November 11, 2001. I have had no signs of either the molar pregnancy or the cervical cancer returning since this all happened, and I am really doing well.

This story originally appeared on Carla's own website. She was kind enough to let me adapt her story for this site as well. Click here to see her page and to find more stories about her miscarriages and her children.