With every pregnancy I have had multiple blood tests early on.
In theory the HCG levels should double every 48 hours. It is a good indication that the pregnancy is progressing well, at a certain point this changes and it doesn’'t really matter, ultrasound, heartbeat etc are more telling.
I received a call from my doctor’s office regarding the bloodwork HCG comparison. They are "very happy with the results " and said "the pregnancy is progressing well "! Yay 
[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone, hope I can join! I got positive tests today and yesterday, around the time my period was due, so if everything goes according to plan we will be having our second child next [name_u]August[/name_u]. I ought to be around 4 weeks now.
To introduce myself: I am English, living in Iceland with my Icelandic partner. We have a daughter who is almost 18 months, so she ought to be a bit over 2 years old by the time her little brother or sister gets here.
I have had one miscarriage before with my first pregnancy, so I’m a little paranoid about negative outcomes, especially since it’s such early days, but I’m trying to stay excited and optimistic. We haven’t booked a doctor’s appointment yet, but we’ll probably see if we can get in for a dating scan before [name_u]Christmas[/name_u].
Symptoms wise so far I have had a few touches of nausea, literally a few seconds over a cup of tea a couple of times. I’m hoping these little hints so early don’t mean it’s going to be even worse than last time, because last time sucked. I’ve also felt a little dizzy and breathless walking up a hill (a little hill that I would normally not get out of breath for) and have noticed a heightened sense of smell / funny taste issues. My boyfriend also says I’m noticeably hot to the touch, so I guess my body temperature is probably higher.
[name_m]How[/name_m] about you all? I saw exhaustion mentioned. That’s a tough one for sure. I’m doing OK on that front for now, thank goodness!
@cleaver - that’s great to hear!
@jackal - I’m 7 weeks now and my symptoms haven’t been very extreme (which does worry me) - I’ve basically had sore boobs for weeks, and only hints of tiredness & nausea - to the point where I keep wondering if I’m really pregnant - guess we’ll see what today’s scan shows
Yippee! Today’s scan showed a little jelly bean with a heartbeat of 133bpm.
So happy 
Due date set at the 18th of [name_u]July[/name_u].
@jackal you beat me to it! When I read your post on TTC2016 I was going to invite you to join us. Best wishes for a wonderful pregnancy!
@gemmiebee that is a strong heartbeat! It is a very good sign. [name_f]May[/name_f] I ask, were they able to view it with an external ultrasound or did they need to perform an internal?
@cleaver - it was an external ultrasound, pretty blurry as so small but we could see and hear the heart beating, see the yolk sac and see where the placenta was forming
@gemmiebee - Those sound like perfectly reasonable symptoms. Not everyone has everything (e.g. I’ve never had sore boobs, even though that’s a really common one) and some people even feel totally fine all through the first trimester with healthy pregnancies. Congratulations on your good scan, hope you’ve stopped worrying now.
You will be very lucky if you largely escape the first trimester nausea! It can be absolutely miserable and quite debilitating. I didn’t have the extreme version where you can’t keep anything down but I was nauseous (like sea-sickness) all day long from about 5 1/2 weeks to 13 weeks. At first I was happy because with my missed miscarriage I literally had no symptoms at all, so I took it as a promising sign (and I guess it was). But it gets old fast, man. I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for a repeat, but they say every pregnancy is different so I’m keeping my fingers crossed this will be a slightly more fun first trimester!
@cleaver - Thanks! Not sure there is such a thing as a wonderful pregnancy, seems like an oxymoron, but I sure hope it will be healthy and successful at least. It seems from your posts that this isn’t your first or second time, what number kid will this be?
That’s a perfect idea!
Congratulations and welcome!! 
I’m right there with you at 4w2d, [name_u]August[/name_u] 6th due date.
My husband and I found out on my birthday that we’re expecting our first child too! According to my last period, our due date should be around [name_u]August[/name_u] 9th!!! We were home for Thanksgiving and knew we want our families support no matter what, so we’ve told our parents and siblings. [name_m]Will[/name_m] be 4 weeks tomorrow and have our first appointment scheduled for 5 weeks. Eek! We are SO excited!!
In terms of symptoms, I’ve had fatigue, sensitivity to smells/heightened sense of smell, and headaches though those could be due to laying off caffeine.
UPDATE::::
All went well with the my OB. I got to get an ultrasound and see our sweet little one, which surprised me since I was expecting not to get one. But it just made everything so real seeing it on the screen. Due date is July 29 and does anyone have any tips on morning sickness??
@sarena - Congrats on your good scan! What level of morning sickness are you getting, and has it taken a pattern yet? I was pretty miserable with it my last pregnancy and what I did to try and cope was graze throughout the day and rest as much as possible because it got noticeably worse if I got too hungry or tired (and I would get starving hungry without noticing it because my appetite was just nonexistent). Sadly nothing I did actually stopped me feeling sick (even vomiting brought no relief) but those would be my tips, such as they are. If you can work from home do it. Some people say you should eat before you even get out of bed as with the classic morning sickness the first wave will often hit right as you get up. This was counterproductive for me, because then instead of dry heaves or bringing up a bit of clear liquid my day would start with puking up a banana or whatever I ate. Some people say ginger or sucking on a sweet or something can help, but it did nothing for me. Good luck, morning sickness is the worst. I hope yours is not too bad!
I am booked in for an early scan on 13th of [name_u]December[/name_u], at which point I should be just over 6 weeks. I’m a little nervous since that’s a bit earlier than I’ve been before and I’m scared it might be too early to see a heartbeat. It’s actually the same gynecologist I went to with my first two pregnancies. I doubt she’ll remember me, though. So hopefully we’ll get to see a little blob with a good strong heartbeat. I realised that if this pregnancy develops normally and if I get morning sickness the same as I did last time, [name_u]Christmas[/name_u] is going to suck. Plus I’ll be staying with my parents-in-law for at least a few days and if I’m heaving over the toilet first thing every morning I imagine anyone would get suspicious. So it might potentially be a bit harder to keep this one a secret. But we’ll see I guess.
Finally feeling pregnant now, with nausea lasting much of the day, slightly relieved if I eat often enough. Didn’t hit til I was 7 weeks pregnant, and started a day after I had some bleeding (which is kinda good I guess as it reassures me that I’m still pregnant).
@jackal - any morning sickness for you yet?
Sorry you’re feeling bad, Gemmiebee. But glad for the reassurance! Nausea is definitely a really good sign of a healthy pregnancy, although it sucks, so I know what you mean.
I’m still fine. If I’m getting any nausea it’s still in the ‘was that nausea?’ stage where you feel a little sick for a few seconds or you gag over a smell or a texture in your mouth and then it’s gone and you wonder if you were imagining it, haha. Mine came on very slowly gradually last time so perhaps it is coming on that way again. Or perhaps I really am imagining it! Either way it’s not bad at all yet. According to the timeline of the last pregnancy it should start to get more obvious sometime this week, but you can’t at all rely on pregnancies being the same so I don’t know really.
It sounds crazy but I swear my belly has got bigger. Of course it’s not a real bump at this early stage, definitely just water retention or bloating, but when I look in the mirror I look ever-so-slightly pregnant shape. I don’t usually get bloating at all, so it’s definitely pregnancy related! Last time there was no change at all until well into the second trimester.
Hey everyone! I am tentatively joining you all. I got a very faint positive (though definitely there!) this morning, and I’m guessing my due date would be around [name_u]August[/name_u] 17th-20th (of course this month was the first in a while I didn’t use OPKs). I have had a miscarriage in the past (my first pregnancy) so I am trying to stay positive and not worry! We have been trying since around [name_f]April[/name_f], so I’m excited! This will be an almost 3 year difference between my DS and new baby.
Congrats @julylacs! Praying for a sticky baby!!
We had our first doctor’s appointment today at 5 weeks. They drew blood for blood work, and we’re scheduled for our first ultrasound on [name_u]December[/name_u] 27!!!
We haven’t announced either!
[name_u]Love[/name_u] searching Nameberry for possible baby names!
Due [name_u]August[/name_u] 3rd.
Congratulations on your first! So exciting! [name_u]Love[/name_u] the names you have chosen!