Disclaimer: A tubal/ectopic pregnancy carries serious risks. This is one woman’s experience and is a rare outcome. Nothing shared here replaces medical advice or reflects any other woman’s experiences or needs or outcomes.
I wanted to be a mother from as far back as I can remember. But I suffered from an eating disorder and as such, I had irregular periods, sometimes going as long as nine months without one. I knew if I was not having periods I was not ovulating and could not get pregnant so my husband and I decided to start trying as soon as we got married in hopes of eventually conceiving. We had been trying to get pregnant for months and had basically given up and decided to wait.
Then one morning when I was laying in the bath, I looked down at my stomach and something inside me knew I was pregnant. I bought a test without telling my husband and while he was at work I took it. I sat there for what seemed like hours waiting for those faint pink lines to appear. As my heart was thumping I looked down and just about fell off the toilet as I saw two pink lines. I didn’t know if I should believe it, I was shocked surprised and excited all at the same time. In a daze with tears in my eyes I got in my car and rushed to my husband’s work.
On the way I called and told him I had something to show him and told him to meet me outside. I arrived and he jumped into my car thinking I was just there for a normal visit but to his shock I pulled out the test and showed it to him. He stared at it for about five minutes and finally stuttered out, “So does that mean we’re pregnant?” Teary eyed we hugged with the excitement of knowing our lives were about to change forever.
I went home and took four more tests all confirming our good news but I decided to see a doctor to confirm. We showed up at the doctor’s office expecting him to say yep, you’re pregnant, take care of yourself, but that was not at all what we heard. They of course took a pregnancy test and it came back positive but when it came time for the exam the doctor got very quiet. Knowing nothing could be wrong I asked him anyway and very quietly he answered, “Your uterus does not appear pregnant.”
I didn’t understand and thought it was some fluke so I didn’t really pay much attention but he sent me right down to have an ultrasound. I quietly lay on the table waiting to see an image of my baby – I was actually excited. The tech turned on the monitor and slowly began checking my uterus. She had the monitor on for at least 10 minutes and I patiently waited for her to say look there’s your baby, but nothing happened. She turned the monitor off and said, “I couldn’t find anything. It doesn’t appear you are pregnant.”
My heart sank; they sent me into the waiting room where I waited for half an hour until the radiographer came in. He told me that they could not find a fetus in my uterus but actually found a lump in my tube, and they thought my baby was growing in my tube. I went home still confused but sure they had made a mistake. The next day I went to a specialist. They did another ultrasound and still couldn’t see a fetus but the lump in my tube had grown.
Above, my empty uterus at almost five weeks pregnant. Below, the ultrasound report with names removed:
[…] Clinic, P.S. 400 East […]th Avenue Spokane, Washington 99220 PATIENT NAME: […] DIANA B DOB: 10/29/1984 EXAM DATE: 3/31/2008 15:57 REFERRING DOCTOR: MICHAEL […] M.D. PROCEDURE: PELVIC ULTRASOUND INDICATIONS: Pelvic pain. Positive pregnancy test. TECHNIQUE: Transabdominal scans were obtained followed by transvaginal scans for better visualization. FINDINGS: The uterus measures approximately 8.8 x 4.4 x 5.9 cm. The endometrium is moderately thickened and the endometrial cavity is empty and no gestational sac is identified. In the left adnexa, there is a complete cystic/solid mass measuring approximately 3.3 x 2.2 x 2.4 cm. It is minimally hypervascular around the margins. This is adjacent to a relatively normal appearing left ovary and this is suspicious for an ectopic pregnancy, although an unusual hemorrhagic cyst could have a similar appearance, although I think this is less likely. Correlation with HCG levels would be helpful. The right ovary is well visualized and appears normal. There is a small amount of free intraperitoneal fluid visualized in the cul-de-sac. CONCLUSION: Complex left adnexal mass adjacent to the left ovary. In a patient with a positive pregnancy test, this is suspicious for an ectopic pregnancy. The uterus is empty. Correlation with HCG levels would be helpful. There is only a small amount of free intraperitoneal fluid in the cul-de-sac. Dictated by: Thomas […] M.D. on 3/31/2008 at 16:41 Transcribed by: PRATT on 3/31/2008 at 15:50 Approved by: Thomas […], M.D. on 3/31/2008 at 16:54
The doctor then came in and very sharply said, “Diana, it appears that you have a tubal pregnancy with about three and a half centimeters of clot and bleeding in your tube and if we do not get it out immediately your tube could burst and it could kill you.” I looked at him with tears welling in my eyes and said, “Are you telling me I have to abort my baby?” As the words came out my whole body began shaking and tears were now streaming from my eyes.
He looked back at me and almost coldly said these words that still to this day ring in my ears, “Diana, you need to stop thinking of this as a baby, this is not a baby nor will it ever be one.” My heart broke and I began sobbing as the doctor continued to tell me he wanted to hook me up to an IV that would send a cancer drug into my body and as he put it allow the ‘egg’ to leave my body. He acted like it would be quick and painless, no big deal. I knew in my heart I couldn’t do it and told him I needed more time.
He thought I was crazy and became angry at me for putting my life in danger. My husband drove me home and I curled up into a ball on the couch and sobbed for hours. This was my child, my amazing beautiful child I had waited for, and they were telling me I had to kill it. I was mad at myself, mad at God, mad at everyone. After a few hours I looked at my husband as he held me and said, “Honey, do you think the baby is in my tube?” and he sent chills down my spine as he responded, “Yes.”
Hysterically I kept running through my mind trying to figure out how to save my baby, thinking maybe if we leave him alone he could actually grow in my tube. I soon realized the only one who could save my baby was God. I asked my mom to drive us to the healing rooms and she quickly took us there. Once inside they took us to a room with three people waiting to pray over us. I was bawling as they all gathered around me and hands touching my stomach, began to pray. My body suddenly became warm and a sense of calmness spread through me. I could see my baby and I saw him in God’s hands.
At the same time my husband said he felt someone touching his shoulder and at that moment he knew everything was going to be okay. As I left they told me God had my baby and not to allow the doctors to do anything for a few days. I called the doctor and told them I needed until Friday to make a decision. They were not happy but complied. For the next three days I lived in a black hole. In my heart I think I knew God was going to save my baby but my body was terrified. I was afraid at any second my tube would burst, killing not only my baby but also myself. But most of all I was afraid that I would go to the doctor on Friday and THEY would kill my baby.
I lived in darkness for those three days (literally): sleeping, crying, and praying (begging) God to save my child. Some may not believe this but Thursday, as I lay there immersed in darkness praying to God to save my child, I saw a vision of my baby again in God’s hands but this time I saw them in my womb. God said, “I have your child” and gently lifted him up and placed him in my uterus. Crying and not sure if I was imagining, I called my mom and told her what I saw.
She said, “Diana, everything is going to be okay. I saw your baby and it is a boy and he is okay.” I hung up and fell asleep waiting for the morning. I was awoken the next morning by a phone call; it was the doctor’s office. The nurse on the line told me the doctor was allowing me to have another ultrasound but immediately after wanted me in the emergency room to administer the drug. They were ready to kill my child without a second thought.
We all drove to the hospital in silence; I think all expecting the worst. Again my heart knew it would be okay but my brain knew there was no baby in my uterus; once again I lay on the table and the tech began scanning my uterus. My heart began sinking further and further as I watched the screen and squeezed my husband’s hand. In my mind I kept imagining them strapping me to a table and taking my child from my body. It was agonizing.
All of a sudden the tech said, “Look, there’s your baby.” I thought she was joking and I looked at her not even able to cry because I couldn’t believe her. She pointed to the screen and said, “Look, it’s a perfectly healthy egg with a yolk sac. The fetus is 5 weeks old.” I got up from the table and my husband and I walked into the waiting room in shock. As we entered the room I looked at my mom and quietly said, “They found him.”
She screamed in the middle of the hospital and with everyone staring picked me up crying and screaming. It was honestly the most amazing moment of my life and I cannot even describe how it felt. Immediately the doctor called and said, “It’s a miracle because three days ago I would have sworn that baby was in your tube and today it is in your uterus and the bleeding in your tube is gone.” That was about all he said and then he hung up.
To this day I know the doctor was right, I know my son was in my tube and I know the only reason he is here today is because of God. I put his life in God’s hands and believed that what needed to happen would and God gave me the most precious blessing. Every time I look at my son I see God and I am thankful for what He did for my family, what He did for my son, and what He did for every person that prayed for my son and was touched by this Miracle. I want to take my son to that doctor and say, “See what you almost killed.” My son is a Miracle and I will never forget it.
Don’t underestimate what God can do if you believe, and don’t always listen to your doctor. If I did, my son would not be here today. You can follow Diana’s journey at www.pcospains.blogspot.com
Recommended Reading
The Harshe Podcast – Episode #45: Healing Is Not Linear
Healing Through Birth 
Margot’s Water Birth Story – {Part II}
Deep Rooted Faith Leads to a Healing Second Birth
Hospital Trauma and Healing at Home: A Story of Two Births (Part II)
Refuse to Abort, Surgery, NICU, Miracles {I Am Strong} 
Together as a Family, Part V
Together as a Family, Part II 
Together as a Family, Part I 
Why Should I Write My Birth Story?
25 Comments
quest
That was a wonderful story. I really enjoyed it and now i do have a little bit more faith in myself to have a VBAC one day. God can do anything even with faith as small as a mustard seed.
Katy Waldrop
Keep your faith! The Dr. who delivered my second baby by C-section said, “You should never go through a trial of labor again.” This was heartbreaking, considering that my hubby and I wanted lots of kids! Long story short, 26 months later, we had our third boy born by VBAC accidentally in our home! 3 hour labor and I only had a small tear that I didn’t even know about til we got to the hospital! And he’s a beautiful 2 year old now who is also a big brother to another brother! 🙂 With God, ALL things are possible to those who believe and are called according to His purposes.
Kyleen
Crying. SO beautiful. Congratulations on your miracle baby!
Anna
Praise God! Beautiful story! Thanks for sharing
Krista Young
God is sooo good! I love hearing stories like this one. Thank you so much for sharing your miracle.
Danielle
The same thing almost happened to me. My HCG levels weren’t doubling correctly and at 5 weeks I started bleeding. At 6 weeks I went into the ER and they performed an u/s and said that the baby was not implanted in my uterus but on my cervix. I was all alone in an ER because my husband was underway and all I could do was lay in the bed and cry. Finally, right before they were going to wheel me of to perform a D&C, a third doctor took a look at my scans and said that a fibroid was pushing on my uterus and causing distortion on the u/s pictures and that my baby was actually okay. They would have terminated him without a second thought had that doctor not looked.
Megan Casey
God is so great
Elyse
A similar thing happened to my friend, she got pregnant after trying for a long time. She had at hcg blood test at 4+2 which came back at 21, she was told to expect to miscarry but was scheduled further test every 2 days from then… during the next couple of weeks the hcg doubled at each blood test, but it kept being very low, they were scanning her from 6 weeks as in germany (where she lives) they don’t normally scan before 6-7 weeks. At the scans no baby could be seen. At 7 weeks the hcg rose even slower and didnt double. The drs were really not sure what was going on, as the tubes also looked perfectly normal on 3 the ultrasounds she had by then. on the 8 week ultrasound they saw a mass on one tube, they said she has an ecptopic pregnancy and scheduled an op in another weeks time, at this point she was admitted to hospital, her hcg had risen suddenly by lots. the drs were very worried that her tube would rupture. And then on the day of the op which was just at 9+2 the decided to do one more scan (she had had many every few days) and there was her perfectly developed baby which was right on time for gestation. My friend is now 30 weeks pregnant and so happy that the drs although worried were not rushing her to have an op and monitored her very closely once there was a swelling on the tube. She had those many early blood tests as she was undergoing fertility treament, maybe she was lucky in that as the drs understood how much she was hoping that the pregnancy would still be all right, although they believed the chances were small!
My friend is not religious, but she never lost hope that her baby had a chance.
This is a wonderful story, and just like the story of my friend shows that drs shouldn’t push women for unnecessary surgeries or other interventions that terminate the pregnancy. Whilst it is a serious risk to die from an ectopic pregnancy, drs should rather monitor than just abort, but I guess that would not be profitable enough!
Alyssa
Beautiful story of God’s power and love…amazing!
Mandy Williams
Thank you for sharing! This is such a beautiful story of faith.
Diana Bruner
Thank you all, the purpose of sharing our story is to not only share that God is still preforming miracles to this day but to also empower woman to listen to their heart and always seek a second opinion in regards to termination. A Doctor’s main goal is to save the mother’s life as they do not view the fetus as a life but by doing this they are actually harming the mother even further. I firmly believe we need to push our doctor’s to view what is best for both mother and baby and give them both a fair chance at life. My prayers and love go out to every mother whom has lost the fight to a tubal pregnancy, even though my baby survived I intimately know your pain and shed tears for you all. Losing a child is not something any mother should ever have to go through and I firmly believe that Austin survived to not only share God’s grace but to also give me a heart for those whom are in the same situation. My hope is to not only give mother’s hope whom are in the same situation and to give them the knowledge to ask for a second opinion but to also let mothers whom have experienced the loss of a tubal pregnancy know that they are not alone.
Ash
I really do believe that it was just too early to see the baby. I know of many people who have had this, myself included. I was scanned at 6 weeks with no baby and only very slightly thickened lining (not even the usual amount right before a period). But here its common to test HCG and then re-scan in 2 weeks before offering a termination. My HCG was very low, but 2 weeks later they saw a baby. It was just to early to tell beforehand.
Megan Casey
What A blessing! Wow amazing how the Father works isnt it? This is just what I needed to read today. We are struggling so badly. Things are really tough in our household. We had an unexpected pregnancy (healthy so far praise God) due in Jan. We not only have no room in our home, but also have to get a new car because we now cant transport our family in our current vehicle.
My fiancee lost his job several months back and I stopped receiving child support for my oldest a couple of onths ago.
Christmas this year is looking quite bleak. The happiest time of the year is feeling so dark. Its not about presents. My children arent by any means spoiled. But the small things they asked for may not even happen. I have been praying for a Christmas miricle. After reading this today I have renewed faith. I am going to just keep praying and remember my prayers arent just floating out to nothingness but to Gods ears ! The highest of high.
Thank You for posting !
I am so happy for your family.
Heather N.
What an INCREDIBLE testimony! Thank you for sharing it with us! Your faith is inspiring and that baby is beautiful!
Kelle
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story. I had to get the heartbreaking call yesterday, that my doctor wants to terminate. I’m only 5 weeks but my hcg levels aren’t doubling properly. I went in today and told him, no i want to do an ultrasound again in two weeks and take it from there. Praying my story ends as beautiful as yours!
Ash
I understand your fears. I had the same news delivered to me several weeks ago. After some bleeding I was sent to the ER, where the doctor told me I likely had a chemical pregnancy (what a horrible term) due to my low HCG levels and “no visable pregnancy” on the ultrasound. (I told the doctor that I had been using an ovulation kit, and that according to that I was actually only 4 weeks along, not 5 as indicated by my LMP, but that was basically ignored). A blood test a 3 days later showed my HCG levels had actually dropped. I took the week off from work and prepared for what I assumed would be my second miscarriage. Another blood test a few days later showed a huge rise in HCG, and the fear was that I was ectopic. I was rushed to the ER, where an ultrasound showed a perfectly normal and healthy embryo was right where it was supposed to be. And yes, I my calculation about late ovulation was apparently correct. They are chalking the HCG level drop to “lab error.” I’m now at 12 weeks and everything appears normal. The moral is this – don’t let them pressure you, tests don’t always show everything. And if your levels are low and not sustainable your body will know and will do what it needs to do.
Erica
In tears!! Thank for sharing your beautiful story!
Rashida
I am 6 week pregnant and my hcg levels is at 200! I searched online for something encouraging to hold onto and found your page ! Praise God! I choose to believe God’s word! Please keep me in your prayers! I have been having a lot of bleeding, but I walk by faith and not by sight!
Debby
Wonderful story of faith and hope. I found this story for a reason. God is awesome and miracles happen everyday and irregardless of what they say I know my baby will make it. You have a beautiful son. With GOD all things are possible
kenyatta jackson
I know that God is awesome and he still works miracles. My hcg levels are between 500 to 600. An u/ s has been done and they saw no signs of pregnancy. My levels dropped into the 300-400 range then went back up. Dr is saying they will monitor another couple of weeks but want to send me to get a shot to force baby out. They first told my pregnacy was a chemical pregnancy, then it was said to be eptopic. Confusing. I just smile and node at both the nurses and the Dr. Because the God i serve still works miracles. I was told i had cancer and never took chemo or anything else but ther is no cancer no cancer cells in my body. I have strong faith in God and believe that I found this sight as encouragement.I am encouraged by your stories. Thank you and I thank God for you all and your posts of encouragement. Be blessed.
Sarie
Thank you for sharing your story. I lost my right tube back in 2013 due to ectopic pregnancy. Back in November 2013, we started seeing an OB to help us get pregnant and so we did an iui. It was Christmas Day when I found out I was pregnant and on th next day I had an ultrasound. The result was ectopic and the baby was growing in the right tube. I was devastated because it had been 12 yrs of trying and then in an instant they have to remove my baby. I can’t do anything but obey. After my operation, we started trying again for ivf in March and April of 2014 but all failed and then we stopped until this May 2015 for iui but failed. Last August 2015, we tried another iui and we are pregnant. It will be 4wks tomorrow and my scan is up until next week. I’m so scared that I might have to face the same nightmare. I kept on praying and praying everyday and re-read your story over and over for encouragement. I am asking for a miracle just like yours. I prayed to St. Jude, St. Anthony de Padua, St. Raymond of Nonnatus, St. John the evangelist for safe pregnancy. I hope I could experience the same miracle. This will be my last try for 14 years. Take care and God bless.
Melissa
I am going through the same thing now. I went in a couple days ago thinking I am 6 weeks pregnant but they didn’t find anything in my ultra sound. By HCG level originally was 20,000 and two days later I am at 29,000. They did not find anything in my tubes , but they are assuming it may either be multiple and I am just too early, ectopic or mole pregnancy. I am just hoping for the best.. Don’t have an ultra sound until Thursday..
Mae
I am so touched with your story. ^__^ God is great!
Emily
Amazing story! So, so glad you have your sweet baby in your arms now!
samantha
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story! For me, miscarriage was something I was not able to talk about. Sharing this informative article for all the mama’s out there -https://www.everydayhealth.com/ectopic-pregnancy/guide/. I’m sure this post will help others I’m sure this post will help others.