Wow sounds like you've been having a tough time of it Rae :-/ I don't know much about this sort of thing (only just pg myself and constantly worrying every time i go to the loo - i daren't look!!) but i have heard of people having periods when pregnant and I have also read that light reddish-brown spotting can be any of the following:-

(1) breakthrough bleeding - can happen when your period would normally be due.

(2) implantation bleeding, when the egg attaches to the womb wall.

(3) or cervical erosion - hormones can affect the cervix.

sorry can't be much help, just wanted to reply with my positive thoughts for you and your embryo :-) trust what the doc says and just take it easy. by the way, i also know cramping and period-type pains are normal - thank god cos i'm getting those quite often!

as for the getting excited bit, i also raised that point in one of my recent posts, and someone helpfully replied that she saw every bfp as a tiny person in their own right, and whether or not they survive their existence - however short - deserves to be celebrated. so we're going out for a meal tonight to celebrate, and i'm finally allowing myself to get excited, so go for it girl - enjoy every minute of being pg and think positive - 80% of pregnancies are fine :-) (can you tell i've been doing my research on the net??! hehe).

ps - how far pg do you think you are?

neat xxx