Miscarriage at 6 weeks and BF 18 month old. Should I wean before TTC again?

[2tiredmama]

I just found out at the weekend at 9 weeks pregnant that baby miscarried at 6. Going through miscarriage now. I can't help but worry it will happen again and as I find life very full on with 5 full days of work and a toddler and husband that works odd hours could the tiredness have caused the miscarriage? I BF our DS twice a day first and last thing and I wonder should I wean ahead if TTC or would that have any impact on my energy? I dont want to stop BF otherwise as want to do it as close to age of 2 as I can and don't want to have regrets.

Has anyone miscarried whilst BF and then gone in to have healthy baby and how long did they wait before TTC? Feeling so sad for our loss and body clock is ticking....

[CatHackney]

Hi, didn't want you to be left hanging. I'm really sorry about your miscarriage. I cannot say I have exactly the experience you're looking for. Based on my understanding, though, there's no reason at all why tiredness would cause a miscarriage. I think most miscarriages are caused by a problem with that particular pregnancy that mean it cannot survive - these are not things that you can do anything about, they're just terribly bad fortune. There's no reason at all to believe after one miscarriage that your next pregnancy will be anything but perfectly healthy and happy.

If you don't want to stop breastfeeding, then you shouldn't - continue. It's great for you and your toddler, and stopping could actually be quite an unpleasant emotional experience for you, which I don't think is what you need right now.

And, the correct amount of time to wait before TTC is how long it takes for you to feel ready. If you feel your body clock is ticking, then it sounds like you may be ready soon. But medically, I don't think there's any reason to wait.

I wonder, though, if it might be worth you having a trip to your GP to discuss this? Your GP should be able to provide proper medical advice on planning a future pregnancy, and it would also be an opportunity for you to discuss whether there may be some support or counselling available for you; you've gone through a very difficult experience and you deserve support.

[geekaMaxima]

So sorry about your mc

There's very little evidence for bf increasing mc risk, though. Research is patchy, but the general mechanisms proposed (increased prolactin and oxytocin) aren't thought to hold up after all, especially for bf after 12 months or more.

So if you don't want to wean, don't. By all means, get yourself checked out by your GP if it will put your mind at ease (but with the caveat that some GPs suggest stopping bf at the first sign of something unusual, even if it's poorly warranted).

[leedy]

Me - miscarried at 12 weeks while BF DS1, got pregnant again with DS2 a couple of cycles after the miscarriage (without weaning), DS1 self-weaned when I was about 5 months pregnant. DS2 is currently a perfectly healthy, large and in charge BF toddler.

V sorry for your loss, I know how you feel, but from what I was told after mine I'm pretty sure BF or tiredness had nothing to do with it - it was just "one of those things"/the body's quality control mechanism kicking in, and there's no reason you wouldn't have a perfectly normal pregnancy afterwards.

[Midori1999]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

I am classed as high risk in pregnancy and have had lots of early miscarriages, as well as the late loss of twin girls. Although I haven't experienced a miscarriage whilst breastfeeding but did BF my DD until she self weaned at around 32 weeks pregnant with my DS. All my medical care providers were happy for me to continue to BF and felt it didn't increase the risk of miscarriage in most cases and even where it was possible that evidence was not clear cut.

[2tiredmama]

Thank u ladies for sharing your experiences and I'm so very sorry for your losses too. It's a much more physical experience than I ever thought it could be. The bleeding is subsiding but my ovary area and stomach muscles feel pretty battered and weak and I feel like I pulled something down one side after doing some house work yesterday... Is that possible? Not sure what the dos and donts are after miscarriage as the hospital gave no guidance.
Are my symptoms normal and how long did u wait before u started back hoovering etc. I was just trying to keep busy to keep my mind off the MC ??

[bronya]

I weaned after a mc at 8 weeks while bf a 15 month old. I was ready to wean though, as was DS. Conceived a month later, all was well.

[squizita]

Have never been pregnant when BFING (pfb is a tiny!) But know a lot about causes of MC from reading/tests fit recurrent loss.
Tiredness and BFING do NOT cause early pregnancy loss. Almost all are "spontaneous " losses caused by a malformed egg/sperm or problem implanting ... and are one off random events.

[2tiredmama]

Thank you Bronya and Squizita for your comments too. Feeling more upbeat this week although exhausted. Time will be a healer .....