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Find support and share your experiences on our Miscarriage forum.

Find support and share your experiences on our Miscarriage forum.

Miscarriage/pregnancy loss

Retained products, any experience (tmi)

16 replies

KittyandTeal · 16/03/2016 09:49

So I am just under a week after loosing ds at 14 weeks. I had a medical management which all went as well as it could.

My waters went just before he was born and although the placenta and cord etc were all fully intact they did mention the membranes looked 'ragged'. I didn't have any of this with dd2 when she was stillborn as she was born in her water.

Tmi - I've had cramps for days now, period type ones and stomach which I've put down to antibiotics. This morning the cramps were coming and going in waves, I had to stop and breath through them. I've just been to the loo and passed a huge mass of something, it wasn't much smaller than ds had been when he was born. The cramps have completely stopped now, I'm already on precautionary antibiotics, I was warned that I might have retained materials. I'm guessing they have passed now.

My question, after that rambling, is do I need to do anything? Should I be worried? (I'm worrying about everything atm but that's a different thread!)

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marmiteontoast76 · 16/03/2016 09:56

Hi Kitty.

This happened a week or so after losing dd. I had awful cramps, bit like mild labour pains, then some kind of slimey mass fell out, a bit raggedy. Then nothing like this happened again.

Bleeding lasted for about 2 weeks after delivery. I then got period exactly one month after delivery.

marmiteontoast76 · 16/03/2016 09:59

Meant to also say that I rang the labour ward just after it happened and they didn't seem worried at all....in fact they didn't ring me back like they promised.

Perhaps phone your local midwife just to double check all is ok?

KittyandTeal · 16/03/2016 10:03

Thanks marmite, you seem to be my font of knowledge atm.

Utterly grim but I feel much better now. I'm guessing that as I'm not feeling unwell and am already on antibiotics that they'll be completely unfazed by it.

I'm grasping at straws and my first thought was 'is that what caused the MC?' Obviously it's not, it would have been picked up on scans. It's obviously a bit of membranes with blood collected on it or something.

I'm just doing my own head in atm! 😄

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Dextyboo · 16/03/2016 10:10

Hey Kitty, how are you feeling this week?

Mine was a much earlier mc (baby died at 5 weeks) however i did medical management at 13weeks. I had retained products and similar to you i went through phases of mild contractions followed by heammorage (ahh i can't spell it). This happened three times before i had to have an emergency op.

I think the fact you have passed a mass, are not bleeding heavily and the cramps have settled means that you have probably passed the last of what was left and hopefully things will settle down a bit now. I know the antibiotics are probably helping too.

I hope you are getting through this terrible time as best you can, i have been thinking of you.

KittyandTeal · 16/03/2016 10:16

Thank you dexty. I'm ok-ish atm, really up and down.

My bleeding has been surprisingly light which is why I thought something wasn't quite right. It's been really sticky and slimy too (sorry, such a grim subject) so things haven't felt quite normal.

I'm hoping that this is it but I'm fully expecting something else to happen. Part of me wants to just go in for an op so I don't need to worry, I know that's a bit dramatic and the recovery time wouldn't be fun.

I've had poor dd1 up all night being sick too (first time ever so we're lucky to have avoided it for so long) but tiredness does not help me keep my anxiety in check!

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Dextyboo · 16/03/2016 10:22

Oh i can completely sympathise. When i had lucas following the mmc i barely bled, nowhere near as much as i imagine i would after having a baby. I was convinced i would have retained products and haemorage again. I didnt dare leave the house was ringing the midwives a lot to see what was normal and nothing ever happened and have been having normal periods since.

If i could turn back time i would have tried not to worry so much but as there is no 'normal' on these cases its very hard not to.

I would consider the antibiotics a good safety net and try and convince yourself you will be fine because of them.

You're really going through it at the mo. I hope you're dd picks up soon. Least she has her mum there to look after her. Be a bit of a distraction too.

KittyandTeal · 16/03/2016 10:57

Yeah, you're right. I'm not feeling unwell and that would be the telltale sign.

Dd1 is on the mend, just very fragile. Lots of cuddles and animal programs on tv

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marmiteontoast76 · 16/03/2016 11:07

Sorry to hear dd1 hasn't been well. Glad she is on the mend. Sounds like lots of cuddles are what you both need at the moment.

Dextyboo · 16/03/2016 11:20

Just keep an eye on it. If you get the pains again it might be worth speaking to a midwife but it does sound ok.

Glad dd1 is picking up a little.

KittyandTeal · 16/03/2016 11:23

Thanks all, sometimes I just need people to talk me down and help me get a grip on myself :)

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Dextyboo · 16/03/2016 11:53

I dont think your supposed to be able to get a grip of yourself in times like this im 8 months down the line and altho the memories fade it's so easy to feel right back in the thick of it again!

Carry on doing what youre doing it seems to be going ok which is something

KittyandTeal · 16/03/2016 12:02

Thanks. It's mainly the amity I want to get a grip on. It's such a horrid feeling. I know it's normal though.

One foot in front of the other

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GaryWilmotsWedding · 16/03/2016 14:42

Hi Kitty. So sorry to see you here - you are having the roughest time. I had retained products with both my full term delivery and after TFMR. I bled very little after delivering DD1 and when I was still bleeding 14 weeks later I had a scan and they found retained products. As they said it was only a small amount they gave me antibiotics and said it would clear itself up. The antibiotics made my milk taste funny and started messing up breastfeeding, so I stopped them. Bleeding went on for a few more weeks and I think eventually stopped around the 18 week mark. Had I not just had a baby I would have been much more 'on it' but the bleeding was light, I wasn't feeling ill and after a forceps delivery with nasty tear I wasn't too worried about rekindling our sex life....So I don't know if it would have cleared up earlier if I'd taken action sooner/completed the antibiotics.

After my TFMR I warned them about previous retained products and they said no way, it won't happen, and that the placenta was all intact. When I was bleeding and feeling ill 5 weeks afterwards I demanded a scan as frankly there was enough shit to deal with and I felt I shouldn't have to endure more crap. The scan showed significant retained products with a blood supply - 'well organised' was the phrase the consultant used - that would have been very unlikely to be absorbed/come away naturally. I had a D&C which removed it all and only bled for a week or so afterwards. If I ever went through the same thing again I would demand a D&C again as you have more than enough on your plate to cope with and it was quick and painless. It was the last thing I wanted as it brought back horrible memories and physically I just wanted to be left alone, but I dread to think how long it would have gone on if I hadn't had the procedure. It allowed me to feel better physically much quicker than I think I would have done.

Sorry for the essay, but I feel very strongly there are circumstances under which a 'watch and wait' policy is fine, but certainly not after what you have endured. You deserve someone to fix this for you so you can move on, physically at least, as soon as possible. I know it will take superhuman effort to muster up enough physical and mental energy to do it, but I would really urge you to push for a scan.

KittyandTeal · 16/03/2016 14:48

Thank you Gary that's really helpful information.

I think I've been lucky with my deliveries so far so this is a bit of an unknown.

I'm actually feeling better than I have in a good few days so I think my body was trying to get rid of whatever it was. I had a really 'full' feeling that's gone away a bit now. I'm not feeling unwell so I think I'll just keep an eye on it for now.

If it happens again or if I'm still bleeding in a week or so I'll call my midwife.

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ChatEnOeuf · 16/03/2016 17:14

It sounds like what happened to me after having DS. Placenta shot out like a rocket, but membranes were ragged (much Googling as to whether that was the reason...). I had a week of antibiotics, passed a few bits of tissue like you describe but not as large as your DS would have been. Once they had gone, pain settled and bleeding lessened. I hope the same is true for you, but if it continues it would probably be worth a scan to investigate if you need anything further. Hope you're holding up okay.

KittyandTeal · 16/03/2016 17:21

That's good to know chat. I'm guessing the level of pain was linked to the size rather than there being loads left iyswim?

I now just feel a bit periody with that horrid hormonal bloating (when does that go? I can't remember last time but I still look bloody pregnant and I didn't stack that much weight on!)

The bleeding seems to have almost stopped but it still feels like there's stuff left. God it's such a disgusting time as well as feeling emotionally battered, I wish I could just feel physically normal now!

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