Surgical option, any advice or tip?

[ANiceSliceOfCake]

Hi. I'm booked in for surgery next week as I have no signs of miscarriage atall. Just that my morning sickness has gone. Ironically I feel better than ever!

I'm sorry to ask those that have been through this already, but does anyone have any tips to get through this? How did you feel physically after?

Also, Theve told me I can't breastfeed my baby for 24 hours after. But I've read conflicting information about this. Can anyone offer any advice?


Thanks so much.

[sugarplumfairy2010]

Hi i had surgery last friday i would make sure someone goes with you as i thought i would be ok on my own and told my husband to stay at home with our two kids as i had to be in for 7 but i felt so vunerable when i came round afterwards also i didnt bleed except from a tiny bit in the hospital which shocked me and i had quite alot of pain for the first 5 days but im on day 7 now and starting to feel normal again.x

[juneau]

I'm guessing the BFing advice is due to the anaesthetic that will be in your bloodstream/breast milk, so you'll probably need to pump and dump, but check with the nurses.

How you're going to feel afterwards is an individual thing. I had a ERPC several years ago now. It was done in the evening and I had some toast and tea afterwards and then fell into a very deep sleep and didn't wake until the next morning when I felt absolutely fine. DH came and picked me up we went and we then went and walked round a shopping centre! I bled very minimally and wasn't sore or anything afterwards. But some people have nausea/discomfort/bleeding - it really depends.

Sorry for your loss

[ANiceSliceOfCake]

Thank you for replying. I'm sorry that you have also been through this.

This is helpful and I prefer to be prepared. Thank you.

[Gardenbirdy]

Sorry for your loss x
I recently had an ERPC in day surgery. I was only in for a few hours but didn't take slippers or a light dressing gown which would've been useful. Also sanitary towels, as none of the nurses even bothered to ask if I was prepared. And take something to read if you're waiting around. All the best X

[Gardenbirdy]

I felt a bit sore that day and the day after but, and bled for a week or so, but I found it much easier to deal with than my previous mc which happened naturally at home.

[Jenniep55]

I'm really sorry for your loss. I had an ERPC 4 weeks ago and would definitely recommend taking sanitary towels with you, the ones they give you are about an inch thick so not very comfortable.

It's an individual thing but I would take more time off work than you think you need. I didn't feel too bad straight after the op but then had pains for 1 week and felt very low. The bleeding lasted almost 3 weeks for me but it was very light. I hope it goes as well as can be expected x

[ANiceSliceOfCake]

Thank you very much. All good advice, I was wondering about the dressing gown too, I've never been a day case before so wasn't sure. Thank you.

[ChocolateRaisin]

Hi, so sorry for your loss

I had an ERPC on Friday and physically it has not been too bad. Take something with you to read and distract you, I had to wait about 4 hrs. I felt very lonely and vulnerable and had a break down right before the GA. It really is not an easy thing to go through.

I was discharged less than an hr after I woke up, I reacted well to the GA and had no ill effects and was desperate to be with my DH.

You won't need a dressing gown unless you specifically want one. You wear the hospital gown when you are admitted and then just get changed into your own clothes when you are ready to be discharged.

I physically felt fine on Friday and Saturday apart from just feeling swollen and bloated in my lower abdomen but I have had quite a bit of pain on Sunday and Monday though it has eased a lot today. Crampy and sore with some sharp stabbing pains at times. It's not been unmanageable, ibuprofen and paracetamol with a hot water bottle has seen the worst of it off.

Just give yourself a good few days of doing nothing and look after yourself.

[Starspread]

Also please be aware that medical literature/language sometimes refers to miscarriage as abortion (specifically 'spontaneous abortion') - no matter what your politics that may be startling to hear if unprepared; it made me cry when going through the pre-surgery checklist. When I came round from the anaesthetic I was crying for my husband, he'd (quite rightly!) left the waiting room to get something to eat and be somewhere less depressing, but in my woozy state I desperately wanted to see him and it felt like it took far too long for him to get back.

I bled for a day or so, I think, but nothing more than a light period by then.

Medical advice is definitely NOT to do this after GA, but I had a whisky and a spliff that evening, after the surgery. Somehow even though we'd been told at the scan weeks before that the pregnancy had ended, I couldn't let go of all my healthy pregnancy habits, so it was the first drink (and smoke, of course!) I'd had for months - and the last for probably years! Absolutely knocked me off my feet and I had to go for a lie down, but I regret nothing. It felt like a tiny rebellious fuck-you to the universe that was trying to weight me down with sadness.

I'm so sorry you're going through this.

[katand2kits]

sorry you are going through this.

There is no logical reason why you can't breastfeed for 24 hours after a general anaesthetic. Women who give birth with a GA can bf once they come around, so there is no sensible reason why you can't bf as soon as you are back with your little one again.

I had an ERPC when my first pregnancy miscarried. The procedure went quite quickly and I was not in a lot of physical pain afterwards, no worse than period pain really. Definitely take good towels - I would go for maternity towels at first or night time ones. My bleeding lasted about ten days but there was a bad day on the third day when the pain got worse and I passed some clots. After that it was quite light bleeding. You may have to spend ages waiting around in the hospital so do take something to keep you busy. Also take stuff to wash yourself with. Once I was ready to get dresssed, I found my nethers were covered in that orange iodine stuff they use for surgery. Mixed with blood, that wasn't so nice, and I hadn't thought to bring a pack of wipes and a washcloth so was trying to clean myself up with damp paper towels.