To think early pregnancy unit isn't the place for someone miscarrying at 18 weeks?

[ALittleCrisp]

Just that really. My maternity notes say below 20 weeks, the early pregnancy unit will deal with you.

Two previous hospitals I've been to send you to labour ward.

You're sitting and doing a lot of waiting in a room/no beds in the early pregnancy unit of my local hospital.

If I do start to lose this baby at 16-18 weeks, surely it's bizarre to send the woman to the early pregnancy unit? Or will the early pregnancy unit examine me and then send me off to labour ward?

Apologies for morbid post. I will be speaking to my midwife. I've had a grim experience of birthing so far

When I lost mine (19week), I was in the Early pregnancy unit - but in a separate area completely. They even had a separate exit so that you didn't end up bumping into any newly proud parents.

I do hope that you have support and good news though

You're sitting and doing a lot of waiting in a room/no beds in the early pregnancy unit of my local hospital.

From my experience of a miscarriage (at 8 weeks) that’s what the EPU at my hospital is like too. But perhaps they have different ways of treating you if you’re further along ie maybe they do have rooms with beds they would take you straight to? I guess theyve decided that the labour ward might be equally/more upsetting as you’d be in the same ward as people giving birth to perfectly healthy babies

Just I'm so sorry to hear of your loss I'm glad you were treated well and able to be in your own room and a separate edit upon leaving.

With a previous later loss, it was in the labour ward, I was told at the time it's because although you're still classed as miscarrying, your body is contracting and giving birth.

All very confusing how different Trusts have different policies.

Meredith Every other hospital I knew took you to labour ward beyond 16 weeks. Sorry for you loss too

I guess it depends on the size of the hospital- I had a ruptured ectopic and the only place they could put me overnight was on the labour ward. They were very apologetic but I was too zonked on painkillers etc to notice at the time.

I would hope like the pp said there would be a separate section.

I hope everything goes well for you this time.

I had an ectopic pregnancy which ruptured at around 9 or 10 weeks.

All of my follow up was in antenatal clinic. Awful experience.

Sandunes I had a miscarriage (stopped developing at 10 weeks exactly), and the follow up appointment was a waiting room where parents waited to exit to a taxi with their newborns

With my late loss, I went on to the post natal ward afterwards. The Bounty woman didn't ask to come in, she burst in saying "Ready to photograph little one?!" I was quite composed by then, I thought, but burst into tears

The hospital I went on to work in put early pregnancy loss in a bay of a postnatal ward.

How the hell they thought that was appropriate I’ll never know.

Sorry for your loss

I went to the epu when I had a miscarriage. I though they did this so that you didn’t have to be on the labour ward where mums were going home with their babies. Personally I much preferred being at the epu and not on a labour ward.

Our epu is in a separate building to the rest of the maternity services.

It varies between hospitals but most places I have worked will treat women having a late miscarriage (

Early pregnancy units are usually assessment units, so you would likely be assessed there and then admitted if needed. You could be admitted to the labour ward, MLU or potentially a gynae Ward. It would depend on your hospital.

Hospitals usually have two types of maternity assessment units/departments; early pregnancy assessment and maternity assessment. IME the split is usually at 19+6 weeks, but I know a lot of trusts are now pushing the divide earlier, towards 16 weeks. Risk is greater with a later loss so different care is required.

I hope you have a smooth pregnancy OP.

Agree, it's not the best place.

I was sent to the labour ward when I had a heavy bleed at 17 weeks. Had to walk past lots of balloons and happy parents.

All was ok in the end. But it was awful at the time.

Sorry for your loss and all the losses on this thread

In my local hospital, the EPU is in the gynacology ward which is the better than the Labour ward I think.
Clearly it's an area which needs a lot more thought given to it.

The hospital I attend, the EPU is in the gynae department, on a completely different floor to maternity services. They have their own ultrasound rooms so you don't have to go to the same place as routine pregnancy scans.

Going through a miscarriage at the moment, I have found our EPU to be very sensitive and compassionate. If you get happy news and get to come away with a scan photo, they give it in a discrete envelope and ask that you don't look at it in the waiting area. Those attending with small children have a separate waiting area so those dealing with losses don't have to wait around small children.

If I was having a loss later in my pregnancy I would most certainly prefer to attend the EPU rather than the Labour ward. But I guess it really does depend on the set up at your local hospital

Our epus will admit you to the gynae ward as well and the one at the main hospital is located there. It's pre 16 weeks for epu here as well.

However when I had my ectopic I ended sitting in the waiting room of the epu\gynae assessment centre (shared waiting room) with a woman who had retained placenta and who was complaining that she was having to come into the hospital when she should be at home with her baby. Looking back I could see why she was cross but at the time I really didn't need it (there were signs up telling people to be mindful of people getting bad news)

I wonder what changes at 20 weeks then? Why all of a sudden is it a labour ward situation at 20 weeks?

My late loss was around that time, it was extremely painful but quite and straight forward birth because of how small a 20 weeker is. Less trouble manoeuvring around the birth canal I suppose.

So sorry to read about all of your losses And I'm so so sorry if this thread brings back sad memories for some people

I had a loss at 13 weeks. So 'early', although it didnt feel that way at the time. I was sent home to manage it myself because it was Christmas and they were understaffed. I was told to expected 'nothing more' than heavy bleeding. When I started having contractions and the urge to push I thought I was going mad. I didnt expect or know you could experience labour with an early loss but you can. I'm not sure it would make any difference where you are if the worst happens. I think the epu will be equipped to help and I would hope ypu wouldnt be left stood amd waiting. I am so sorry for the loss(es?) you have suffered. Im unsure from your op how far along you are or if you are currently experiencing threatened miscarriage currently. However, I wanted to share my experience incase you are newly pregnant and just struggling with the trauma that is pregnancy after a loss and just trying to plot out what to do in every worst case senario. I remember that feeling well.

Little sorry for me being dim, but do you mean they'll admit you to Gynae ward 16 and under weeks? So beyond 16 weeks it's a different course of action?

In my hospital, you get put in the gynaecology unit. I was put into a private room for a few hours whilst they figured out what was going on, but ended up having to stay the night as they suspected ectopic (and it did turn out to be ectopic) was in a room with 4/5 other women in and i wasn't being nosy or anything but I don't think any of them were in there for pregnancy concerns

Loki Bloody hell, they sent you home to miscarry at 13 weeks?! That's astounding. I've had losses as early as 8 to 10 weeks. Even those were more than 'heavy bleeding'. I saw a tiny fetus with both. That would've been extremely unsettling if I was just told to expect a heavy bleed.

Thank you I've had a lot of miscarriages, one being quite late and the other very late. But I'm thankfully mum to a lovely little boy now too

Labour ward is definitely not the right place to be. I can't imagine how painful it must be to be around people who are about to / have just given birth and newborn babies when you are miscarrying

ellies But you'd be there for certain if you were miscarrying at 20 weeks or more

At my local hospital there is a side room on the gynae ward with separate shower/toilet and a camp bed so the woman's partner can stay overnight. That's for early losses. Then there is a suite on the maternity unit for women having late loss and stillborn babies. I'm not sure what the minimum gestation is for the maternity unit rooms. I was in the gynae ward room for my 13 week miscarriage so it's some time after that.

Hopefully it would depend on the situation. I miscarried in a private room in the EPU in an early miscarriage, at 12 weeks, but i still went through a short labour. There was no waiting to be seen, I was rushed through because a sonographer had already confirmed my baby had died, I was in extreme pain and I was having contractions. Good thing too because I also had a minor hemorrhage.

It was much more preferable to being on the delivery unit where women are giving birth to full term alive babies. It was nowhere near the antenatal/birth/postnatal units and wards. I had a d&c 2 weeks later and stayed in the gynaecology ward, again nowhere near the “happier” side of the hospital.