Miscarriage.. how long will i bleed?

[nickstermum]

Hello,

I very sadly suffered a miscarriage this week at 12 weeks pregnant. The fetus had not formed and stopped developing quite early. I have started to bleed naturally now and would like to continue that way. Ihave a re-scan booked for next weds followed by treatment if needed.

How long will i bleed for.. or is that like asking how long is a piece of string? I am scared any intervention will render me unable to conceive more, but as this is a subject that is quite new to me i could certainly do with a bit of guidance!

Hi nickstermum
have had 2 MMCs, one treated by ERPC, the next I MC naturally whilst waiting for ERPC.

The "good" news (yeah like any of this is good news) is that if your LO stopped developing early, in theory your natural MC should be easier. In terms of bleeding you are exactly right, it's impossible to say; different women with the same MC details would still recover in different ways IYSWIM.

In your situation I would definitely give natural MC a chance; my experience was a 5 hour period of intense blood loss where I could barely leave the bathroom and then a ten day period, never that heavy and tapering to very little in the last few days (that was an 11 week MMC where the baby stopped developing at 9). The pain was absolutely manageable throughout. And I felt my "return to normal cycle" was quicker than after surgery.

Having said that, the ERPC was fine too. Pro being you knew exactly what was going to happen when, no sense of what's next, how much worse will this get which is the downside of Nat MC.

So get some big maternity style pads in, some extra strength pain killers and lots of chocolate. (Last one the most important.)

So sorry for your loss - it's a horrid shock I know.

Nickstermum sorry for your loss but I too had a MC at around 8 weeks. I agree with jollster and I would go natural if you can as this seems to be easier on your body.

It's difficult to predict how long you will bleed for but again get some strong painkillers and a hot water bottle.

Good luck with TTC in the future.

Thanks jollster, I'm not bleeding very heavily at the minute, bit clotty but nothing as hideous as post birth loss i experienced after labour for my DS, and i have only been bleeding for about 2 days so far.... perhaps it will just take longer.

The pain has so far just been like a bad period, the emotional pain is far worse but my DS is such a tonic and chocolate helps tremendously! So too the hot water bottle. Yeah... the shock..... :(

I have experienced some pretty hideous side effects... dizziness and fainting.... does anyone know whether that is a common side effect or should i be concerned about infection? No fever or anything though. Maybe its just as a result of the shock of it all, and loss of appetite....!

Thanks tootlesmummy.... i will def be TTC again when the time feels right :)

I know at the moment it feels really awful and it is but you've conceived more than once so it can happen again. That's what I've been telling myself whilst looking at my DS and counting my blessings.

Take time to come to terms with your loss, because that's what it is and one day the time will feel right to try again.

Sending hugs.

I have had two natural MCs at 8 and 9 weeks and both were quite similar. About half a day of very heavy loss (changing maternity pad every half hour) then 7-10 days of bleeding more like a normal period gradually trailing off. I hope not TMI but there are clots and bits of tissue which I tried not to look too hard at. After the 1st couple of days I felt OK to go out of the house. The pain was manageable with ibuprofen and co-codamol plus a hot water bottle and was only for the 1st day or so.

When I knew it was happening again this is what I sent dh out for:
2-4 packs maternity pads
ibuprofen and co-codamol
hot water bottle
Green & Blacks at least 2 bars
a couple of big boxes of tissues
trashy paperback/ DVD boxset/ laptop for distraction.
nice ready meal/ favourite take away
bottle of wine

I felt better doing it without intervention and holing up at home where I felt safe and could cry away from the possibility of seeing any babies or pregnant women but other people might feel completely different that they want it dealt with quickly.

Thankyou so much... i sit and stare at my DS whilst he sleeps and cannot believe how lucky i am to have him..... and hopefully someday he will have a playmate.

Dizziness and fainting doesn't sound good. It might mean you are losing more blood than you thought or getting dehydrated. Probably scratch the wine off the list and I would ring EPU or GP if it carries on.

When i hear the blood loss others have experienced in comparison i think i am either going to have to suffer intervention, or its gonna take a while. Just like a light period at the min, with bits of stuff, comes and goes too. Strange. Bit of cramping but nothing major - paracetamol only really needed.

Im so sorry to hear of your losses too, there is a lot of comfort to be drawn from here i am finding. (new to mn)

I have the tissues in abundance, lots of chocolate, trashy movies, (actually laughed at the proposal last night) and have taken some time off work to become a hermit (only in the evenings... as my day is dominated with DS) so i can sit and cry when i need to.

Re the dizziness and fainting, i have tried to eat little and often even though i cant fface it... and snacked on some chocolatly stuff today,.. seems to have helped. maybe it was just the shock and grief. Keep an eye on it.

I had dizziness and faintness at the very start of my Nat MC, literally for 20 mins before it all kicked off.

Have you ever had acupuncture? I started seeing one after my 2nd MMC and I have heard lots of accounts of it helping with all aspects of fertility and women's health, including helping to bring on a MC when appropriate?

Thanks jollster, no i hadnt heard that. Reflexology yes i had heard about, but am too chicken to do anything about it at the min... til i get re-scanned on wed. (after the consultant told me i could still have a 50/50 chance of viable pg after a scan with nothing on it!! - not that i am thinking that could be the case, it makes you think twice about doing anything! ) i think 95/5 chance would have been more appropriate myself!

I have just read a couple of other threads about medical management, and am now terrified that i wont have passed the sac and will need intervention, and what that may entail..... (I am a wimp!).... then again, everyone is different!

Big fan of acupuncture normally, will def give it a try = thanks!

sorry for your loss and ((hugs)).Mine was like a heavy period with no pain. Lots of chocolate, magasines and lying in bed were very necessary.

So sorry to hear of your loss.
I had a MC at about 10 weeks, and it passed naturally. It was a few years ago now so I'm slightly hazy on the details, I recall it being like a heavy and painful period and it took a few days to get going and lasted longer than a normal period.

corns and jaynie, sorry also for your losses, however long ago (still think about them am sure!) reassures me thankyou :)

Hi Nickstermum,

I'm so sorry you are going through this, it is truly rubbish.

If you still feel like you need extra info, I found this site really good

pregnancyloss.info/

Lots of factual stuff and very nicely written.

Hope you are able to get over the physical stuff quickly and the future brings you some much much nicer experiences!

hugs

xxxx

I went on to have a lovely healthy little girl, but I do still think about the MC from time to time.

I just wanted to say thankyou for your re-assurances on here, i think (touch wood) that the worst is over now (and it was relatively pain free, just extreme blood loss.... it came naturally in the end so i have that to be thankful for... just a bit wobbly today as a result.

Hopeful now the hideousness has passed, we can look to a more positive future

a big hug for you,

look after yourself xxxx

Hi Nickster

Do your EPU want to scan you again for follow-up? Mine were keen to check all of significance had indeed been passed before they were happy to "discharge" me last time.

Thanks for your message on the other post after my MMC confirmed yesterday. I have opted to try for natural but have scheduled for ERPC next Tuesday if nothing has happened by then. Moving house at the end of next week so need to be fighting fit again soon .

Hope you're doing ok.

Hi Jollster, yes i have a rescan first thing tomorrow and hoping for it to be clear. From what i passed last night - am hopeful.. but you never know!! Do you know how they look to see if there is any infection, or whether that would show up on the scan?

I really hope that everything clears for you naturally... although there is a lot to be said for being asleep in hospital! I hope you are doing ok too..... (goodness me, moving house too...get the movers in and get your feet up!!)

Husband already talking about re-trying... which is good actually as he had to be pushed into it by me a little last time... will see.. hopefully it will feel right to try again soon!

Best of luck with both x