Hi All,
My husband and I have recently suffered a mmc and I had the d&c procedure on Friday. Although it won't help with the sadness and loss, I thought it might be helpful to share my experience with you.
This was our first pregnancy and until we had the miscarriage I had no idea how common it was - I remember reading some of the threads on this site and being shocked at the number of stories that were exactly the same as ours, often right down to the number of weeks etc.
We went for our first scan at 10+2 and was told by the Sonographer that the baby only measured 6+4 and that she couldn't see a heartbeat. Immediately we were referred to the hospital and for another scan at the Early Pregnancy unit 2 days later. It was at this stage that my husband and I started to think back about our dates and (wishful thinking) calculate how we might not be as far along as we thought - even though in our hearts we both knew this wasn't possible.
At the 2nd scan the Sonographer said she agreed with the first set of results and that the baby hadn't grown at all in the last few days. We agreed that surgery was the best option for us and that we wanted to go ahead with the D&C procedure as soon as possible.
Because the first available appointment wasn't for 5 days, my husband and I were able to use this time to grieve together and work through the emotional loss that we were both feeling - we basically hibernated for a week, watched crappy movies and ate a load of junk food in between sobs! We decided that having the operation would be a point of closure for us so that we could begin to move forward and start TTC again as soon as possible.
I was so anxious about having the operation and scared about how I would feel afterwards but the staff were lovely and the procedure itself was a lot easier and painless than I expected. It was carried out under general anaesthetic and the last thing I remember is counting to 10 and waking up in the recovery room. I had some initial cramping and light bleeding for a few hours afterwards but 2 days later it has completely stopped and I no longer have any physical side effects.
While I was in the surgery I also had the opportunity to review my final scan report with the Dr - this was so beneficial and definitely provided the clarity I needed to be sure that this was the right thing to do and to expel any lingering wishful thoughts that it might just be a mix up and that the pregnancy was still viable.
Although this won't change the sadness or heartbreak you feel, I hope it will help with anxiety or fear that you might be feeling about having the d&c procedure xxx