Hello everyone,
I just thought I'd share my experience in case it helps another person going through this awful event. It definitely helped me to have an idea of what could happen.
TW: Detailed description of a miscarriage that may be traumatic to some.
Two days ago (Wednesday), I had a natural miscarriage at home. It didn't come as completely a surprise, as my progesterone had been fairly low since my first bloodwork and ultrasound at 7w 4d, and I'd had mild cramps for 2 days beforehand, as well as an instance of brown and later pinkish spotting the day before. My doctor, however, wasn't concerned, yet I couldn't shake a sense of fear and sadness.
Around 2 pm on Wednesday, the cramps got a lot worse. This was the scariest part, because they were continuous, and I knew what was happening. I messaged my husband to come home. Shortly after, the contractions started, which was the worst pain I'd ever experienced. I breathed through them (yoga breathingin through nose, out through mouthand tried a few hypnobirthing visualization techniques I'd read about) and was able to cope surprisingly well, mostly because I wasn't scared anymore. I surrendered to the pain and just focused on making it bearable. It was. The contractions came in waves, lasting about 5-10 minutes each time.
However, the worst parts were the vomiting and near-fainting spells I experienced right before I (TMI!!!) passed a clot. I bled a fair amount (much more than my heaviest menstrual day), but passing clots and blood didn't hurt. Nor did passing the "pregnancy," which happened less than an hour after my DH got home. TMI warning!!! The pain was gone for a good 30 minutes after the last wave of contractions, so I sat up on the couch (with 2 thick towels under me) and was eating an orange DH peeled for me, when suddenly I felt something big (about lemon-sized) slide out. It was the completely intact placenta+amniotic sac, with the fetus inside. A few more big clots, and it was over.
The entire process lasted about 3 hours and was about as "good" as something this devastating can be. I definitely mourned the fetus and couldn't dispose of it right away. DH wrapped it up in a towel and put it in the bathroom, but thinking about it in there by itself made me cry. It sounds silly, I know, but that was emotionally the hardest part. We live in an urban city, so don't have a yard to bury it in. We also didn't want to take it to the hospital/maternity clinic, as I was shaken and still bleeding fairly heavily. So, after I gave DH the ok, he flushed it. That was the only thing we could think to do, yet it still felt horrible.
Two days later, I'm still bleeding, but it gets lighter each day. It's now about the same as moderate-heavy period. I should add that I don't have painful or heavy periods, so this was just my unique experience of a miscarriage at 9+ weeks.
Sending lots of love and hugs to everyone who's gone through or is currently going through a miscarriage.