Miscarriage at the weekend, but given no advice

[KatyLiz]

I hope someone can give me some advice as this is my first mc and I don't really know what is 'normal'. I started to miscarry on Saturday at 9+3. I rang the out of hours doc and he confirmed the mc was happening, and that as long as I don't have heavy pain I'm fine to stay at home. Apart from that all he told me was that I don't need to book in for a check-up once its over.

I'm quite doctor phobic and really feeling very low at the moment, so I was relieved just to be able to stay at home. I am slightly worried though that I've had no proper advice.

I'm not sure how much blood is normal or how long I should expect the bleeding to last? I've felt quite dizzy today, but I'm assuming this is normal? Also, I've been told by a friend that you can't bath until after the bleeding stopped, but not sure if this is true or not?

Hi Katy

So sorry for your loss. It doesn't sound like you have had the best advice from the dr. I also mc'd at 10 weeks a little over a year ago. Did the dr come or were you simply advised over the phone?

It would be a good idea to contact your local EPAU (early pregnancy assessment unit) - they usually do a follow up scan following a mc to confirm that you have definitely miscarried (some pregnancies do progress despite big bleeds), and to check that there is nothing left inside the uterus which could cause an infection. They can also answer any questions about what to expect next, put you in touch with an appropriate counselling service, check that you are generally well, etc.

The length of bleeding can vary a lot but if it goes on for more than about 10 days or so it could mean you need a D&C to clear out the uterus. It can be quite heavy and painful, but if you are filling a heavy duty pad in less than an hour the advice is to go to A&E as you may be losing too much blood.

Good idea to avoid baths, swimming and sex til after the bleeding has stopped, as there is an increased risk of infection while you are still bleeding. But you can use a hot water bottle or heat pad for the pain and cramping.

Also seek medical help immediately if you feel feverish or have any other signs of infection, e.g. offensive discharge.

So sorry you are going through this.

Hi there i am so sorry you are going through this, i have to say i am surprised that your doctor didn't advise you to go to the early pregnancy unit. I have never heard of a mc being confirmed over the phone without being seen. I would say you need to call the unit and speak to them, they will probably want to scan you to see whats going on. It is normal to feel a bit dizzy during a mc due to bleeding but if its really bad you should go to the hospital. It is advised not to have baths due to the risk of infection but to have showers instead. I do hope this is of some help to you and i really am sorry you are going through all this with no advise. Give the epau a call they should help you. That is what they are there for.

Katy,

As long as you feel okay, there's no need to see a doctor at the moment. Use pads and don't use tampons. If you are soaking more than one pad an hour or if you feel very faint, then it is probably best to go to A&E to be checked out.

You can have a bath but avoid any bubblebath etc until you've stopped bleeding. Also no sex until you've stopped bleeding.

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a normal miscarriage, everyone tends to be different (sod's law). But I would say expect a natural miscarriage to take about a week. My first was v. sudden, heavy and painful and I ended up in A&E because I was vomitting and having fainting spells. But many other women have miscarriages which are like heavy periods and they don't need to go anywhere near a hospital. Do take paracetamol of ibuprofen for pain relief.

And keep up your fluids and iron-rich foods, that should help with the dizziness.

You should get you period back within 6 weeks of the end of your miscarriage. if you ahven't see you GP who can refer you for a scan to make sure the miscarriage isn't incomplete.

I'm sorry you are having to go through this sad

Thank you so much for the advice, I feel so lost and it has made it worse not really knowing what to expect.

I've never heard of an EPAU, I'm not sure if there is one in my area, but I'll have a look into that. I suspect I might have had a mmc at 7 weeks as all my symptoms vanished then, but my GP didn't suggest going to a unit or anything then, so it might be there isn't one here.

The key doc only spoke to me on the phone, but got me to give a graphic description of what was coming out of me, hence he was certain what was happening. I'd had a lot of bleeding when pregnant with my daughter, but this just wasn't like that, so I knew deep down that there was no chance of this just being a bleed.

I think I'm doing ok at the moment judging by what you've all said as a pad is lasting three hours and I'm coping with the cramping. The dizziness is probably my own fault, I hadn't even considered going for iron rich foods. I've just sat in a haze of misery eating loads of chocolate and egg fried rice. Trying to find some solace in the idea that I can have food now that I couldn't whilst pregnant, but it doesn't really help

I'm unsure on the bath still. We only have a bath, no shower, so I'm not sure what to do. I really don't want to risk an infection, but I hate being smelly and unhygienic.

I wish I could just sit on the sofa and forget about the rest of the world. The school run this afternoon was torture, I was close to tears seeing all the pregnant ladies and feeling so jealous. I'm hoping it'll get better soon and I'll stop being so weepy, but it doesn't feel like it'll ever get better at the moment.

I'm glad I found this section to post in, at least I don't feel as alone now.

hi, this is my first time on here! i to have just suffered a mc it started on sunday with a couple of small clots and got worse quickly on monday with a sudden rush and i pretty much knew then it was done! my local pregnancy support unit were fantastic with me. i went for my scan yesterday and they confirmed everything for me! was the worst moment in my life so far!, but my hubbie to be has been amazing and we are getting each other through this!

i have a couple of questions im looking for some advice on, ive been bleeding for bout 5 days now, and still passing a few small clots. is this normal??

also, how long does it normally take for periods to start again? suld i expect it on the same day i would normally get them on, or will they be put off line coz of what has happened?

last thing! how long are you ment to wait till you start trying again?

thanks very much for taking the time to read my post, and my best wishes to everyone who has had to go through this, its a crap thing to have happen but you can get through it, and im sure you will go on to have healthy happy babies
xx

katy and sarah so sorry you are going through this.

katy I don't really have anything else to add, but sarah your current bleeding with small clots sounds normal, after my natural mc my period returned after about 4 or 5 weeks, after my mc dealt with an ERPC it took 6 weeks for af to arrive.
As for trying again, I was told by some to wait a month, others said 3 months. After my 1st mc I waited 2 months, but sadly mc again, then waited just a month, and result is now 8 months old. Good luck to you both

Hi sarah, sorry to see you're going through this too. I'm still passing small clots as well, so it sounds like we're going through the same things.

I've found that my hubby has been brilliant too, which is quite unusual for him. He isn't usually the most understanding of people, but he's getting me through this.

Using google I finally found out about my EPAU and gave them a call. They were amazed that I hadn't been referred to them in the first place and really helpful. The lady there told me that anything up to 8 weeks is normal for the return of periods. She also said its fine to try again once I've had my first period, but to use contraception until then.

I also got the answer to my bath question, it is ok as long as the water isn't too hot.

VJay it's nice to hear from someone that's gone on to have a successful pregnancy afterwards, gives me a bit more hope for the future.

Good luck to anyone else who has to go through this