Might be having a miscarriage - any advice?

[ginghamspider]

Yesterday I reached 12 weeks. I am 40, pregnant with my 4th and no previous history of problems with the first 3. But last night I was watching TV in bed and felt wet between my legs. PJs with big patch of blood. Went to the loo and more blood plus felt a small clot-like product pass too. DH called docs who sent ambulance. They estimated no more than 15 mls blood - all bright red, not gloopy or dark. Not more tham a couple of sanitary towels would be in a normal period. No pain or cramping at all. Quickly stopped and not a spot since.

First scan is booked for Wed am and the midwife can't get anything earlier at the EPU. Her opinion is "It doesn't sound like you have actually miscarried but the scan will tell". I assumed a miscarriage at 12 weeks would be much more dramatic - I usually have fairly heavy menstrual bleeding and low dragging pain on the first day - for a couple of hours. Nothing at all and not much bllod in comparison. Feel fine although still with the pregnancy nausea.

Am in limbo really. Midwife mentioned implantation bleeding but isn't 12 weeks late for that? Am I on the verge of a big gush of blood any minute now? Am braced for the worst at the scan. Anyone have a similar experience? I still 'feel' pregnant, whatever that means with hormones and wishes in the mix. But am not expecting good news.

Sorry to hear this - I don't have any specific advice or experience of bleeding other than light brown spotting early on so not sure if this is a possible MC or not.

Sure someone else will have more experience and be along to help soon but if I was in the same situation I would try to self-refer to the EPU. I'm sure that you can do that, you don't have to go through a MW.

It may be that you can offer to go in and wait for a scan slot at the start/end of a clinic or if there are any cancellations? I did that when PG with DD and MW couldn't find a heartbeat at about 17w and they ended up seeing me quite quickly.

Hopefully all will be OK but I know I wouldn't want to wait until Wed so would definitely try for a self-referral and earlier scan. Good luck, hope it's all OK.

Thankyou - might try that. I know no-one can tell me anything for sure but hard to think about anything else! Luckily DH works from home and is being great so am having a rest but of course am feeling unusually fragile and anxious!

I had this at 11 weeks... and I'm 27 weeks now. And when I posted many many women came on and said similar so you have a very good chance (anecdotally) that the pregnancy will continue. (hugs)
I continued to have light on and off bleeding for over a month... and I had pains and fever like symptoms just before each bleed...

I did a lot of reading and the best suggestion I found for the situation (not implantation) was that placenta was low lying and as it grew suddenly at this point in the pregnancy it pulled and pressed against blood vessels which burst and took a while to heal... (think I googled low lying placenta at some point) -tho don't read too much into the situation as it might make you anxious on other accounts... Google can be an evil thing too

xxx and make sure you ask lots of questions to reassure yourself if you need to!

There's a wealth of good experiences and bad experiences out there. Bleeding isn't always bad though and while it can never be dismissed as normal (all bleeding has to be checked out) it's really very common.

I had a few spots of dark brown blood with pregnancy #3, barely there really, but a scan at 14 weeks showed a mmc had happened at 13 weeks. With DS I bled right the way through, on-and-off, and he's sitting next to me right now as healthy as the day he was born so it's not always bad.

I don't want to be too graphic but from experience, what passes at 12 weeks plus is recognisable as human rather than clots and everything is bigger, roughly palm-sized so it would be unmistakeable if the baby had passed. The fact that the bleeding has stopped and there's no pain is very encouraging and while it probably is a bit late for implantation (unless your dates are off by a few weeks) baby is burrowing in at this point and getting comfortable, they also start moving around and sometimes these actions can dislodge a little bit of womb lining which comes away. It could have been a bruise (I forget the technical name) that has been shed, or a cyst or blister that has burst - my cousin had this, she woke up in a pool of blood with clots and all sorts, convinced she had lost the baby, but a scan showed several small pockets at the neck of her womb that the doctor described as blood blisters, her little girl is over a year old now.

I know the limbo is awful and there are no answers until your scan but please stay away from Google and the like, it'll only make it worse! Fingers crossed you get a positive outcome.

Hi, I really appreciate your stories. I have just been reading about 'threatened miscarriage' which is what the ambulance team said to DH. And the midwive mentioned the bit of womb lining/cyst type possibility. I have called the EPU but I need a referral and the midwife has already tried that so will wait and hope but try to prepare for the loss too. I haven't told the DCs yet and now glad I was waiting - the thing that upsets me most if this is a MC is knowing how excited they would have been - but will try to steer between hoping for good news and being ready for bad. Keep thinking how lucky we are to have 3 children already - so many friends would love to have that - but still, when you're the guardian of a little potential life it's hard to think it might not come to be born. Trying to be philosophical though.

gingham you say it has stopped - thats a very good sign so you can take comfort in that. My 4mcs were 'classic' in that they all started v slowly with spotting and continued in that vein for a few days before big cramps and v v heavy bleeds...and those were all pre 6 wks so at your stage I would expect a full on mc to be very heavy and probably painful too. I know its terrible waiting but please think positively...it sounds like 'something else' to me x

I had a big bleed at 12 weeks, all fresh blood with a clot, suddenly started and stopped, no associated pain. My scan at 12+4 (already booked) showed a healthy baby and no reason at all for the bleed, placenta was high and posterior, no obvious blood in the pelvis.

Boy is now 8 months old.

They told me if its fresh and stops immediately with no pain its probably fine.

Thanks Jasmine - so sorry to hear about your mcs. So many friends have been through at least one, some recurrent ones but haven't told many people about the pregnancy yet so don't want to launch into this until I know what's going on. Keep feeling optimistic and then thinking any minute now I'll be sitting a huge pool of blood.

CBear6 - I thought at 12 weeks any more solid material would be more obvious - this was like a little clot. Kids at school and DH has taken the toddler swimming so going for a lie down - was up half the night! It is kind to share your own experiences.

Gingham, sounds awful. I had an m/c at 10 wks 5 days.
Started slowly then v v heavy bleeding- when rang docs they said if clots as big as golf balls, need to go in. Clots were huge (like liver is how I described it) It doesnt mean you're not having an m/c but the stopping n still feeling pg is good I would say. Fingers crossed for you

Thanks Paschaelina - will take heart but put a big fat towel on the bed too! Will come back later.

I had a big bleed at 11 weeks with my twins, running down both legs, and all was fine. Hope you're ok, v best of luck

Yes - I had a big bleed at 12w. Sex the night before, and when I woke the next day there was blood on the sheets and a massive gush when I went to the loo.

Had 12w scan 3 days later and all fine. Turns out my placenta is over the cervix - so maybe that was why. Had no bleeding since, but not much sex either as OH works abroad!

Am 27 weeks now too

So sorry- hope everything's ok. Do you have private medical insurance? You should be covered to have it checked out and will be able to get an appointment before Wednesday I'm sure. Medical insurance places are usually open till 8pm so you could get an appointment in for as early as tomorrow am if you get this message in time to make some calls!

I'm actually feeling quite positive that everything is okay. Certainly from what you have said (and others) and especially as you have no pain and the bleeding has stopped.

I had a bit of a bleed at 14 weeks (after sex ) turned out to be some kind of cervical erosion, could be a contender. The fact it has stopped is surely a good sign, fingers and toes crossed for you.

I had a big bleed at 11 weeks -all over my seat on the bus! Went to A&E and had a scan and there was our little baby wriggling away. Bleeding tailed off after a few hours and didn't have any pain or cramping - felt normal. Was told it was 'just one of those unexplaoined things'. Have since been told I have a low-lying placenta and going for a scan in 2 weeks to check to see if it has moved. I am now 32 weeks and baby is happily kicking away.

Good luck for Wednesday, will be thinking of you.
x

Thanks very much for your good wishes all of you. No more bleeding and feeling normal - no pain etc. So am more hopeful but still cautious of being unrealistic in case it was a sign of something going wrong. Am waiting for the scan in the morning now.

been reading your posts gingham and just wanted to wish you lots of luck for tomorrow's scan x

Gingham good luck for today and let us know how you get on x

Will be thinking of you today and hoping for good news for you x

Fingers crossed your scan goes well today

Good luck for today Gingham

Good luck! Hope everything is tip-top x

Hello everyone - thanks for your good wishes - good vibes have helped - all is well - strong heartbeat, wriggling around, placenta in the 'right place' and a 'nice nose'. Doc said that sort of bleed 'isn't normal but it is something we see regularly and usually has no significance for the pregnancy'. PHEWWWW!!!!! Still a little bit worried - need a few more days to pass I think - but lovely to see a healthy looking baby on the screen. Sonographer very sensitive and said 'would you like the screen turned away?' I asked her to check first and knew as soon as she began to turn the screen back towards me that the little heart must be beating. So relieved and hope for the best now. So kind to give me your support. Sometimes MN makes me think of that line from A Streetcar Named Desire about "I have always relied on the comfort of strangers". Sad when she says it, but also very reassuring so thanks very much to you all and best wishes for those of you who are pregnant too! X

So glad for you Gingham, I know I found it hugely reassuring after that first scan, I was terrified they would find nothing there and when they did and it was all fine I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I don't think I allowed myself to believe the pregnancy was actually happening until then.

Now you have 2 month wait til the 20 week scan