MC Emergency Pack

[Jools1]

Just thinking about gearing up to TTC again after a sudden and violently bloody natural mc (first pregnancy) at 11+4.

I know this is premature, but I have this irrational fear of it all happening so suddenly and violently again, and not being (luckily) at home but perhaps at work, or on the train from Cardiff (a journey I do twice every month.

I've decided that the only way to allay my fears is to put together an emergency kit to carry with me - heavy duty pads, wipes, spare big knickers etc etc.

Now I'm obsessing over details - yes, please tell me just to get over it and get a BFP before I start obsessing but I can't help it

Any recommendations for my emergency kit ? The Always Night time pads were lasting a maximum of ten minutes at its worst, so I need to track down something a bit more heavy duty to stop me worrying.

Paranoid ? Me ? Never !!

thick matenity pads or kotex night time used double if necessary, paracetamal , chocolate, paper knickers?
It will probably be fine but I understand your need to be prepared

The maternity pads (if you can bear to buy them) are more absorbent, or TenaLady type pads designed to absord wee might have a really large capacity.

However, if you were soaking a pad in 10 minutes, you should have been in hospital, so I'd put a dark towel in my desk drawer, and in my train bag as well as the pads, and know which stops along the line have an A&E so that you would get off the train, sit in a taxi on your towel, and get into A&E ASAP (Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, Swindon, Reading all have A&E along that line), and from work call a taxi/ambulance/colleague to take you.

If you did mc again, there's every chance that it would not be nearly as violent and sudden - I only had one natural mc of my 3, and the bleeding was never terrible.

Unfortunatly paranoia is part of the aftermath of miscarriage, so I do know where you are coming from

Hi Jools,

I'm pleased you are looking forward to TTC again and I do think it's perfectly natural to worry like you are. I think you know I had a miscarriage last year, and when I got pregnant a few months ago I carried a sanitary towel around with me for the first few months until I felt it wasn't going to happen again...even though you can never be 100% sure of course. I think the further the pregnancy goes without problems, you relax a little bit more, but once you've had such a horrible experience I think it's going to make it harder not to worry.

Perhaps you would feel better if you did feel you were prepared for the worst. Maybe it'd help if you talked to your doctor or a midwife about how you feel?

I know you must still be going through hell but believe me, it does get easier eventually and once you start TTC again you will start to feel more positive again, hopefully. xx

Thanks everyone

Cmotdibbler - yes, I did go to A&E, but to be honest I think I would have been better off at home than sitting in a waiting room / queueing for the ONE loo that was available - but that is another story !

I feel strangely reassured by your practical suggestions - the idea of a dark towel is perfect (if a little cumbersome to carry !) I think I'll bear that in mind to perhaps take with me if I have spotting / am particularly worried and have to go somewhere.

Finally got a BFN yesterday (after 3 weeks) and the hormones have (hopefully) calmed down, so I think it is all systems go for TTC once I work out where on earth I am in my cycle

I think sometimes just having a plan helps. In my third and fourth pregnancies I took low dose aspirin, and although there was no evidence that it would do anything, it made me feel better that there was something I could do that might help.

Some places have a gynae A&E in office hours, so that might be worth investigating, esp if you work in London where there are def some. Losing that much blood can be an emergency, so much as being in A&E at any time sucks, it really is the place to be. I hope that you have complained about the lack of toilet facilities ? Someone on here was in the same situation, only to discover that there was a special mc toilet area that no one had told her about earlier.

Good luck for the future

There was a special MC area in gynae A&E, but I had to wait in the regular A&E first, then get wheeled up. The regular bit was being decorated, so it was a bit of a walk to the nearest loo - I caused a queue and got moaned at when I came out

Am interested in the low dose aspirin myself - I know that the likelihood is I will be fine next time, but I am 39 now and feel like time is running out and I can't afford to spend time TTC and get to 12 weeks, only for everything to go wrong again

isn't taking aspirin going to make bleeding a lot worse if a miscarriage does occur again though? on account of thinning the blood?

only ask as a friend was advised to stop taking it as a painkiller during her periods because it was making the bleeding heavier.

I'm with you on this one Jools. During my first pregnancy I had bleeding that was so heavy that it was diagnosed as a miscarriage by an A&E doctor who then let me go home, even though I now have the 3 year old to show it wasn't a miscarriage . I had a miscarriage that sounds very similar to yours with my second pregnancy at 12 weeks. I was bleeding so heavily I couldn't work out how we would get to the hospital without calling an ambulance. Fortunately both times I was at home when it happened, but my constant worry was what if I had been at work/driving/out shopping etc. Now on my third pregnancy and not had any bleeding with this one but been more than prepared for it. I have a bag at work with black jogging trousers, several pairs of pants and about 20 pads. At the weekend I always make sure there is a similar bag in the car if we go out. I know it sounds paranoid, but unless you have experienced a miscarriage like that I don't think you can appreciate how bad it can be. Obviously you need to get to A&E as quickly as possible if it does happen, but getting there with some dignity left is a bonus.

Thanks for that Cookiemonster It really helps to know I'm not completely mad and paranoid for wanting to plan for the worst !

The jogging trousers are a good idea I hadn't thought of - I'll add it to my list Althought with my emergency pack, laptop and gym kit, I'll probably cause problems by carrying it all !!

As for the aspirin Thisisyesterday - it is one of the questions I need answers to before I consider trying this.