Please or to access all these features

Pregnancy choices

This topic is for sharing experiences of pregnancy choices; to debate the ethics of termination, visit our Politics or Chat forums.

Abortion confusion

19 replies

Theriverflowsinyou · 09/01/2022 20:20

I am writing this thread hoping that I am not judged - more so just looking for anybody who has had similar feelings to me that can share their experience and suggest ways for me to move past what I have been through..

I’ll explain my story. After missing a period in December of last year I wasn’t too put out, my periods have never been regular so I wasn’t very concerned about this. A friend of mine on a whim suggested I take a test just to be sure that I wasn’t pregnant - I laughed off the idea because at 24 I’ve never even had so much as a “pregnancy scare”. I took the test, adamant that it would be negative but of course it wasn’t - I was pregnant. It wasn’t hard to pinpoint the conception because in the last 20 months I had only slept with one person - somebody I had met on a night out - not something I usually do but one thing led to another.. anyway that’s not too important. I was pregnant. My initial feeling was complete shock - then a sense of relief washed over me because I had always feared I was infertile after years of never having any kind scare like I mentioned earlier. In my younger years when I was with boyfriends, we used protection for the most part but like most young people sometimes we were careless and didn’t use anything - I always assumed infertility as a reason for never being ‘caught out’ as such. I know now that was very naive of me but I’m just being completely honest here

When the shock worn off I was terrified. I have only just started a new self employed job, I wasn’t in a relationship with the would be Dad and I just felt completely unprepared to be a mum at this stage of my life. I later discovered through social media that the male in question had a girlfriend - I felt so guilty and used and even more adamant that I couldn’t bring a child into such an unstable situation.

I’m sorry…waffling here - I’ll be more to the point. I told my mum about the pregnancy because I had horrendous morning sickness (later diagnosed as Hyperemisis by my GP) I couldn’t hide it. My mum was amazing, she promised to support me no matter what choice I made - relief washed over me but I still felt like having a baby wasn’t for me at this point in my life.

Fast forward to my appointment with BPAS (at this point I believed myself to be 9 weeks).
My irregular periods meant I needed to be seen for an ultrasound - which measured me at 8 weeks 1 day. “Healthy, viable pregnancy” are some of the words that left the nurses mouth - it gutted me. I started to feel terrible. But after weeks of feeling somewhat sure of my decision combined with my debilitating pregnancy symptoms I left the clinic with medicine to take at home.

On Friday just passed I had the first pill, guilt crept in but so did a sense of relief? Yesterday I had the second & third doses - the day itself was absolutely horrendous - pain like no other - I couldn’t stop crying all day, I feel like it will stay with me forever.

Today, I have woken feeling relieved but very guilty and sad. I feel like I should start to move forward with my life but part of me wants to grieve my loss. But…is it even acceptable for me to feel loss when I made this decision to terminate the potential life?
I’m so confused. I’m sad and just don’t know how to process my emotions. I don’t miss all of the sickness, sadness, breast pain, tiredness but i domiss the idea that I was growing something and it was mine.

Are my feelings valid? I’m so sorry for the essay. If anybody has made it this far and can offer any words - please do. Thank you

OP posts:
PaleBlueMoonlight · 09/01/2022 20:40

That sounds really hard and your feelings are entirely understandable. I haven't had a particularly similar experience, but hopefully someone will be along soon with some words of wisdom. You did good thinking beforehand and now you need for the emotions to come and time to pass. Your brain will sort it out.

userxx · 09/01/2022 20:51

It's still very raw, with time you'll be able to see and feel more clearly. Of course you're allowed to grieve, you own your feelings and no one can tell you any different, you do what's right for you. Your mum sounds a fantastic source of support, lean on her.

Theriverflowsinyou · 09/01/2022 21:30

@PaleBlueMoonlight

That sounds really hard and your feelings are entirely understandable. I haven't had a particularly similar experience, but hopefully someone will be along soon with some words of wisdom. You did good thinking beforehand and now you need for the emotions to come and time to pass. Your brain will sort it out.
Thank you for reading, not being judgemental & taking the time to reply. Hopefully in time I will heal and be able to look back on my decision knowing it was the right one at this time. For now I just feel so flooded with guilt - but I guess that's understandable x
OP posts:
Theriverflowsinyou · 09/01/2022 21:31

@userxx

It's still very raw, with time you'll be able to see and feel more clearly. Of course you're allowed to grieve, you own your feelings and no one can tell you any different, you do what's right for you. Your mum sounds a fantastic source of support, lean on her.
You're right - it is still raw. I was going to wait before I posted this thread but I wanted to speak it into existence whilst I feel like this. Maybe somebody else will stumble across it one day and it could help them - I'm not sure.

My mum truly has been amazing. I couldn't have done it without her. I'll continue to lean on her. Thank you for replying x

OP posts:
Hugasauras · 09/01/2022 21:40

Loss is loss, OP. You don't have to feel like you're worthy somehow to feel grief and sadness at what you've lost, and you are entitled to feel however you feel and no one should judge you for it. Life is nowhere near as simple as being able to turn off your feelings, even if it's a decision you made v one that was out of your hands.

You do what you need to for your own mental health and look after yourself Thanks

BDavis · 09/01/2022 21:52

I don’t have any experience of what you’re going through @Theriverflowsinyou but I didn’t want to just read and run! Of course your feelings are valid ❤️ Please don’t let anyone tell you how you “should” be feeling at the moment. Take all the time you need to grieve and process everything! And I’m so glad you confided in your mum - she sounds like a really fantastic support Flowers

Be kind to yourself Flowers

Poppy101010 · 09/01/2022 21:56

I'm sorry you are feeling like this. I got pregnant at the age of 16 and had an abortion. It was the right choice for me at the time - I was a child myself and getting ready to sit exams and plan university. Although I knew it was the right decision to make I struggled with grief, loss and guilt for months afterwards. If I'm being honest, it changed me as a person and I became withdraw and depressed. Eventually I spoke to my GP about it and was referred for counselling . Being able to chat about how I was feeling whilst not being judged was a huge relief. I was given strategies to use and manage my emotions more effectively and it really did work. It took a while but it did get easier and I was able to move on with my life.

My advice would be to look after yourself- you clearly have your own reasons as to why u made this choice and speak to someone about how your feeling . Take time away from work and do things that make you happy. It's the worst feeling just now but you will move on with time.

Theriverflowsinyou · 09/01/2022 22:22

@Hugasauras

Loss is loss, OP. You don't have to feel like you're worthy somehow to feel grief and sadness at what you've lost, and you are entitled to feel however you feel and no one should judge you for it. Life is nowhere near as simple as being able to turn off your feelings, even if it's a decision you made v one that was out of your hands.

You do what you need to for your own mental health and look after yourself Thanks

Thank you for being so kind. Your words are very reassuring to me right now Daffodil
OP posts:
Rose925 · 09/01/2022 22:24

You’re completely entitled to feel ANY emotion throughout this hard experience . Whether it be relief, guilt, sadness or anything in between .
I think because it’s such a taboo subject nobody really talks in detail about it openly to others . That’s why forums like this are a godsend .
Just because you made a decision that was right for you at the time does not mean you aren’t obliged to feel sadness , loss & grief .
With a termination you’re grieving the loss of what ‘could of been’ and you have every right to grieve for however long it may be.
Also hormones come into okay hugely over the weeks post termination as the drop in hormones can also play a factor into your emotions too
Just take care of yourself & allow the emotions to come through and let them pass ☺️ Xx

Theriverflowsinyou · 09/01/2022 22:24

@BDavis

I don’t have any experience of what you’re going through *@Theriverflowsinyou* but I didn’t want to just read and run! Of course your feelings are valid ❤️ Please don’t let anyone tell you how you “should” be feeling at the moment. Take all the time you need to grieve and process everything! And I’m so glad you confided in your mum - she sounds like a really fantastic support Flowers

Be kind to yourself Flowers

Thank you so much - it's nice to have such reassurance given to me by people who have no reason to be so kind & understanding. Yeah my mum has been my rock. I know it's expected of mothers to be like this but I'm sure not everybody will have had the same experience as me in this sort of situation - I'm very lucky to have her :)
OP posts:
Theriverflowsinyou · 09/01/2022 22:27

@Poppy101010

I'm sorry you are feeling like this. I got pregnant at the age of 16 and had an abortion. It was the right choice for me at the time - I was a child myself and getting ready to sit exams and plan university. Although I knew it was the right decision to make I struggled with grief, loss and guilt for months afterwards. If I'm being honest, it changed me as a person and I became withdraw and depressed. Eventually I spoke to my GP about it and was referred for counselling . Being able to chat about how I was feeling whilst not being judged was a huge relief. I was given strategies to use and manage my emotions more effectively and it really did work. It took a while but it did get easier and I was able to move on with my life.

My advice would be to look after yourself- you clearly have your own reasons as to why u made this choice and speak to someone about how your feeling . Take time away from work and do things that make you happy. It's the worst feeling just now but you will move on with time.

Hey, I just want to thank you for sharing your experience with me. It's comforting to know that others have been through the same emotions as what I'm experiencing now.

I will see how I get on in the coming weeks & months but I may seek further help from my GP if I need it. My mental health is extremely important to me so I'll do whatever to protect it - I just felt guilty because I feel in a sense that I've brought it on myself. But reading the comments in here it's obvious that's not the case - I've just done what I felt was right for me at this time in my life.

I hope one day I will look back and be less harsh on myself x

OP posts:
Theriverflowsinyou · 09/01/2022 22:40

@Rose925

You’re completely entitled to feel ANY emotion throughout this hard experience . Whether it be relief, guilt, sadness or anything in between . I think because it’s such a taboo subject nobody really talks in detail about it openly to others . That’s why forums like this are a godsend . Just because you made a decision that was right for you at the time does not mean you aren’t obliged to feel sadness , loss & grief . With a termination you’re grieving the loss of what ‘could of been’ and you have every right to grieve for however long it may be. Also hormones come into okay hugely over the weeks post termination as the drop in hormones can also play a factor into your emotions too Just take care of yourself & allow the emotions to come through and let them pass ☺️ Xx
Ah I'm overwhelmed (in a good way) by all of the kind responses I'm having here. You're right these sort of safe spaces are a god send - I wouldn't feel comfortable talking to publicly in real life so this is helping me. Thank you for your kindness x
OP posts:
Rose925 · 09/01/2022 22:43

I’m currently 4 weeks post termination so I know how you feel . X

Theriverflowsinyou · 09/01/2022 22:53

@Rose925

I’m currently 4 weeks post termination so I know how you feel . X
I hope you're healing well and starting to feel a little brighter Flowers.

I'm here if you ever need to talk to a stranger about it openly. Take care

OP posts:
BDavis · 10/01/2022 04:35

Yeah my mum has been my rock. I know it's expected of mothers to be like this but I'm sure not everybody will have had the same experience as me in this sort of situation - I'm very lucky to have her

@Theriverflowsinyou You’re so right with this ❤️ Your mum sounds lovely!! I hope you’re feeling a bit better after all the replies you’ve had Flowers

workingtheusername · 10/01/2022 04:57

You have made a extremely difficult decision for the best reasons and you absolutely have the right to grieve. Just because you choose it doesn't mean it's not an extremely hard thing to do. Stay safe and be kind to yourself but know you did the best thing.

TwoPurpleChimps · 12/01/2022 19:19

How are you doing now @Theriverflowsinyou? X

Theriverflowsinyou · 12/01/2022 19:35

@workingtheusername

You have made a extremely difficult decision for the best reasons and you absolutely have the right to grieve. Just because you choose it doesn't mean it's not an extremely hard thing to do. Stay safe and be kind to yourself but know you did the best thing.
Thank you x
OP posts:
Theriverflowsinyou · 12/01/2022 19:37

@TwoPurpleChimps

How are you doing now *@Theriverflowsinyou*? X
It's been a very difficult week. Physically I feel received because I've stopped feeling sick, I have my energy back & I'm able to get about my day with ease. Part of me sort of misses the feeling of knowing something was growing inside of me though Sad

Mentally it's been awful. I feel so guilty & sad.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page