Abortion in hospital, what to expect?

[rolzii]

I have nc for this and am feeling so drained and awful.

I am booked in tomorrow at hospital to get a termination. I am 12 weeks and it is a medical termination, I took the first tablet yesterday but as I'm over 10 weeks I need to do the second half of the process on the ward.

I was just wondering if anyone had been through this before and what to expect? I'm terrified, I hate hospitals and the thought of being on the ward all day terrifies me.

The reason for the termination is that I found out very late and have been excessively drinking every weekend, so am worried that I may have damaged the baby and couldn't live with the guilt it I had! So it isn't a decision that I made lightly.

Thanks in advance for any responses xx

@rolzii I am so sorry you have to go through this.
I had a medical termination in hospital at 13 weeks, in the early 80s so the procedure may have changed since and may not be the same as my experience.

I wasn't given any pills beforehand. I arrived at the hospital and after checking in they put me on a drip and used something to start a sort of mini-labour. The whole process took around 15 hours, it was quite painful, but was given pethidine which helped a lot, though it wore off after a few hours and they said they couldn't give anything else.

I lost quite a lot of blood which they seemed concerned about (I was in too much pain to care) and were talking about taking me down to surgery. Before they could take me down, I passed a huge clot and the bleeding slowed down a lot. I still needed to have a d&c the following day, but that was planned anyway from what I remember.

Have you spoken to a doctor or midwife about your reason for a termination? It might be worth checking with someone what the actual risk of drinking is. It's quite common for people to drink before finding out they are pregnant, the risk may not be as high as you think? Just noticed you've already taken the first tablet, so don't know if there is still the option to not go through with it now.

I hope it goes as well as these things can for you tomorrow x

@Blueberry101 thank you so much for commenting and sharing your experience. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, it sounds traumatic and 15 hours is such a long time.

I did speak to the nurse there about it, she just said that it would be impossible to know if it had caused damage. I've read so much online about FAS so am far to terrified to even risk it, and yes as I have taken the first tablet there is no going back now.

I took the first tablet yesterday morning and will go to the hospital first thing in the morning for the second half. They told me that some people are able to go home by 2pm, but expect to be there until around 4pm. I am petrified about being on the ward all day, I don't know why but it really scares me xx

I'm sorry OP, I have no experience of a termination at hospital but I just want to wish you the best of luck tomorrow and I hope the process is as smooth as it can be for you x

@rolzii Good luck for today, I know you are scared of being in hospital all day, but I think it could be more scary being alone if any medical attention is needed. In the hospital you will have nurses nearby to make sure everything goes as well as it can. From what I've read the pain level is different for everyone, but in my case I was in a lot of pain, and would have found it difficult to cope if I'd been on my own.

@impossiblechoice24 @Blueberry101 thank you both so much.

I am here now and have just taken the first dose. I hope that things start moving quickly so that I can go home, I am praying that I'll be able to go home sooner rather than later. I have to take the dose again every 3 hours until the pregnancy passes. I feel so awful and guilty x

I'll be keeping you in my thoughts throughout today. I hope it can be over as soon as possible for you and you can get home, rest and recover

@impossiblechoice24 thank you so much for being so kind. No one knows I'm here apart from my partner so your kind words really mean so much xx

Thinking of you 💐 I had a termination 2 years ago at 9 weeks for similar reasons. I hadnt been drinking excessively but I had been drinking over the Xmas period, I'd also been on antibiotics that aren't recommended in pregnancy and I hadn't taken any folic acid. I completely panicked convinced my baby wouldn't be healthy. My mental health nose dived. Our first and only child was IVF so I'd really looked after myself before and during that pregnancy.

I hope today passes as smoothly as it can, you are so strong and brave. It's an awful decision to be faced with, I know how you are feeling.

@Alwayssomething14 thank you so much, and I am so sorry that you went through that I know exactly what you mean, I know that if I found out earlier I would have been looking after myself, taking supplements and obviously avoiding alcohol. I just couldn't have lived with myself if i had damaged the baby in any way.

Im in a lot of pain at the moment, but just telling myself that I'm closer to the end as each hour passes x

I found out at 7 weeks and always wonder if I made the right decision. I still get really upset at times over it so just remember to be kind to yourself over the coming months. I fell pregnant 6 months later and found out at 13 weeks that he was extremely poorly. I had to terminate again at 14 weeks. It felt like a punishment. I'm 43 now, really want to try again but just don't know if I'm strong enough, particularly as the risks are higher with my age.

I hope you are home now and have been looked after well. Rest up and remember to be kind to yourself 💐

@Alwayssomething14 oh I am so sorry to hear that, that is awful. And please don't be so hard on yourself, we have to make these difficult decisions sometimes and the fact that you were so upset about it shows that you are a good person. Take care of yourself.

Thank you so much. I am home now and resting, a very traumatic day but I'm just so relieved that it is over and that I am back home x