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Information for us about miscarriage

PostPosted: May 16, 2007 8:34 am
by justme
I know that a lot of us question ourselves when we have a miscarriage or pregnancy loss, and wonder if we somehow caused it. And I know that during the midst of our worst hg, many of us pray for a miscarriage or even think about termination (http://forums.helpher.org/viewtopic.php?t=15338). The truth is, these thoughts do not cause a miscarriage. And, the truth is that HG is a horrible (in fact, it is a DEBILITATING, LIFE THREATENING disease) that can cause a variety of very real physical and emotional problems. I hope that some of this information will help us understand miscarriage and find peace in the knowledge that although we may have been desperately ill and at times conflicted about our pregnancies, we did not cause them to happen.

Depending on who you ask, anywhere from 1 out of 5 to 1 out of 3 pregnancies end in miscarriage during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. In more than 50% (estimated to be up to 70%) of these losses, chromosonal abnormalities are the cause and there is nothing that can be done to prevent them. In other instances, such as blood clotting disorders and hormone issues (thyroid) - there are things they can try, but they are not guaranteed to ensure the safety of your pregnancy.

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregna ... riage.html
Please note:
During the first trimester, the most common cause of miscarriage is chromosomal abnormality - meaning that something is not correct with the baby's chromosomes.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/miscarriage/PR00097
Comfort for us: Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, even if it is severe, won't cause a miscarriage. And . . . "In the vast majority of miscarriages, NOTHING can be done to prevent them."

Other miscarriage articles:
http://www.medicinenet.com/miscarriage/article.htm
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregna ... s/252.html
http://patients.uptodate.com/topic.asp? ... egnan/5386

Threatened Miscarriage:
http://www.pregnancy-info.net/threatene ... riage.html

Missed Miscarriage:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-misse ... rriage.htm

A teen article about miscarriage even talks about how teens will try to cause their own miscarriage:
Some women try to end their pregnancies by
drinking vinegar, chemicals, or alcohol
hitting themselves (or being hit) in the stomach
exercising too hard
starving themselves
lifting something heavy
falling down stairs
It is rare for any of these things to cause early pregnancy failure.

Books about understanding miscarriage:
Coming to Term: Discovering the truth about miscarriage
http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Term-Uncov ... 722&sr=1-1
Miscarriage: Why it happens and how to best reduce your risks
http://www.amazon.com/Miscarriage-Happe ... 722&sr=1-1

Recommended testing for recurrent pregnancy loss:
http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/miscarriage/rpl.html

I am so sorry for all of our losses. I hope that those of you who need it will find peace in the knowledge that you did not cause this to happen and that your babies are safe and loved and waiting to be reunited with you.

Hugs,
Karen

PostPosted: May 16, 2007 8:41 am
by justme
This is a very Christian article about Baby Grief, some of you may find it helpful. I especially like the 7 points at the end:

http://babygrief.com/_wsn/page10.html

1. God sees our heartache and takes seriously our loss.
2. Every life is a complete life, even though it may not look that way to us.
3. God loves little children and will welcome them all into heaven.
4. God has purposes that we cannot understand.
5. God may be protecting them from something far worse later in life.
6. We are part of a fallen human race.
7. The people closest to God have never been immune to painful circumstances.

PostPosted: May 16, 2007 9:04 pm
by jwinning221
Thank you for reminding us all that there was nothing we could have done to prevent our losses. Sometimes our heart takes over when our head knows otherwise!

Big :hugs: to all mommas who are missing their angels

PostPosted: Nov 03, 2007 7:47 pm
by IslandDreamer
:hugs:

PostPosted: Nov 15, 2007 6:56 pm
by Char
Thank you for posting these links. I had a "missed" miscarriage or "blighted ovum" and never did really understand what that meant. I also wonder/worry if all my anxiety over feeling so bad caused me to miscarry or if my thoughts of termination somehow caused it. . . I know that sounds stupid. I am an educated woman. I know you can't wish a pregnancy away but I told my OB at the time that I truly thought I was too stressed. I prayed hard one night for God to take the illness away because I just couldn't handle anymore of it and my baby stopped growing the next day. I have a tremendous amount of guilt over that.

PostPosted: Nov 15, 2007 7:02 pm
by IslandDreamer
(((Char)))))

I relate to what you say. I was terribly sick with Hope and asked the doc to terminate...then I was in the ER for fluids, got Reglan, had a reaction, and had auditory hallucinations (babies crying). Hope died within the week. The guilt was overwhelming. Most days now, I forgive myself and understand it was the HG and the cognitive damage done by dehydration, medication side effects, and malnutrition....the analytical me knows all this, but some days the mommy-me just feels guilty...especially when heartless people heap guilt and ignorance.

I'm so very sorry about your baby and all you have suffered. We will love you and your baby. We know the pain of loss and of HG. We are here for you.

Love,
Suzanne



Karen, thanks for this great post. You KNOW I've been obsessing lately about why Hope died, and your links and PMs have been so wonderful.

PostPosted: Nov 16, 2007 4:19 pm
by janbabe
Thanks for this post Karen. :hugs: :hugs: to all us mums who are suffering and sad, Im so glad we have this caring community here. Its so good to be able to come here and get answers or just love and comfort when we arent getting our needs met IRL. :hugs: You guys are all amazing!

PostPosted: Nov 16, 2007 6:43 pm
by PamelaRose
Great list of resources, Karen! I know it took a very long time to get past the guilt of our initial reactions to a surprise pregnancy and wanting to die rather than be sick any longer; statistics and medical explanations helped me process the loss and understand that I played no role in it. And I had to reprocess all of those emotions when I found HG information years later. There's comfort in science sometimes, and I hope all of us can come to terms with loss in the greater context of our lives. Hugs!