Miscarriage/Pregnancy Loss

Anyone had to miscarriage w/o D&C?

I'm sorry - this is kind of long but I don't have anyone else to ask.... I was 11w last Tuesday when I went for our OB visit and they found our baby had no heartbeat. It was shocking, as I had no symptoms, no clue.  The dr. sent us for bloodwork and said we'll look at your levels to make sure they're dropping over the next week and if we need to bring you in for a D&C, we'll talk about that later.  So, I had some spotting which turned into light bleeding over the last week and the nurse called to let me know my levels are dropping.  However, she said that since I am less than 12w they won't do a D&C bc of potential cervical damage, etc.  I guess I'm ok with that, but my main problem is that no one has explained what I will experience, how long it will take, what I will see (this part scares me the most - will I see the baby? Does anyone know?).  I have no idea how long this will take, when I get to see the doctor again, what's next.  When she called yesterday after my third set of bloodwork came back, she basically said to get more blood next Monday and "we'll decide what to do then," which is EXACTLY what she said to me the last two phone calls.  I was at work yesterday, so I couldn't really get into asking questions, but as the day wore on, I got kind of upset because she hasn't offered me any insight.  She has only said I "might" (?!) see some bleeding.  Really, I'm pretty sure its more involved than that.  And, it seems like everyone on here has had d&c's, so I'm feeling very unprepared and scared right now as I wait this out.  If anyone has had similar experiences that they could share, I would appreciate it.      

Re: Anyone had to miscarriage w/o D&C?

  • I'm sorry - I have no idea how to remove that stupid ticker...if anyone can remind me that would be great.  I didn't realize it was still there. txs.
  • First of all: Sorry you have to go thru this.

    With my 1st m/c, I didnt have to have a D&C because everything (LO and placenta) and come out (sorry...TMI) amnd this happened in a matter of hours. But, this time, the placenta just wouldn't budge (even after meds). So, I had to have a D&C.

    Three angel babies...I think it's time for a change
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  • Thank you and thank you for sharing that with me...honestly its not tmi bc I had no idea what to expect.  I just want someone to be honest and direct with me...I'm tired of the vague, cheery responses from the nurse.

    I'm sorry for your losses and wishing you peace and healing.

  • I am sorry you are dealing with this.  I am in a very similar situation with this waiting, only I am not having any blood draws.  I found out at 9w4d that it was not viable.  I would not be 11 w tomorrow and I only started spotting brown yesterday...

    I take that as meaning my levels must be dropping...but I have no idea.

    The whole thing freaks me out...what I have noticed is that there is a lot of information on the internet and it is mainly horrific in my mind.  But my doctor also says, it may be just like a heavy period with cramping...I think they all say this but know it will likely me worse. 

    From what I have read it could go something like this: spotting for a couple of days turning to more reddish blood, cramping that gains with intensity and when it gets really bad a couple of hours of it bad, that is your body getting ready to pass something more substantial (and many do notice the placenta and embryo/fetus) followed by a lot of blood. 

    It sounds pretty horrible to me, and my doctor has said that if it doesnt happen soon that a D&C may be necessary.  I would like a D&C just to not have to deal with waiting and not knowing what to expect.  That being said, I do think if you can do it naturally that causes less potential for scarring and easier time later. 

    I dont know what else to say, but you are not alone...

  • I'm so sorry you're going through all of this.

    I had a complete and natural miscarriage just shy of 10 weeks (baby was only measuring 6 weeks).  I spotted for almost a week.  It wasn't much.  Just a little brownish spotting which I often didn't even need a liner for.  

    After about 6 days of spotting I started bleeding.  It was similar to the start of a period in the flow but the blood was like bright red.  I bled what was comparable to a moderate - heavy period flow from Thursday - Sunday.  During the day I had moderate cramping, but at night the cramps/contractions were mind numbing.  Because I was still waiting on blood work for 100% confirmation that I was in fact miscarrying, I couldn't take anything more for the pain than Tylenol.  I think had I know for sure what was happening and was able to take something stronger (most docs will give you some sort of narcotic if you ask for it), I would have been ok.  I passed what I can only assume is the sac about 2 days after the heaviest bleeding stopped.  And then I spotted very lightly for another 3 or 4 days.  I think overall I bled/spotted for about 2 weeks which sounds awful but all things considered it wasn't that bad.

    I know with a D&C (like any surgery) there are risks.  Some docs want to let your body take care of things naturally while others want to do a D&C to lessen the likelihood of you developing an infection.  There are ladies on here who had a natural miscarriage but still needed a D&C to clean up the residual tissue.

     

    bumping from my phone. please pardon any typos and missing punctuation
  • I'm so sorry for your loss.  You're in a really hard time.  It will get easier with time.  ((Hugs))

    I miscarried naturally, but earlier than you.  I did a lot of research in the time between miscarrying and when we knew we would miscarry.  It took almost two weeks to start bleeding, so I had a lot of time to research.  What I found was that it varies widely amongst women.  It varies from nothing more than a regular or bad period to something more akin to labor.  Unfortunately, I was on the extreme side and won't share my experience with you as it's very unlikely that you will have the same one and it's more likely to scare you than help you. 

    I found the following common grounds when I researched:

    - Most women had cramping and light bleeding before the heavy bleeding started.

    - Some never had heavy bleeding.

    - Most felt relief from the intense pain when the sack passed.  Some saw a baby and some didn't.  Some saved the baby to bury and some didn't.  Those that felt the intense relief were also having pretty heavy pain right before the sack passed.  Many were on the toilet at this point and the blood turned the water a dark red, hence them not always being able to tell if the sack passed.  The relief (I felt it too) was often a clue that the sack had passed.

    - Some hemorrhaged after passing the sack.  The general rule I was told was if you fill more than a pad an hour, call your doctor and/or go to the hospital.  Hemorrhaging usually only lasted a few hours.  Mine lasted about 6-8 hours, but decreased each time at around 2 hours.

    - Some got giddy/happy after delivering the sack.  Your body naturally releases hormones that make you happy after you give birth.  If I hadn't experienced it, I would have thought this was crazy talk!

    - Most bled for a week or so after everything came out.  

    - AF's return ranged.  Some were fast in 3-4 weeks, others like me took 6 weeks plus meds to get it to return.  However, just about everyone seems to have had a weird set of AFs for the first few months after.  

    - All felt better if someone (usually their DHs) was there to help them through it.  I know mine helped me immensely.  

     ETA: I forgot one thing -

    - Many women passed blood clots.  They tend to look like liver, whereas the sack tends to look grayish pink.  Some passed quite large clots as well.  I didn't start clotting until after the hemorrhaging and passed some the size of a golf ball.   

     

     

    BFP#1 4/17/10...EDD 1/6/11...M/C 5/28/10 BFP#2 11/19/10...EDD 8/4/11 Squeaker born 7/30.
  • Going through this type of thing is so horrible.  This is what happened to me: I was only 6 wks and I started spotting on a Sunday night & by the morning it was like I was having my period.  I went in to the doc and they took my blood to measure my hcg levels.  By that evening I was in a lot of pain and bleeding heavily and also had tissue being expelled.  On Wednesday I had to go back in for another blood test so that they could compare the hcg levels to see if it dropped - it did.  Basically that was my confirmation along with the bleeding and tissues expulsion that I was miscarrying.  This lasted 5 days, on the 6th it slowed & on the 7th it stopped completely. 

    During this entire time I looked up things on the internet and it helped me know what would be happening.  I would just flat out ask your doc if you have questions.  Mine was really nice and called me a few times to check up on me.  It was good to have that "official" person letting me know what to expect though.

  • I was 11 weeks 3 days when I started spotting.  I went to the doctor the next day and had an ultrasound that showed the baby's heart had stopped.  The next day I started bleeding heavily and had contractions for about 6 hours.  The next day I had 3 episodes of contractions followed by passing large clots/tissue.  Each time the pain got really bad I went to the bathroom and passed everything on the toilet.  I was worried about seeing the baby too, but I didn't.  There was so much blood I really couldn't see anything.  I'm really sorry you're going through this.  It's awful.
    Lucy 12.18.06, Will 6.21.09 & Adeline 11.2.11
  • I"m so sorry that you're doctor isn't able to give you comforting answers and you're just waiting now. I had my m/c after 12/5 weeks and did not have a D&C.  Mine came on faster than yours but maybe my story will help. Here's how mine went (TMI, but hopefuly the details will help): 

    On Monday, I had zero symptoms. I was actually looking forward to hearing the baby's heartbeat on Wednesday. Tuesday afternoon I had a little brown spotting.  By evening I was having some red spots and mild cramps.  Around 2am Wednesday morning I woke up with bad cramps to the point I couldn't sleep but still no real bleeding.  I called the doctor as soon as thier office opened and she ordered an ultra sound, which showed I was miscarrying.  Later that day I started bleeding and passing clots.  Wednesday night/Thursday morning I think I went into labor with major pain and vomiting for 2 hours.  Thursday morning I passed a large clump/mass of tissue that I think was the fetus and placenta but I couldn't bring myself to look closely at it. 

  • My miscarriage was at 11 weeks 5 days, although the baby died sometime during week 8.  Here is my experience.  It's very detailed. 
  • I just miscarried on Tuesday morning without a D&C.  My baby was measuring 12 weeks.  I was already bleeding so decided to let the baby pass on its own.  I really did not have any cramping until the few hours before I actually passed the baby, etc.  It started as pretty painful cramping.  I tried taking some ibuprofen and used a heating pad.  It may have helped take the edge off, but it still hurt.  The cramps came and went like contractions.  I tried to stand or at least sit up or walk as much as possible to let gravity help me.  I spent a lot of time in the bathroom.  As the pain got worse, I knew something needed to happen soon.  I threw up, which is what I do when I'm in active labor as well.  Then I sat on the toilet and the next thing I knew was that the pain stopped, and blood was starting to come out.  I could feel that something was there.  There isn't much blood before that because the baby and placenta are blocking it.  I kept pushing to try to get things out, and finally, everything came out at once.   The physical pain was gone, but it was pretty emotional to go through.  I blead heavily for about an hour and then it began to lighten up and become more like a light period. 

     I know different things can happen.  Instead of things coming out at once, they may come out in pieces, or like stringy clumps.  I was glad everything came out at once, and I did not need a follow-up D&C.  The placenta, cord, and baby were probably the size of softball or maybe even a tad bigger.  You are a week or two earlier than me so it may be a tad smaller, but I would expect at least baseball size.  My doctor tried to tell me it would be golf ball size, but I knew better.  He was used to earlier miscarriages.  That bugged me a little.  

    Anyway, I was very glad I chose to have the baby pass on its own.  I didn't have to be put to sleep, or recover from surgery.  I had control over what was happening and aware of what my body was doing.  And my body did its job.

    Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I used to read this board before this happened to me.  I needed to know that things could happen and I wanted to be prepared.  I distinctly remember a woman who shared her decision to let the baby pass naturally (it was rare), and it was her story that helped me make my decision.  I hope I can help you too.   So, if you need to talk, send me a message any time. 

    Pregnancy Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Missed miscarriage discovered at 16 weeks on 10/11/10. Baby measuring 12 weeks. Natural miscarriage 10/12/10. We will miss you forever. Chemical pregnancy on June 2012.
  • Thank you all for sharing with me.  It has helped me alot to come to terms with the process...however, I simply cannot believe that the nurse at my doctor's practice hasn't given me even a hint of what is to come.  I was still in shock and crying when I left the office after our ultrasound, and the doctor was amazingly sweet and supportive. I wouldn't have expected him to explain the miscarriage process at that moment.  But the fact that it was decided for me to go through this process naturally with no preparation or help (I mean no one even told me to use pads instead of tampons - I only knew that from a friend's experience) is actually making me mad now that I do know what to expect.  It is far more than "seeing a little bit of blood" as she has said to me.  I am experiencing a whole range of emotions right now and sad and angry are right at the top of the list, normal I guess.  Anyway, really thank you all again...my thoughts and prayers are with you all, please keep me in yours.
  • I feel the same way as you, I have gotten way more information from asking other people, this board, the internet etc...my doctor also said it may be like a heavy period...I am expecting it to be worse, but if it is a heavy period well that would be great!  I am scared and I am sure you are too as well as angry...I just keep telling myself in a couple of weeks the physical part will be completely done and I can try and put that part behind me and focus on other things...try to stay strong, it has to get better after this...it just does!
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