Kind of a graphic/sensitive question regarding my early loss...

Manderlin923

I will be having an u/s next week (6 weeks) to check on baby. In the meantime, I've been sitting here thinking about my losses and trying to pinpoint, at what point do I feel things will be "probably okay". The two losses we don't know about genetically, but I'm assuming were due to chromosomal issues, both happened early on. My first I had spotting/cramping at 7 weeks, my second was a missed m/c and baby stopped growing at 6 weeks. The thing I'm wondering is if it's possible the first one actually went around 6 weeks as well, and if there's something happening developmentally then that caused it, like issues with the heart.

My question really is, when I had my first loss, I barely passed anything, just a couple of clots. What happened to the baby? Was it absorbed by my body? Or could it have been an even earlier missed m/c and was just so small I didn't see anything come out? I just am hoping for some reassurance that if we make it to the u/s next week at 6weeks + and see a heartbeat, that we have good odds that things are okay. (My last I loss post heartbeat, but that was due to another issue- baby was totally normal). Thoughts?

keiral

Waiting to pass the point were you lost your LO (s) in a past pregnancy is so rough!!  I know that I can't wait to get past the 9 week mark!

To put my two cents in, as far as your questions are concerned....

- I suppose it's definitely possible that when you had your loss at 7 weeks, the baby actually stopped growing at 6 weeks.  Could be that your body did not react to the loss and actually start the MC process until 7 weeks.  I know that with my MC, the baby stopped growing at exactly 9 weeks.  I had the tiniest bit of spotting and just a "bad feeling" and demanded an ultrasound.  The baby's heart had stopped within hours of that US.  I had to wait about 5 days for a D&C.  Within that time, my body did not start to MC naturally.  If I didn't go in for that US, I would maybe not have known that the baby had passed... maybe not even until my 12 weeks visit.  My point is, that sometimes the body takes a while to react after the baby dies.

- I believe that a 6 or 7 week loss will look like clots and that you wouldn't actually be able to see the baby.  That's what I've heard anyway?? (added) or maybe the baby did stop growing earlier and your body just didn't react until then.. I guess there's really no way to know.. unless you happened to date the pregnancy right before your MC.

This is just based off of experience and what I've read / heard.  I'm certainly no doctor!!

I know it's really tough not to worry and think about what could have happened in your previous losses.  It's also really hard not to compare your current pregnancy to previous ones, but try to remember that every pregnancy is different.

I really hope that all goes well at your US next week!!!  FX!! 

orange_roses

keiral:

- I believe that a 6 or 7 week loss will look like clots and that you wouldn't actually be able to see the baby.  That's what I've heard anyway?? (added) or maybe the baby did stop growing earlier and your body just didn't react until then.. I guess there's really no way to know.. unless you happened to date the pregnancy right before your MC.

This. I saw a heart beat 2 days before I had lots of clots. (way TMI warning)  I looked through each clot because I didn't want to flush my baby - but I never saw a baby. I talked to my doctor this time around at my 6 week appointment to discuss what I'd see if it happened again and he aid people rarely see the "baby" - it usually comes apart as it comes out. 

AustinBride06

I took cytotec both times.  The first time the baby had stopped growing around 7w5d.  The second time growth had halted somewhere around 5w5d.  Both times I passed clots and then I quite obviously passed a complete and intact sac that definitely was different than a large clot and felt different to pass.  I can describe it for you if you want... Don't know if that helps, but that was my experience.  And I believe that both losses occurred for different reasons.

chusum

My third loss was at just over 6 weeks and it was very short without a lot of tissue passing as the others. My HCG never got above 1000 during that time (I don't remember the exact numbers at the moment). It's possible your body didn't register the baby had stopped developing earlier and passed it once it realized it.

KJsbabe

((hugs)) Waiting to feel ok or secure is such a hard thing.

You baby may have been absorbed by your body. That's what happened with my 2nd loss. We went in for an u/s at 8.5w, but baby only measured 6w. We did see the fetal pole and HB, though. We went back two weeks later and baby was gone. Only a deteriorating sac remained. I didn't have any kind of cramping or spotting in the two weeks in between apps and my doctor said it's not uncommon for your body to re-absorb an unhealthy pg.

On the other hand, with my first loss, I did pass what I believe to be the sac. I started bleeding heavily in the morning at 5w4d and about mid day after some awful cramps, I passed a very tiny gray blob. I looked completely different from my normal clots. I tried to convince myself at the time that I wasn't looking at my baby, but looking back, that's the only thing I can think that it was.

I really hope you have a wonderful app next week and that this is your take home baby.

LottaLattes

I think it depends a lot on how much the baby actually develops.  I had a D&C with my first, so I have no idea, but with the second the fetus *was* developing, just was abnormal or something (had a heartbeat but it was very slow).  I took Cytotec around 10 weeks (stopped developing around 8 weeks, but I was on vacation at the time) and passed what was unmistakably the "products of conception" which was a couple of inches long.  Lots of clots, though.  Your body is absolutely able to reabsorb some of it as well, so it could be that too!