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D&C or natural miscarriage?
Just found out today after our second ultrasound that our first little miracle never had the chance to form properly. I am 9 weeks and 3 days but the embryo is much smaller, around 7 weeks. My OBGYN says that I can either wait for the miscarriage to happen naturally (which could be a while yet) or I can have a D&C next week sometime. I am scared for both options and really don't know what to do? I'm sure others have had to make this choice, does anyone have an opinion for me? Thanks a lot. :(
I opted for the natural way to MC too and my 1st and 2nd days were painful as well. I took some days off work too because walking around and moving sort of aggravated the situation and I got to the point where it hurt to walk around. After a week though I was fine and the bleeding for me lasted 5 days. I agree , if you opt for natural MC you should have some good pain pills. I have some strong Ibuprofen pills from when I had my tonsils out awhile back so I took those and they worked fine.
i miscarried 3 months ago at 9wks. i had some bleeding and went to the er where thy told me i had no growth since week 7 and lost the heart beat. I opted for the natural way out. a D&C can cause scaring on your uterus which can cause difficulty with implantation next time you try. my mc was very painful but it only lasted 3 days with severe pain on the 1st and i had serious pain pills.
I think a D&C is better because it gives you a fresh start to try again. It will scrape all the bad lining out of the uterus and you will be able to start to try again sooner!
Oh I am so sorry you had to experience that,and I am sure your little angel is watching over you. My eyes just welled up with tears when I read about the angel writing down your baby's birth in the book of life. I am sending out a big hug to you even though I don't know you because no woman should have to experience something like this alone. My prayers are with you.
I am sorry that you had to go through this! I know that you are not ready to try again like a lot of us on here but if you ever need to talk to someone that has gone though what you are going through then you now where to come. Time helps take the pain away.
An update for everyone: First of all thank you so very much for your support, it is so helpful to hear from other women in the same situation.
I was able to get in to see a specialist in high risk pregnancy/fetal assessments. He did some tests and confirmed our loss. After many tears and a lot of thinking, we opted to have the d&c done this past tuesday morning. I am a grade three teacher and was able to take the week off work to cope physically and emotionally with the pain. The procedure itself wasn't as terrible as I anticipated but the 6 hours leading up to my surgery were very trying. I think I cried from the second we walked in till the moment they put me out. Thankfully I had a wonderful nurse who allowed my husband into the room with me before the surgery (men aren't usually allowed as it's a women's surgical ward). Since the procedure, the cramping has almost stopped and the bleeding is next to nothing.
We chose to have the baby and remains cremated and we will be having them scattered in an "angel baby" garden at a local cemetary. I thought this was a nice option and has given my husband and I some closure knowing that our baby is watching over us now.
As for trying again, emotionally I'm not quite there yet but I think I will continue with the prenatal vitamins and wait till we both feel ready again. Thanks again for your support and prayers. It's all very touching and I am so appreciative. May you all be blessed with beautiful, healthy children.
Heather
"An angel in the book of life wrote down my baby's birth. Then whispered as she closed the book "too beautiful for earth". (author unknown)
I was able to get in to see a specialist in high risk pregnancy/fetal assessments. He did some tests and confirmed our loss. After many tears and a lot of thinking, we opted to have the d&c done this past tuesday morning. I am a grade three teacher and was able to take the week off work to cope physically and emotionally with the pain. The procedure itself wasn't as terrible as I anticipated but the 6 hours leading up to my surgery were very trying. I think I cried from the second we walked in till the moment they put me out. Thankfully I had a wonderful nurse who allowed my husband into the room with me before the surgery (men aren't usually allowed as it's a women's surgical ward). Since the procedure, the cramping has almost stopped and the bleeding is next to nothing.
We chose to have the baby and remains cremated and we will be having them scattered in an "angel baby" garden at a local cemetary. I thought this was a nice option and has given my husband and I some closure knowing that our baby is watching over us now.
As for trying again, emotionally I'm not quite there yet but I think I will continue with the prenatal vitamins and wait till we both feel ready again. Thanks again for your support and prayers. It's all very touching and I am so appreciative. May you all be blessed with beautiful, healthy children.
Heather
"An angel in the book of life wrote down my baby's birth. Then whispered as she closed the book "too beautiful for earth". (author unknown)
I'm SO sorry to hear that you are going through this. Tough decision, I know, I was there. Fortunately my OBGYN is wonderful! He wouldn't 'jump to conclusions' and do a DNC right way. I was pregnant w/my 3rd child and had ultrasounds and bloodwork from about 1 1/2wk into pregnancy up through my loss. My HCG levels were tested 2-3 times a week and I had ultrasounds at every visit. My HCG level did a drop and then rose over the weekend so dr assumed I was carrying twins and lost one (vanashing twin-common). Then the measurements of the baby were coming up short and we were about 7 wks into it and still couldn't find a heartbeat. Even with all this my dr said until my HCG level dropped (or I insisted) he wouldn't do a DNC because a baby is a baby and if its not meant to be my body would MC naturally. Fortunatley (and sadly enough) my body did do it on its own at 7wks and 1 day. My HCG level dropped one point on my Friday visit and I lost the baby Early Saturday Afternoon. To me, it was a blessing to MC on my own because I didn't have to make that decision. I would DEFINATELY get your HCG level checked (mine was fairly low so the dr was pretty certain my body would take care of itself). However, if your body hasn't recognized the loss (or potential loss) it may still think its pregnant and your level could be high and you might have to consider the DNC. As CacyMichelle said above, there is a pill that can help with the process as well but I didn't have to use it. This was over Labor Day weekend and I FINALLY got AF after a 7 wk wait...and soon the hubby and I are TTC! Don't jump to any conclusions until you get that level checked. I wish you the best of luck and am sending *BIG HUGS* to you cause I know what it feels like....if you need anything let me know! Keep us posted, we're here for you, this place is full of amazing women!!!
So how are things going? Have your levels been checked? I'm praying for you. Keep us posted.
I had a natural miscarriage 3 weeks ago, and I was about 6 weeks along. I had started spotting and with in a week after it began I had my miscarriage. My doctor believes a d&c can be to instrusive, but he also gave me the option of taking a pill. My natural miscarriage was not painful, just minor cramps, but I may have been more fortunate than most. I know the pill just speeds up the process, but can be painful. I am so sorry for your loss, just remember God doesn't make mistakes. I'll be praying for you!
i am so sorry for your loss.
i had 2 missed mc's within a 5 month span and opted for the d and c's both times. i could not handle the idea of my body taking anywhere of up to another month to naturally MC.
the d and c was a quick procedure, yes you are in the hospital but you are home within 4-5 hours, its the prepping and the aftercare that take a little bit. i had minor cramping both times affetrwards but nothing major. they do give you a semi strong pain killer for a couple of days like vicodin. i was so devastated after my first MC, that i could not sit in the house and cry all day long, so the day after my first d and c, i went apple picking. i know it sounds odd but i could not handle feeling all alone so i went with my mom and friend. i did not cramp at all and was able to walk for about an hour with no problems. you do bleed/spot for a couple fo days afterwards.
i know in the future if i again have another missed MC, i would opt again for the d and c.
the only thing with a d and c is they want you to wait at least 2 months before tyring again because with the d and c, your uterus lining is scraped thin, so you want to giev yourself 2 healthy periods to thicken that lining so you have a strong safe place for a baby to develop.
within 3 months after my 2nd d and c, i was pregnant again ans here i am 22 weeks alogn with a healthy baby boy. so it can happne again pretty fast.
if you have an specific questions about the d and c, please feel free to email me directly. again i am so sorry for your loss.
i had 2 missed mc's within a 5 month span and opted for the d and c's both times. i could not handle the idea of my body taking anywhere of up to another month to naturally MC.
the d and c was a quick procedure, yes you are in the hospital but you are home within 4-5 hours, its the prepping and the aftercare that take a little bit. i had minor cramping both times affetrwards but nothing major. they do give you a semi strong pain killer for a couple of days like vicodin. i was so devastated after my first MC, that i could not sit in the house and cry all day long, so the day after my first d and c, i went apple picking. i know it sounds odd but i could not handle feeling all alone so i went with my mom and friend. i did not cramp at all and was able to walk for about an hour with no problems. you do bleed/spot for a couple fo days afterwards.
i know in the future if i again have another missed MC, i would opt again for the d and c.
the only thing with a d and c is they want you to wait at least 2 months before tyring again because with the d and c, your uterus lining is scraped thin, so you want to giev yourself 2 healthy periods to thicken that lining so you have a strong safe place for a baby to develop.
within 3 months after my 2nd d and c, i was pregnant again ans here i am 22 weeks alogn with a healthy baby boy. so it can happne again pretty fast.
if you have an specific questions about the d and c, please feel free to email me directly. again i am so sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry for your situation. We had an ultrasound where we saw that the baby had no heartbeat, so we were in a similar situation. The baby had stopped developing 3 weeks earlier, so we decided to do the D&C. It was a physically painless situation, but no one told me how difficult the hormones would be AFTER the process. Your HCG will plummet, so just be prepared for the roller coaster of emotions. Be sure to share your pain with someone, even if it is the ladies in this forum. We really do understand. Again I am so sorry.
I had a missed m/c at 9w3d...I went for my first visit and they thought by the u/s that I had ovulated late...I could accept that because that actually did happen with my last pregnancy and I now have a beautiful 5 year old boy...But something didn't seem right I even asked the dr. how I could have got a BFP if I had only been pregnant for a week and he just told me that they make the tests so sensative that it's possible...He scheduled me for a second u/s 2 weeks later just to make sure the baby was growing normal...8 days after my first appt. I m/c...It happened in the hospital so they took my baby to pathology...When the report came back it said that my baby had stopped growing weeks earlier at the 5 week mark...I'm so sorry that you are going through this, but hopefully it will happen soon and naturally for you because my physical healing was pretty fast afterwards...I only bled for a couple of days and the pain only lasted a couple of days also...Feel free to write anytime...
(hugs)
(hugs)
I guess I should clarify. When I went for my first ultrasound the tech said that she couldn't find a heartbeat and the baby was measuring small. This time I saw my OBGYN (4 days later) and he performed another ultrasound. He said that there was no heartbeat and that it appears that the baby stopped growing very early on in my pregnancy. I asked him if he was certain and if there was still some hope and he said no. I don't understand why my body wouldn't naturally miscarry sooner but he said that sometimes women who are 16 weeks can carry an undeveloped embryo since early in their pregnancy without having any clue. All so much to take in. Nobody has tested my Hcg levels since early in my pregnancy (when they were fine). Thank you all for your responses.
I just went back and found you're original post. My understanding is that this is your 2nd u/s and baby didn't grow? I'm really sorry, I'm no expert, but I don't think that's good. I'm all for hope and baby dust, but when I went through mine I just wanted some answers, no matter how awful they would be.
I really hope that I am wrong and we will all be here for you no matter what happens or what you decide.
I really hope that I am wrong and we will all be here for you no matter what happens or what you decide.
I agree with the above 2 posts. From research and reading posts, a D&C can wreck havoc on your cycles, where as a natural m/c is just that natural. Your body knows what to do. I have read that some women, lost hope and just went with the D&C and later regretted, always wondering "what if".
My baby also measured small, but they were even more concerned about the size of the gestational sack and after doing research, I found that I was 80% chance of m/c. After the 2nd u/s, there was no longer a heartbeat and I had already started spotting. I was given the option of D&C or natural. Because they told me it would happen w/in the next few days, I opted for natural. Many of my close friends questioned why I wanted it that way and felt I should go in for the D&C and get it over with. I chose to let my body take it's course and although it was extremly traumatic (first pg/first m/c), I'm satisfied with the choice I made. If you are scared and don't know what to expect, let me know and if you'd like I will tell you how it happened with me in more detail.
I'm very sorry for what you are going through, I know how difficult the wait w/no answers can be. The one week from my first u/s to the 2nd was an abslute eternity. In the end you will make the best decisions for you and your family. God bless.
My baby also measured small, but they were even more concerned about the size of the gestational sack and after doing research, I found that I was 80% chance of m/c. After the 2nd u/s, there was no longer a heartbeat and I had already started spotting. I was given the option of D&C or natural. Because they told me it would happen w/in the next few days, I opted for natural. Many of my close friends questioned why I wanted it that way and felt I should go in for the D&C and get it over with. I chose to let my body take it's course and although it was extremly traumatic (first pg/first m/c), I'm satisfied with the choice I made. If you are scared and don't know what to expect, let me know and if you'd like I will tell you how it happened with me in more detail.
I'm very sorry for what you are going through, I know how difficult the wait w/no answers can be. The one week from my first u/s to the 2nd was an abslute eternity. In the end you will make the best decisions for you and your family. God bless.
Did your doctor check your HGC or HCG levels? I agree with nunu that you should wait a little before the D&C. Whens the last time your blood was checked?
In my case my levels had dropped considerably and eventually my body went through the natural miscarriage, but my doctor would do a vaginal ultrasound and bloodwork each visit just to be sure, so make sure your doctor is being thorough before you think about the D&C.
I hope everything works out for you. I'll say a prayer for you.
In my case my levels had dropped considerably and eventually my body went through the natural miscarriage, but my doctor would do a vaginal ultrasound and bloodwork each visit just to be sure, so make sure your doctor is being thorough before you think about the D&C.
I hope everything works out for you. I'll say a prayer for you.
are you sure that you have your dates correct? I only had a D&C because my twins didn't have a heartbeat. In your situation I would be more inclined to wait a little.
Is it just the size that makes your Dr think there is a problem? when i had my first Ultrasound there was a week or two in dates from what i thought i should be and there size. they didn't say there was a problem just that i may not have ovulated when I thought. even though i ended up having a miscarriage I would have waited if they told me the same as they told you.
Im not saying that the Dr is wrong, but I wouldn't rush into anything. I would get a second opinion. In the end its up to you. I hope that everything turns out for you,
Is it just the size that makes your Dr think there is a problem? when i had my first Ultrasound there was a week or two in dates from what i thought i should be and there size. they didn't say there was a problem just that i may not have ovulated when I thought. even though i ended up having a miscarriage I would have waited if they told me the same as they told you.
Im not saying that the Dr is wrong, but I wouldn't rush into anything. I would get a second opinion. In the end its up to you. I hope that everything turns out for you,
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