The Pain and Recovery of a Miscarriage
I recall that dark day. The day when my heart was ripped out of my body. The emptiness in me. My body, void, where life once grew. In the hospital where the cries of newborn life could be heard, I was walking away with my hands empty. My womb felt bare where I had once felt the joys of my baby’s kicks. I clutch my hand to my belly, still swollen, yet empty.
I was now a statistic, sharing in the grief of countless others who had lost their unborn babies. No one could ever prepare you for such an experience. I had heard the stories and had known couples who had experienced the grief of loss, I now found myself mourning with them. Never did I think I would be experiencing the same fate. It felt like a nightmare I just couldn’t wake up from. I miscarried my precious baby at 24 weeks.
Everything was fine until then. I would attend all my prenatal appointments, scans and tests. Our baby was healthy and active. The baby inside my womb enjoyed waking me with strong kicks in the early hours of the morning. One Afternoon I felt tightening all across my abdomen. Having heard of Braxton-hicks contractions I quickly dismissed them. When the contractions became painful, I decided to try and sleep it off. It must have been an hour when I was awoken with excruciating and unbearable pain. Calling my husband, I frantically screamed for him to call the ambulance.
When I arrived at the hospital my water broke. With amniotic fluid and blood streaming down my legs I started to panic. One of the specialists came to examine me and confirmed I was in active labor. They called my doctor and she rushed over to assist, however, it was too late. Within a few short minutes, I delivered a premature baby. Due to the low birth weight and undeveloped lungs, my beautiful baby passed away. My doctor confirmed that I had what was known as an “Incompetent cervix.” My cervix was the reason for the premature labor, causing it to prematurely dilate.
The emotional trauma we endured lasted, what felt like, years. My husband urged us to try and get pregnant again. Angrily I asked him, “At what cost? To lose yet another baby?” But my heart yearned to fill the void left by the child I lost. Soon we agreed to meet with our doctor again. She had been so supportive during the premature labor, and even after. Checking in on my husband and myself and booking counselling sessions for us to deal with our loss. She was continuously reminding us that “these things do happen” and urging that we should not give up hope.
At our appointment, she confirmed that I had cervical insufficiency (incompetent cervix) but explained that procedures had been developed to help women like me carry to full term. Offering physical and emotional support, she ignited hope within us. Having found the problem, she could offer us a solution. She told us of the many couples she had dealt with who had experienced the very same thing. Confident in helping me carry to full term, she urged that I undergo a procedure to close up my cervix, to prevent premature labor in the second pregnancy. We had confidence in her. and her expertise, and soon set out to try again.
After we conceived I underwent a procedure known as Cervical Cerclage (Stitched cervix). This procedure would keep my cervix from spontaneously dilating and – with strict bed rest and progesterone treatment -would prevent premature labor. She offered us much emotional support throughout the pregnancy, monitoring both my baby and myself closely. I made it to 37 weeks and was able to finally leave the hospital with a newborn baby in my arms.
Tags: Advanced medical technologies in pregnancy, incompetent cervix issue, Pain and recovery of miscarraige, pregnancy problems
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