Information and advice for young people leaflet: miscarriage

1078_MISCARRIAGE LEAFLET 26/7/07 8:44 pm Page 2Miscarriage can be a distressing experience. Apart fromthe emotional upset of losing a baby, your body has beenchanging in pregnancy and now has to return to normal.Changes inside your body can also affect the way youare feeling.This leaflet may answer some of the questions that youwanted to ask and didn’t know where to start.Your feelingsWhen you started to miscarry, you probably felt bothfrightened and helpless. There is usually nothing you can do toprevent it happening. Some people recover quickly, otherstake a longer time. You have lost a baby and are likely to feelsad and you may need time to grieve. You may feel relief, ifyou were unsure about your pregnancy. Some people may tryto avoid you because they are worried they may upset you.young woman - aged 17Why did I miscarry?Even though about 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, it isusually difficult to know the exact cause. It can be hard toaccept that no one can say for certain why it happened. Thatmeans that it is not your fault – your miscarriage is unlikely tohave happened because of anything you did or didn't do.Unfortunately once a pregnancy starts to miscarry, there isvery rarely anything that can be done to stop it, however, it isimportant to see a doctor.In some miscarriages the womb empties itself, in others thebaby dies but is not miscarried. A doctor may suggest thatyou have a small operation called a D & C to make sure thatyour womb is empty and to avoid infection.How long will I bleed for?You may bleed for up to two weeks and have cramping painsduring this time. The bleeding and any pain should slowlybecome less. If they become worse, if there is an unpleasantvaginal discharge or if you have a high temperature, contactyour doctor ASAP - these may be signs of an infection. It isbest to use pads rather than tampons and avoid having sexuntil the bleeding stops to reduce the risk of infection.Will this miscarriage affectmy chances of having ababy in the future?After a miscarriage there is a big chance that you could getpregnant straight away so you will need to talk to someoneabout contraception. Research shows that even if you haveseveral miscarriages, you still have a good chance of havinga baby.young women - aged 16Remembering the babyyou have lostMany people want to do something to remember their babyor to help them say goodbye.You may want to find out whatyour hospital offers. In an early miscarriage, you may be ableto have a scan picture of your baby.In a late miscarriage the hospital may offer to takephotographs of the baby and will give them to you or keepthem for you in case you want them later or they may offer totake hand or footprints of your baby for you to keep.Your partnerYour partner is likely to feel upset because of the distress youhave gone through, as well as for the loss of your baby. Theway he grieves may be different from yours and he may findit hard to show his feelings.He has not experienced the same changes caused by thehormones of pregnancy and so may not feel the same aboutthe loss of your baby. He may not have seen a scan or felt thebaby kick.Your partner may concentrate on "being strong" for you andnot show his own feelings and so he may appear not to care.He may seem to switch off and become busy with day-to-dayactivities.It may be that your partner is unsympathetic to your loss, orthat you don't have a partner. Perhaps your relationship hasbroken down as a result either of your pregnancy or of themiscarriage and you are facing the loss of both your babyand your partner. This can leave you feeling unsupported andalone - talk to someone who you trust, a family member, afriend or a health professional.