[vanillajanice]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking on here since Friday and thought it was time to post. Everyone here seems really sweet and genuinely interested in helping other people.

A little about me....I had a m/c with my first pregnancy. My HCGs and progesterone were low, so OB put me on progesterone supplements for a week. After a week, took more blood tests and it turned out not to be viable. I had a natural miscarriage a few days later (around 8wks). We got pregnant right away after m/c (before getting AF), and had our beautiful son, Nicholas. He is now 3.

We found out at the end of January that we were pregnant with #2. It was first month of not trying, not preventing. First day of LMP was December 28th.

Fast forward to our first prenatal appointment this past Friday. Based on LMP, I was around 7w5d. She found a yolk sac and fetal pole, but no heartbeart. She said the baby was measuring small --- around 6wks. So it seems like the baby stopped growing at 6wks and it’s not a viable pregnancy.

She ordered blood tests just to be sure. Blood work came back today and HCG is 36,000 (which is normal for 4-6wks) and progesterone around 13.6 (which she says is a little low, but not too bad). I asked if it was possible that I'm just earlier than I thought & there was still a chance of seeing a HB, and she said probably not.

I'm going back on Friday to see if there is a heartbeat. I'm trying to stay positive, but also not get my hopes up.

Anyway....she went over our options if the pregnancy is not viable. Let it happen naturally which could take a while or schedule a D&C.

Just curious what you guys would recommend? And why?
With a D&C, how long should I expect to be out from work?

Any advice or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Sorry my post is so long.

Janice

[PixieQueen]

I only have had a natural m/c, so I can't help you with that. I preferred a natural personally, it helped me with my grieving. Wanted to give you

[jmhick]

Hi Janice, I'm soo sorry if this a possibly loss. I know that can't be easy.

Have Faith, but don't get hopes down -- that's what happened to me my last m/c -- my levels weren't near as high as yours, but for some reason they kept going up, so we were not sure what was going on.

I've only had a D&C and I'm not sure if I could ever have it natually -- just going through that, I feel would make my heart hurt even more...D&C is not bad, doens't take long at all, and you can def. go back to work the next day. You may have period like cramps, but nothing bad. I would maybe schedule an early D&C and sleep the rest of the day. I was painting a room the 2nd day after my D&C.

I hope this is a miracle and there is a baby inside you. I want you to know, reading your post gave me hope b/c I just found out I was pg again Monday. I haven't had my AF since the m/c, so I've been very scared.

T&P's with you. Please KUP!

[ablake06]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking on here since Friday and thought it was time to post. Everyone here seems really sweet and genuinely interested in helping other people.

A little about me....I had a m/c with my first pregnancy. My HCGs and progesterone were low, so OB put me on progesterone supplements for a week. After a week, took more blood tests and it turned out not to be viable. I had a natural miscarriage a few days later (around 8wks). We got pregnant right away after m/c (before getting AF), and had our beautiful son, Nicholas. He is now 3.

We found out at the end of January that we were pregnant with #2. It was first month of not trying, not preventing. First day of LMP was December 28th.

Fast forward to our first prenatal appointment this past Friday. Based on LMP, I was around 7w5d. She found a yolk sac and fetal pole, but no heartbeart. She said the baby was measuring small --- around 6wks. So it seems like the baby stopped growing at 6wks and it’s not a viable pregnancy.

She ordered blood tests just to be sure. Blood work came back today and HCG is 36,000 (which is normal for 4-6wks) and progesterone around 13.6 (which she says is a little low, but not too bad). I asked if it was possible that I'm just earlier than I thought & there was still a chance of seeing a HB, and she said probably not.

I'm going back on Friday to see if there is a heartbeat. I'm trying to stay positive, but also not get my hopes up.

Anyway....she went over our options if the pregnancy is not viable. Let it happen naturally which could take a while or schedule a D&C.

Just curious what you guys would recommend? And why?
With a D&C, how long should I expect to be out from work?

Any advice or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Sorry my post is so long.

Janice[/b]

i am soo sorry you are going through this but keep a positive attitude and you will be in my thoughts and prayers and please keep us posted!!!

i had a D&C or a D&E and it wasn't painful at all!!! it was quick procedure and i was out of the hospital the same day! my bleeding was light and stopped a few days after the procedure - i was back to work on Monday - i had the surgery on Thursday - and drove 3 hrs on Friday to a friends house b/c her father passed away! just take things slow and have faith!!!!

again, sorry you are going through this, but have faith and it will be just fine!!

and yes you did come to the right place, these ladies are wonderful!

[vancouvermommy]

Hugs, I hope you get a miracle.

I too got pregnant before my af, right after my mc....I am now 10 weeks, and you have given me hope seeing that you had a healthy pregnancy right after a mc before

[Kary♥RN]

First I am so sorry for your loss
What you do is a person choice, for me I chose to have a D/E. Reasons for my choice were, I was so sick M/S and the dr told me that would continue. (My dr was going out of town so I had to wait a week to have it done, worst week of m/s) I didn't want to go through the cramping I felt I was in enough pain emotionally, while others have found that more healing, through the grieving process. I wanted to have the pathology tests done. To see why it happened. Not all pathology tests come back with answers, it was a choice I knew could come back with no answers. Mentally I didn't want to wait weeks to m/c naturally. I had heard it could happen in day to weeks. Someone had said it took over a month for them. I knew I couldn't handle that. Some people say that natural is better for your body, some say D/E D/C is better clean start.... If you m/c naturally their is still a chance you might need a D/C.. another reason I went with the D/E.
As for recoop time. I had it done on a Fri so I had the weekend. I have to say physically it was painless. I had very little cramping (if you can even call it cramping) It was more of the feeling after you go to the Dr for you pap (that scraping feeling) but more in the uterus. I hardly bleed. I spotted at the hospital. When I got home I had very light pinkish discharge when I wiped for about 5 days... No pad required. I could of went back to work immediately after the procedure. I hope this helps..

But in the end you have to make the choice that is right for you...

[KDD]

Janice I am so sorry for what you are going through right now.

I didn't have a choice as my m/c happened the day after the Dr. confirmed the loss. However, I'm glad that I didn't have to go through surgery. There are many factors to consider and one will be best for you. I hope that you get a nice surprise when you go for your appt.

[L-SBB]

Janice,

I wanted to give you This is such a tough thing to go through, and I wish it was something you didn't have to experience...but you're very welcome here.

My loss was also my first pregnancy, and while we had a hb at first u/s appt, it was slower than it should be and we ultimately lost the hb at the follow up u/s. I was a little further along (growth stopped at 9 weeks) and decided to have a d&c. A couple of things to consider as you decide on which approach (natural vs d&c) is right for you:

My d&c was not painful, done under general anth., and recovery was not bad at all (no worse than a slighly longer AF). I'd recommend a d&c if you travel for work (as I did) or have concerns about managing pain, etc. by yourself with a natural loss.

If your d&c is done in hospital under general anth. it's not cheap - I have great medical plan that covers 90% of all fees...but total cost on the procedure including blood work, general a, the procedure itself + recovery room in hospital ran about $9700...and my out of pocket cost was around $1000. Definitely check into your health plan before going this route, so you have an idea of what the cost will be before deciding.

My OB recommended d&c based on my growth size, but many women on this board handled natural m/c at later growth stage than that. My OB said she normally recommends natural/expectant management for anyone less than 7 weeks growth size. You may also want to check out the Pregnancy Loss board (further down the main menu) - they have a sub forum where women have posted experiences with both natural & d&cs...reading them helped me make my decision.

[..Penelope..]

Hi Janice,

I'm so sorry that you are going through this You and your bean are in my thoughts. *HUGS*

[tobynscarlett]

Hi Janice,

I just wanted to let you know that I am so sorry for your loss and welcome you to the board. These ladies are wonderfl when you need to cry to someone. There is an understanding of each other that only a loss can give us. I am so sorry you need to be here, but so happy you found such a great group of women.

[Sue46]

I hope there is a miracle in your belly this week. I'm sorry you even have to think about this. I was 17 weeks, no signs of a natural miscarriage when we found out we no longer had a hb. I could either deliver or have a D&E. I went with the surgery because I thought seeing the baby dead on the ultrasound was tramatic enough and felt like I could not handle actually seeing the baby (made it a little less real to me). I had complications with anesthia, I had never been under before and my heart fluctuated so I had to stay overnight. The procedure itself was quick, no pain at all with recovery and very little bleeding.

[amandakay29]

Hi Janice, I'm soo sorry if this a possibly loss. I know that can't be easy.

I've only had a D&C and I'm not sure if I could ever have it natually -- just going through that, I feel would make my heart hurt even more...D&C is not bad, doens't take long at all, and you can def. go back to work the next day. You may have period like cramps, but nothing bad. I would maybe schedule an early D&C and sleep the rest of the day.
T&P's with you. Please KUP! [/b]

Ditto!

[..Jessica..]

Welcome to the board, Janice.

I'm so sorry you're going through this!!!!! I definitely wouldn't give up hope regarding your baby!!! I hope your doctor's appointment on Friday shows a viable pregnancy!! I'll be praying for you and your baby!

I would tell you my opinion on D&C or natural, because then that means I'm thinking you'll lose the baby. (Which is incorrect!)