By Kate Halim
Miscarriage, also known as early pregnancy loss, is when a baby dies in the womb before 20 weeks of pregnancy. According to records, about 10 to 15 in 100 pregnancies end in a miscarriage. Most miscarriages happen in the first trimester before the 12th week of pregnancy.
A consultant gynaecologist based in Lagos, Mr Elvis Omotosho told Saturday Sun that miscarriage is the most common type of pregnancy loss and often occurs because the foetus isn’t developing normally.
He said that symptoms of a miscarriage include fluid, blood or tissue passing from the vagina and pain in the stomach or lower back. He stated that unfortunately, the miscarriage process cannot be reversed once it has started.
What to watch for after a miscarriage
Even if your miscarriage progresses naturally and is relatively pain-free, your doctor will likely want to check in with you for a few weeks or months to make sure you don’t develop any complications.
If you keep bleeding for more than seven days, this excessive bleeding can signal that there’s still placental tissue in the uterus or that you have developed an infection.
Other signs of an infection can include foul-smelling discharge, fevers, chills and abdominal pain. If your doctor suspects an infection, he or she will likely treat it with a course of antibiotics.
Omotosho said it is very important to take care of a few things right after a miscarriage to ensure faster recovery for the body and mind. He outlined some measures women need to take after a miscarriage for the sake of their health.
Rest for a week if you had a miscarriage in your first trimester
Unfortunately, if you were in your first trimester when the miscarriage happened, you need to take a rest for at least a week. To regulate the bleeding, it is always advisable to stay at home. You need time to heal as you have gone through a traumatising experience. So give yourself ample time to rest as much as you can. Drink warm milk if you are unable to fall asleep at night. You can also do some light exercises. This will help you sleep better.
You will need bed rest if it happened between six and eight weeks
Dr Omotosho suggests a complete bed rest for one-and-a-half months in this case. He also recommends the consumption of iron-rich food and multivitamins for faster recovery.
Try a hot or cold compress
Many women get bad headaches post-miscarriage. They can soothe their pain by applying a hot or cold compress on their heads. Medically, a hot or cold compress can provide people with pain with relief.
Avoid doing household chores
Lifting things or doing heavy-duty household tasks might lead to more discomfort, so women recovering from a miscarriage need to avoid chores as much as possible.
Don’t skip your medication
You will experience some degree of pain after your miscarriage. You can take painkiller tablets, but consult a doctor before taking them. If the pain does not go away but only increases, then you should definitely see your doctor. It is very important to take the medication prescribed by your doctor on time and complete the entire course so as to avoid infections.
Maintain proper hygiene
You will bleed after a miscarriage. Omotosho suggests that using sanitary napkins rather than tampons is advisable post-miscarriage. You can risk a vaginal infection if you use tampons. So, avoid them. Also, you need to take your bath twice a day.
Avoid sexual intercourse
Right after a miscarriage, the uterus is very sensitive. Therefore, Omotosho recommends avoiding sexual intercourse completely until the bleeding stops and the cervix closes. He recommends a gap of at least six weeks from the miscarriage for sexual intercourse to avoid complications. It is also imperative that you consult your doctor on when to have sexual intercourse again or when to start trying for another baby.
Don’t douche
Douching after a miscarriage is not advisable. A woman who suffered a miscarriage should also avoid using vaginal washes so as not to suffer an infection.
Monitor your temperature
For the first five days after your miscarriage, check your body temperature. If it rises beyond 99.7°F, then go to your doctor as a fever is a sign of an infection in the body.
No intense workout sessions
This is the time when you should take rest to recover from the physical trauma of a miscarriage. Going to the gym, weight training, High-intensity interval trainings are not recommended right after a miscarriage. If you want to exercise, then you can opt for yoga and some breathing techniques. They will also keep you stress-free.
Stay in touch with your gynaecologist
A miscarriage can happen up until 20 weeks and you need to be in constant touch with your doctor until you are fully recovered. Also, you need to watch out for complications like heavy bleeding, foul smell from your vagina, fever and severe abdominal pain. Visit your doctor regularly after the miscarriage so that you can be sure that you don’t have any sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), bacterial infections, or problems that can stop you from getting pregnant again. If you experience any of these symptoms, rush to the hospital immediately.
Adopt a healthy diet
Make sure you eat foods rich in proteins, carbohydrates, fibres, fats, and essential vitamins and minerals in adequate amounts. Your body needs to recover and refuel itself after a miscarriage.
After a miscarriage, you should include eggs, fatty fish, red meat, coconut oil, butter and whole fruits and vegetables in your diet. As calcium levels also decrease during pregnancy, it is also important to include calcium-rich foods like milk, dry fruits, soy, and greens in your diet.
Stay hydrated
Drink at least eight glasses of water a day so that you can stay hydrated. You can also have fruit juices, tea, and warm broth to keep your taste buds moving. You should avoid caffeine and other caffeinated drinks as they might dehydrate you and affect your recovery.
Consider getting a massage
A fertility massage can also help increase circulation to the uterus and cervix and promote hormonal balance.
Don’t blame yourself
You should know that a miscarriage is due to a medical abnormality and it is not your fault. You must accept that it happened because of some medical problem, and move on to plan a family in the future.
Communicate
Don’t bottle up your grief, talk to your loved ones. Say what you feel to people who are close to you, like your friend, family member, or professional. Remember to talk to your partner. He, too, has lost his child. Talking about it will help both of you heal together and move on.
Exercise mildly
Moving your body releases endorphins and can help you overcome stress. So once you are physically up for it, start exercising. You can start small like going for walks or doing yoga. Eventually, you can graduate to exercise, but only after consulting with a doctor.
Acknowledge the pregnancy existed
By tradition, many would-be parents wait until after the first trimester, when the risk of miscarriage drops, to share their news. But if a miscarriage does happen, this old standard can put partners in a difficult position, grieving the loss of a pregnancy that few people knew about.
Recognising the baby existed, to themselves and possibly to loved ones, can help partners move forward when ready. You can’t say goodbye to something you never had. So acknowledging that the pregnancy was there is very important to recovering from the loss.
Consider memorialising the baby
For many couples, a miscarriage feels like losing a child. Acknowledging pregnancy loss in a way that is meaningful to you can be a healthy, appropriate way to grieve. Sometimes you do that in your heart or in a letter or in a little family memorial.
Remember that another pregnancy will not shorten the grief
Becoming pregnant again can seem like the perfect solution to any potential suffering experienced after a miscarriage. However, conceiving will not necessarily erase those painful feelings. Instead of waiting for another pregnancy to find healing, consider what can help you feel better now.
Getting pregnant after a miscarriage
Doctors usually advise women to wait for a few months before trying to get pregnant again after a miscarriage, but the uterus is quite resilient. When a woman’s reproductive period is nearing its end, the doctor may suggest trying for another baby as soon as the woman has one normal menstrual cycle.
Omotosho said: “If you want to conceive, you must check with the doctor regarding your specific situation. There may be uterus scarring or placental pieces left behind in your uterus, in which case your doctor will suggest you wait a little longer.”
According to him, “Not only does your body need to be fully healthy before trying to get pregnant again after a miscarriage, but your emotions also need to be stable again. If you are deeply wounded, then six months to a year would be the recommended waiting time.”
He added that during this waiting period, it is important to remind yourself that you will most likely get pregnant again and give birth to a healthy baby. Positive thinking helps keep your emotions in check and ready for another pregnancy.