Another miscarriage

I suffered a second miscarriage recently. Unlike the first one, this one happened later, in my late first trimester, which meant it was painful and the natural process took a bit longer. When we found out the fetus wasn't viable and to expect a miscarriage, I specifically asked the doctor what to expect. Her response was not to worry unless there were signs of hemorrhaging, meaning bleeding through a pad an hour. She said nothing of the discomfort or the pain.

When I began to miscarry, I can say that I had really bad cramps, like labor pains. It came and went in waves and the only time I felt any kind of minimal relief was when I walked around. So in between running to the bathroom to pass clumps, I was walking around the house. After passing a rather large clump, I felt better almost instantly. However the saga wasn't over. I started having pain soon after. It built and built until I couldn't sleep I was in so much pain. Finally it was too much to bear and I called the midwife, who advised that I take 4 Advils and an antihistamine to help me get some rest. An hour later, the meds had no effect and hubby drove me to the emergency room, where they stuck an IV in me and gave me a combination of Motrin and morphine.

I have never taken as much medications as I did that night and certainly have never been on anything stronger than the advised dosage for OTC stuff. Despite the morphine, I was still in pain, but at least I was more comfortable. I was poked a prodded a few more times and the doctors said that my uterus had very little to pass and they didn't want to do any procedures considering there wasn't much in there to get out. However, I was still in pain and when it was suggested that I be sent home with OTC ibuprofen, I panicked. I didn't want to go home only to be writhing and sobbing in pain again. The doctor relented after seeing me beg over and over for help and sent me home with a prescription for percoset, which again didn't make the pain completely go away, but definitely helped. I supplemented with my own advils and was finally able to get some sleep.

The next few days continued to be uncomfortable. My next visit to the doctor was a terrible experience because the doctor was horrible and poked an prodded me with jerky motions, causing pain and discomfort. She was also the only medical professional, whether nurse or doctor, that didn't bother to say the perfunctory, "Sorry for your loss." I was so glad to be out of there when I was discharged. That was the visit that confirmed that my uterus was clean and everything was back to normal.

I no longer needed strong medications at that point, but there were still some pain. Over the course of the next few days, I felt better and better. I feel okay now, but am rather pissed about how no one told me that late trimester miscarriage could be painful or at best, really uncomfortable. If it weren't for the internet, I would not have known if what I went through was normal. Thankfully, because medical sites and other pregnancy related information don't say sh*t about what late first trimester miscarriages could be like, women posted their own personal experiences to forums, blogs and other sites. I thank these women from the bottom of my heart for sharing their painful moments. Many were just as angry as I was that no one warned them or told them what to expect or what was normal. There was simply no information provided. None whatsoever. It is a travesty considering how often miscarriages happen that there is such a dearth of information on this topic. I am beginning to wonder if would still be the case if men could give birth.