Loss Due to Miscarriage
Loss in any form is difficult to cope with, and miscarriage is among the most difficult because there are numerous emotions and thoughts connected with the unknown and unseen aspects of a miscarriage. Miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy – usually in the first trimester. It is estimated that 15-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, but the medical community feels this number is much higher due to very early miscarriage when a woman may not know that she is pregnant and would not necessarily have need to go to a healthcare provider because she may think it is her period coming late.
Miscarriage occurs naturally and the possible causes are numerous and generally unknown in each circumstance; often the cause is because of chromosome problems which prevent the baby from growing. Other possible causes exist including substance abuse. Many times mothers feel guilty thinking that they did something to cause the miscarriage, but this is simply not true. There is nothing you could have done or not done to prevent it and most women go on to have healthy pregnancies and children after experiencing miscarriage.
Although spotting is common in early pregnancy, you should consult your doctor or visit an urgent care facility if you think you may be pregnant and the spotting is accompanied by mild to severe cramps, pain in your abdomen or back, white-pink mucus or tissue/clotting as well as the disappearance of pregnancy symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.
If you have experienced miscarriage in the past, sometimes feelings of loss can remain under the surface. We may be fully functional in life but loss in any form can sometimes catch us off guard when symptoms of sadness, depression or anxiety show up out of nowhere. The grief cycle is real whether we want to admit it or not and it is important to reach out for help to navigate through all of those feelings in a healthy way. Call your doctor or a trusted counseling center to get the professional help you need to heal your heart.