When I was 16 weeks pregnant I could feel my babies tiny kicks from within. I woke up one morning in February 2018 and remember looking in the mirror and not feeling pregnant.
I want to share my story of late miscarriage. I met my partner at 38, and we fell pregnant soon after trying. This was a text book pregnancy and birth resulting in the birth of our son in September 2016. I had the rod inserted but after finishing my breastfeeding journey when my son was a year old had to have it removed due to continual bleeding. At the time I was about to turn 40 and so we decided to try for another baby.
I had one period and then fell pregnant. I had spotting in the pregnancy and went for a scan at 12 weeks but all looked well, I continued to have brown spotting. When I was 16 weeks pregnant I could feel my babies tiny kicks from within. I woke up one morning in February 2018 and remember looking in the mirror and not feeling pregnant. Later that evening I started having mild cramping, I woke up at 2am and went to the toilet when my waters broke. I knew I was losing the baby. I was advised to get to the hospital and had to wake my partner up to drive me as I was told not to drive myself, I called the hospital on the way in and when I arrived a midwife had come in for me.
This was a small country hospital and shortly after arriving I felt pressure and delivered my tiny son. I asked the midwife if I could go home but she advised that it was best to monitor me so I sent my partner home with our son. Soon after they left I felt more pressure and went to the toilet, blood was pouring out of me, I got myself onto the floor but couldn't press the emergency button. The midwife came and found me, I remember her putting me in a wheelchair and taking me back to emergency but I was in and out of consciousness.
A doctor was called in and he called an ambulance to take me to a bigger hospital but they refused to take me! An air ambulance was called but an obstetrician came in and manually scooped the retained placenta out and I was given a blood transfusion.
My son was sent for an autopsy and it was found that the miscarriage was due to a blood clot between the placenta and uterus. I left hospital that night and went home. I was back at work a couple of days later and found solace in the women who came forward who had also experienced the pain of losing a child. It was a rough time for us as a family, I was so grateful that I had my son, it was so painful having my milk come in and no baby to feed.
After my six week check up my doctor said it was ok to start trying again, especially given my age. I was advised that if I did get pregnant that I should take low dose aspirin straight away. I got pregnant after only one period. The pregnancy was fraught with anxiety and I hid it until after the 16 week mark, I would poke the baby to make sure they were still alive. In February 2019, at 41, I gave birth to my rainbow baby, a daughter who completed our family. The pain of miscarriage is something that will be with me forever.
- Amber
