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Supporting women through miscarriage

Ask any woman who has experienced a miscarriage how they’d describe the experience, and “devastating” is a word they often use.

 

Whether it was a much-hoped-for pregnancy or a happy accident, once a woman knows she is pregnant - and if she wants to continue with the pregnancy - the Oxytocin levels rise and bonding begins.

 

Sadly, about 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But the actual number is likely higher because many miscarriages occur so early in pregnancy that a woman doesn't realize she's pregnant.

 

A miscarriage usually happens in the first 3 months of pregnancy, before 12 weeks' gestation. A small fraction of pregnancy losses — happening in less than 1% of pregnancies — are called stillbirths, as they happen after 20 weeks of gestation.

 

Symptoms of miscarriage may include:

  • Vaginal bleeding, which varies from light spotting to heavy bleeding

  • Fluid, blood clots, or tissue passing from the vagina

  • Abdominal pain or cramping

  • Lower back pain

  • Fever and chills.

  • No longer feeling the usual signs of pregnancy, such as breast tenderness and nausea

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Miscarriage is an umbrella term, but there are various types of miscarriage:

Inevitable miscarriage

Inevitable miscarriages can come after a threatened miscarriage or without warning. There is usually a lot more vaginal bleeding and strong lower stomach cramps. During the miscarriage your cervix opens and the developing fetus will come away in the bleeding.

Complete miscarriage

A complete miscarriage has taken place when all the pregnancy tissue has left your uterus. Vaginal bleeding may continue for several days. Cramping pain much like labor or strong period pain is common – this is the uterus contracting to empty.

If you have miscarried at home or somewhere else with no health workers present, you should have a check-up with a doctor or midwife to make sure the miscarriage is complete.

Incomplete miscarriage

Sometimes, some pregnancy tissue will remain in the uterus. Vaginal bleeding and lower abdominal cramping may continue as the uterus continues trying to empty itself. This is known as an 'incomplete miscarriage'.

Missed miscarriage

Sometimes, the baby has died but stayed in the uterus. This is known as a 'missed miscarriage'.

If you have a missed miscarriage, you may have a brownish discharge, some spotting, or just feel something isn't quite right. Some of the symptoms of pregnancy, such as nausea and tiredness, may have faded, or you might have noticed nothing unusual and still feel like the pregnancy is progressing normally. You may be shocked to have a scan and find the baby has died. This can be understandably traumatizing for women, particularly if they thought the pregnancy was a viable one. 

In traditional Homeopathic textbooks, miscarriage is termed as ‘abortion” - a term that can understandably upset some women who have just experienced a miscarriage. 

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Many women can feel a huge sense of loss following a miscarriage. Women often start bonding immediately with their babies and start envisaging this precious new life in their families. To hear their baby has passed away leaves a hole in their lives. Not only do they have the emotional pain and loss to deal with, but often physical discomfort too. 

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It can be very distressing for a woman who has been told her baby has passed away, yet the physical tissue is still present and she is waiting for it to pass.

Many women blame themselves or think they’ve done something wrong, and that’s why the miscarriage has occurred. Let me assure ANY woman who is going through this right now, it is NOT your fault! 

No one really knows why miscarriages occur, but a common cause of pregnancy loss is a problem with the chromosomes that would make it impossible for the fetus to develop normally.

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Other factors that could contribute to a miscarriage include:

  • abnormal hormone levels in the mother, such as thyroid hormone

  • uncontrolled diabetes

  • exposure to environmental and workplace hazards, such as radiation or toxic agents

  • certain infections

  • uterine abnormalities

  • incompetent cervix, or when the cervix begins to open (dilate) and thin (efface) before the pregnancy has reached term

  • certain medications, such as the acne drug Accutane

  • smoking or sustained drug abuse 

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How can Homeopathy help a woman who is going through a miscarriage? 

These remedies should be taken in 200c potency (CH or K), no higher. I recommend taking these remedies in water. Put a pellet of the remedy in a water bottle and sip as required. Stop once symptoms change. 

Mental/Emotional Symptoms:

For the initial shock - Aconite 

Grief - Ignatia 

 

To help your body physically during miscarriage:

ACONITE – Key symptoms: Fear of dying. Anxiety alternating with calm. Bleeding after any shock.

CAULOPHYLLUM – Key symptoms: A tendency to suffer from miscarriages in the early months. Sharp spasmodic cramps low in the pelvis. Weakness, fatigue, trembling, or nervous excitement. Incomplete miscarriage with cramping but no resolution. Thirst with contractions. A sensation of congestion and heaviness in the uterus. 

CHINA – Key symptoms: Chilly, exhausted, dehydrated. Loss of fluids, loss of blood. Thirst, dizziness. Low blood pressure.

CIMICIFUGA – Key symptoms: Miscarriage at 3 months. Negativity, morbid fears, alternating symptoms. Stitching pains in the uterus that move from  side to side. Bleeding with copious, dark clots. Sour or offensive smell with blood. Bleeding suppressed from getting cold or strong emotions. Pain extending to thighs. Cramps in groin and hips.

SABINA – Key symptoms:  Bright red clots, stringy discharge. Fluid-containing clots. Gushing, gelatinous bleeding. Pain from sacrum to the pubic bone. Bleeding stops when walking. Ongoing vaginal bleeding since the miscarriage. Never been well since the miscarriage.

SECALE – Key symptoms:  Protracted, irregular bleeding. Clots. Convulsions. Dark liquid blood, or bright red, clotted flow. Constrictive pain of uterus like a band. Threatened or incomplete miscarriage particularly at 3 months. Infection, putrid bleeding.

SEPIA – Key symptoms: Miscarriage particularly in the first 3 months.  Low libido. Irritable, moody.  Dragging pains that feel better for crossing legs. A sensation of a ball in the pelvis or rectum. Contractions felt in the vagina. Upward stitching pains.  Bleeding after emotional excitement. Ovaries feel enlarged. Intense back pain. Nausea and aversion to food.

 

Incomplete Miscarriage. Remedies to avoid a D&C:

When the tissue/foetus won’t release from your body and you are facing a D&C, these remedies work wonders.

These remedies should be taken in 200c potency (CH or K), no higher. 

You can combine Pulsatilla and Secale if you need to. I recommend taking these remedies in water. Put a pellet of the remedy in a water bottle and sip as required. Stop once symptoms change. 

  1. Pulsatilla - This remedy is for letting go. That can be both emotionally and physically

  2. Secale - for incomplete miscarriage 

  3. Ignatia - if you know deep down that grief is your reason for holding on to the baby/tissue, this remedy is for you

  4. Aristolochia - for beginning stages of infection (you want to avoid getting to  this stage as much as possible) for dark, watery blood

  5. Pyrogen - when sepsis is a real possibility (again, you want to avoid getting to this stage as much as possible)

 

I hope these remedies help you. As a final word, I want to acknowledge your loss and I encourage you to grieve the loss of your loved one, in whatever way feels appropriate for you.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and support from a pregnancy loss support group or therapist.

 

If you would like some Homeopathic support from me, feel free to book with me using the button below. I work with women worldwide.

 

Take care, Kirsty x 

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