Being a parent entails that you are not hopelessly, helplessly and eternally in love, and you cannot do much about it. Since the first time you get to know about a ‘new being’ created inside you, which would be a laughing loving reality soon, you are sold, you are smitten.
Losing an unborn child is miserable and unfair. Once the yearnings of a young love are crushed, the heart fears to love again.
Experts define miscarriages as the death of fetus before it can survive independently i.e. 20 weeks of gestation period, but each tale is another story.
Here are few things you must know about miscarriages – its prevention and medical care and, physical and psychological effects.
1. What to avoid? If you are going to be a mother, stay away from smoking, alcohol, drugs and some foods. Even passive smoking can increase the risk of miscarriage. In first 20 weeks, the fetus is not capable of surviving on its own, so, be cautious, whatever you consume or intake can harm it.
2. Check out for symptoms – The most common symptom of miscarriage is vaginal bleeding in first few weeks of pregnancy. Sometimes tissue clots may come out of vagina. The bleeding could be painless. At other times, stomachache and cramps may accompany bleeding.
3. How to detect? Miscarriages can be diagnosed by checking if the cervix is open or closed, or checking the levels of hCG hormone (it is released by placenta after fetus implantation) in blood. The miscarriage may, also be detected by ultrasound if there are detectable symptoms.
4. Reasons for miscarriage? Experts cite various reasons for miscarriage. Age and Lifestyle are two important factors. The risk of miscarriage is about 45% in women over 40. Lifestyle habits like alcoholism, smoking, drug use or obesity may also increase the risk factor.
5. Biological reason for miscarriage – Risk factors may be various, but the underlying mechanism behind most miscarriages is complications in the chromosome. Others ways in which miscarriages occur are ectopic pregnancy, where the ovum is fertilized elsewhere other than uterus e.g. in the fallopian tube, or implantation bleeding.
6. Beware of risks – If you previously have had a miscarriage, the risk increases. A person with history of miscarriages needs special medical care and all the precautions should be adhered carefully. Some researches claim that extensive physical exercise or sexual intercourse during pregnancy increases the risk, but there are many who refute it. Nothing has been proven as of yet. Most physicians believe that exercising and fornicating during pregnancy is perfectly healthy.
7. Miscarried fetus – What happens to it? The body expels the miscarried fetus on its own. If it does not, a process called dilation and curettage is performed on the patient. The woman who have Rh- Negative blood group may need special care. Their blood produces antibodies to an Rh- Positive baby. The bleeding must be monitored after treatment. If the bleeding increases, you may need immediate medical care.
8. Emotional support – Miscarriages are physically exhausting as well as emotionally taxing. It has psychological effects like guilt and depression. Both, the parents need emotional support after a miscarriage. Psychiatric sessions are advisable, as they may help to cope with the loss.
9. Try and relax – it is not the end of the world – Miscarriage is just an unfortunate medical condition in a body. Most of the times, one can do nothing about it. Blaming you for it, or lambasting anyone else for it, is foolish. Though miscarriages have long been out of the list of “taboos”, you can always count on some people for being idiots. Well, miscarriages are not the results of moon crossing the orbit of mars so try relaxing about it and love again…and better luck this time.
10. Do not cry – rather find the Solution – The pregnancy process is one of the most beautiful and blissful in a woman’s life or so my mother told me. However, for some it is repeatedly painful and fraught with complications. Repeated miscarriages can be really taxing on a mother. There are ways like IVF, which are getting popular these days.
Just remember that crying over a problem does not help, but trying to find a solution does.