4 weeks

(go back)

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” says the Lord

Jeremiah 1:5 

If you have begun to miscarry, and hadn’t yet been able to hear your baby’s heartbeat with a doppler, your doctor might have said that you are having a chemical pregnancy.

This means that it’s a very early miscarriage.

Related: please read our Honoring Uncertainty

This very early miscarriage–or the name of it–doesn’t make your baby any less real.  At 5 weeks gestation, just about the time you may have found out that you were pregnant, your baby was about the size of a sesame seed.  And, at 5 weeks gestation, your tiny baby’s heart has already begun to beat.  It’s just too small to be heard on a Doppler.

While identifying your baby at this stage is probably just not going to happen, because of everything that is delivered during the miscarriage, including uterine lining and lots of blood, your baby is real.  Your feelings about your baby are real.

You will likely have a natural miscarriage, or natural delivery.  Rarely, artificial induction or a D&C may be recommended.  You can learn about these different birth methods here:

• natural delivery
• artificial induction (medication)
• D&C

You are invited to share your story here as well: please remember that sharing your story at stillbirthday is a way to express your feelings and share your experiences with other mothers – it is not to diagnose, treat or answer any medical questions.

You might visit our farewell celebrations for ideas to celebrate your baby.

There are many important aspects of your health that need to be given attention after a miscarriage or stillbirth.

Emotional/Spiritual

• Your emotional/spiritual health involves things like how to tell your living children about what’s happening, learning about statistics and other facts, as well as positive perspectives and devotionals regarding many factors of loss.
• Long term support resources include organizations that are local to your community that can provide counseling and additional support.  The international long term support resources section includes things like books, websites, and crisis and suicide hotlines.
• Keep an eye out for PPD (postpartum depression).  There is information on this and other things to watch out for, here.
• Grief is hard work.  It utilizes physical sources even for individuals who exhibit less outward demonstrated signs of grief.  You need to exercise well, and, rest well.  A nice walk in nature can be healing.

Physical

• It is important for you to take care of your body.  Some mothers, through their grief, seek to lash out their pain or anger toward their bodies.   You need to take care of yourself, including these topics:
• Rest.  Do not perform heavy lifting or excessive work.  Ask for help and receive it.
• Stay hydrated.  You need to be drinking plenty of water and other clear fluids.
• Take a warm bath.  Consider taking a soothing herbal bath, including nettle, sage, yarrow and/or oregano.
• Understand about postpartum hemorrhage , lochia and blood loss.
• Many mothers experience postpartum hair loss as pregnancy hormones shift after the birth.  You may experience the same.
• Know your options regarding post – loss lactation.
• Continue eating nutritiously and taking your prenatal vitamin to replenish the vitamins lost during the loss.
• You might utilize things such as healing essential oil to support your physical and emotional strength.
• Consider postponing any farewell celebrations you select until you are physically able to participate (particularly after a Cesarean birth).
• Some mothers find comfort in wrapping a rebozo around their belly, to give yourself a hug.  Your belly area may feel “not quite right” as you are not pregnant but not holding your baby.  Laying on your tummy or using a warm pad can help with cramping as well as feel like you are giving yourself a hug.
• It can be difficult to know what to ask of your friends and family.  We can help.  Just give this link to your friends.
• Additional postpartum health tips are located within each printable birth plan.
• Attend your well-check visit with your provider.  Bring a stillbirthday doula with you.
• Our “subsequent/rainbow” pregnancy resource section has information regarding the many aspects involved in “TTC” or “trying to conceive after loss.”

Postpartum Nutrition

It is important to take care of yourself, both physically and emotionally, following a pregnancy loss.  Regardless of the kind of pregnancy loss or the birth method you’ve used, it is important to replenish lost vitamins from blood loss and the birth.  Here are a few helpful tips:

• Continue taking your prenatal vitamin.
• Ask your provider about floradix, hemoplex or chlorophyll, as these are said to have nourishing properties that can aid in replenishing lost iron and providing additional oxygenation to your blood.
• Stay hydrated.
• Salty broths can be satisfying and aid in lost iron.
• Vitamin C can help your body better absorb iron.
• Getting sunshine (even a one time trip to a tanning spa if it’s winter) can help invigorate you.
• See the rest of our postpartum health tips.

It can be important to consider that you will need to eat for healthy grieving.  Foods that you eat with mindfulness while pregnant can seem especially painful to you in early postpartum.  Select foods that can bring nourishment to your grieving heart.  Simple snacking on things like cheese cubes, hard boiled eggs, prepared sliced fruit, and water can be easier to eat and helpful.

If you are giving birth at home, it is important to be aware of the symptoms of a possible hemorrhage.

Hemorrhaging is a serious concern in at-home miscarriage, and may be enough reason for your care provider to discourage you from attempting to complete your miscarriage at home.

Generally, you will probably be cautioned that filling a regular-absorbancy maxi pad sooner than one hour, at any time, is cause of concern; immediately postpartum (that is, right after the baby is born), generally speaking you should not fill a regular-absorbancy maxi pad sooner than a half-hour in the first hour (so, you can go through 2 pads in the first hour postpartum), as it is common to experience some increased bleeding at the actual time of delivery.

An at-home aid in reducing blood loss may be found in a small amount of apple vinegar.  This is something best discussed with your care provider while you are still laboring and before the birth.

If at any time you fill a maxi pad sooner than a half hour, experience dizziness, or a racing heart, you should consult a medical professional immediately.

If you are soaking through a maxi pad sooner than recommended by your medical provider, you need to seek medical attention (if you cannot reach your provider, please go to your nearest emergency room) immediately.

Medications that may be prescribed to help control the postpartum hemorrhage include:

• Misoprostol
• Methylergonovine

Misoprostol (a prostaglandin) causes your uterus to contract, so that your baby can be delivered.  In addition, the prostaglandin works to block a hormone (progesterone) from completing its pregnancy function of supporting the uterine lining that the baby has been growing in.  This will stop your body’s efforts of sustaining the pregnancy.  “Cytotec” is one prescription name used, and misoprostol is said to have about an 80-90% effectiveness rate in delivering miscarried babies and completely expelling all of the placenta pieces.  It is considered more effective than methylergonovine, but is not FDA approved for this use.  For this reason, mothers may wish to request “Methergine” if it is considered a safer option by their provider.

Methylergonovine, commonly prescribed as “Methergine” is also a uterotonic; it causes your uterus to contract, which can shorten the duration of the delivery process, thus stopping the homorrhaging.

Your doctor will discuss with you the side effects and warning signs to look out for when taking these medications, and the amount of time it should take to complete the entire process.

Please visit our Levels of Augmentation article on herbal and natural alternatives to medications to help augment/speed up the time of the delivery of your miscarried baby.

(Click here to be taken back to the article on natural miscarriage or to the article on artificial induction.)

Postpartum (all birth methods)

It is important to take care of yourself, both physically and emotionally, following a pregnancy loss.  Regardless of the kind of pregnancy loss or the birth method you’ve used, it is important to replenish lost vitamins from blood loss and the birth.  Here are a few helpful tips:

• Continue taking your prenatal vitamin.
• Ask your provider about floradix, hemoplex or chlorophyll, as these are said to have nourishing properties that can aid in replenishing lost iron and providing additional oxygenation to your blood.
• Stay hydrated.
• Salty broths can be satisfying and aid in lost iron.
• Vitamin C can help your body better absorb iron.
• Getting sunshine (even a one time trip to a tanning spa if it’s winter) can help invigorate you.
• See the rest of our postpartum health tips.