After today, I plan to write one more post about miscarriage before I resume to a more normal posting schedule. I realize that not all of you are interested in reading about this topic, but I hope that someday you might be able to send links to these posts along to someone who is recovering from a miscarriage. Or perhaps you may, down the road, come back and re-read them yourself. I wish there wasn’t a need for such posts, but I don’t want to ignore the need, either.
One of the areas where I found the least amount of information was the physical recover post miscarriage. I had no idea what to expect, what I was going to feel, and how to recover in the wake of such a horrible experience. So, let’s get practical today and talk about the physical side instead of the more talked about emotional side.
Last time around, I opted to miscarry natural with the help of some medicine from my doctor. However, this time around I opted to have a D&C done (aka surgery) instead. For someone like me who hates surgery it was very scary, but the process was quick, relatively pain-free and gave me peace of mind that everything was cleared out and I could move forward with healing. It was one less thing to think about when my mind was already loaded down with things.Ultimately it’s a very personal decision that you have to make on your own, that’s just my experience.
Physically, I’ve been doing a few different things to help my body recover and prepare for the testing that is going to begin in the weeks to come. Here are a few things I am finding to be helpful (some of which I found to be helpful last time around, too):
1. I’m continuing to take my prenatal vitamin and added a few other vitamins to the mix. To combat blood loss, I added in an iron supplement and have been taking a Stress B-Complex, which contains 8 essential B vitamins that help with energy, boosting your immune system and nervous system health. I’ve also been taking a dose of vitamin D since our time in the sunshine has been limited and I could use a little mood booster.
2. I started acupuncture. In the three months leading up to getting pregnant this time around, I had started acupuncture to regulate my cycles. It helped, but for some reason I quit going, mainly because my doctor didn’t speak much English and I didn’t like not knowing what he was doing and what progress to expect. I’ve re-committed to going to acupuncture regularly, this time with a new doctor that I really love, while we deal with this miscarriage mystery. It does wonders on my stress levels and I strongly believe in the healing properties of alternative/complimentary medicine. This time around, my acupuncturist specializes in fertility issues and carrying babies to full-term, so I feel more at peace about the care I’m receiving.
3. I’ve lined up testing to try and diagnose potential issues that are causing our miscarriages. Our doctors, as I’ve mentioned, are amazing and supportive and believe strongly that having two consecutive miscarriages isn’t normal. I feel so much peace about the practice God placed us in, and am truly looking forward to getting some answers about what could be at the root of the problem. Side note: If you have any resources for reading up on multiple miscarriages, I would love for you to send them my way! I want to be well-informed leading up to our appointment.
4. Since the miscarriage, I’ve been focusing a lot on eating plenty of whole, plant-based foods with a healthy amount of protein mixed into my meals. Lots of fruits and veggies have been consumed, a small amount of sugar and caffeine and a small amount of lean protein in the form of fish and chicken. I’m giving my body what it needs to heal and recover in the best way I know how.
5. I added drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea to my daily routine, usually 2 to 3 cups a day. It’s said to help restore regular menstrual cycles and tone the uterus (whatever that means…) and I figure it certainly can’t hurt! When possible, I tend to gravitate toward natural and alternative options. I realize that’s not always an option, but I do what I can. If you’re interested in red raspberry leaf tea, I suggest you do a little research online. There is SO much information out there about it, certainly more than I can cover right now.
6. This time around one of the worst physical parts of the process has been the extra 3-4 pounds I gained in the first timester that I now have to loose. I didn’t exercise at all for the first week after the D&C, but I’ve recently felt ready to get back to the gym and keep my body moving. This is both for my physical state, so I can feel strong and healthy again, and my mental state. There are few things that are as healing to me as a good sweat session at the gym with my favorite guy. I am not pushing my body to the max, since that seems counter intuitive to what I’m doing to heal and build-up my body, but I am sweating and working out again.
If you’ve personally experienced miscarriage, any tips on physical recovery are welcome below! I would love to have a comprehensive list for people who come back to read this post down the road.
Madison