My Miscarriage Journey

Claire Briston - 14 Sep 17

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I just wanted to give a brief update since my post last week: Miscarriage & Me. 

First off, I have to just say a big huge THANK YOU. Thank you to every single one of you who has commented or messaged or emailed or called me. I can’t tell you how grateful we are for the support and kind words. Once again, never ever underestimate the kindness of strangers. I’ve had so many messages of support for me sharing the post. For encouraging discussion. For highlighting what will/can/might/might not happen.

Miscarriage happens because of science. It’s not something you can stop from happening – I hope those who have experienced this horrendous plight know that.  Also, Miscarriage is more common than people realise. It happens to at least 1 in 4 pregnancies. Many miscarriages are unreported and some go unnoticed as it happens so soon. Experts think that the real figure might be 1 in 3*.

Miscarriage is not taboo. It is so important that we discuss this. To help others understand… to help yourself to understand. Without sharing stories, how can we learn? How can the medical professionals learn and continue their research into Pregnancy Loss? So sharing experiences, that is my biggest take away from this whole thing.

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Just over a week on, how am I doing?

I’m going down the “Expectant Miscarriage” route with hope I have/am miscarrying naturally.

Well, I count myself as very lucky. So far, I haven’t bled anywhere near as much as I anticipated. As I touched on in my original post I have Endometriosis. So have been awaiting just the worst pain and the worst bleeding/tissue loss imaginable. I’ve had the back aches and extreme tiredness but again, nothing as bad as I’ve been expecting. I’m not sure if that’s because I’m going through a slow miscarriage – or whether its building up to some kind of cruel crescendo. I guess I’ll know more when I head back to the hospital next Tuesday for my re-scan and review.

So for now, I’m stuck in limbo. Not knowing whether its started, ended/ending or if it’s not even begun (properly). And this is the worst feeling – the not knowing. Just as bad as not knowing if you’re ok in the first place – before the bad news.

The entire pregnancy journey is basically just a whole load of anxiety and stress and endless knots in the stomach, isn’t it?

I feel like I need to do something good out of all of this. I know charities such as The Miscarriage Association & Tommy’s have a few ways in which you can get involved. Also, Selfish Mother do support the latter with their TIBA & MARL collab Tee’s & Sweaters  – available from TheFMLYStore. But if anyone has any ideas on how we can collab to support the ongoing discussion and research into Miscarriage & Pregnancy Loss, then please get in touch with me.

In the meantime, please do continue to share your stories. You can comment, message, email or bloody carrier pigeon your experiences or words to me. Always remember, sharing is caring.

All my love,
C
✖️✖️✖️

*Statistics taken from Tommy’s // The Baby Charity. Information on Miscarriage & Pregnancy Loss >> More details, here. 

Claire Briston

CLAIRE BRISTON – MAMA TO ONE – BORN IN THE NORTH EAST, BASED IN THE NORTH WEST – 30 SOMETHING – 5 FOOT NOTHING – NEVER, EVER CONCISE.

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