advice on post-termination bleeding

[mummacassdy]

Hi
can anyone share their stories about bleeding after termination? I terminated 5 weeks ago tomorrow due to diagnosis of Trisomy 21. It was a heart-wrenching choice to make but doctors didn't hold out much hope. Don't get me wrong I was extremely uspet by it all but I am looking to conceive again asap but I don't know what is going on with my cycle.
I already have 3 children aged 9, 11 and 13. I am 38 and have always had regular cycles - 29 days. The termination was an induced labour basically with internal tablets followed by oral ones. I Had to deliver my baby at almost 18 weeks. The doctor felt that all of the placenta was delivered.
I bled for about 2 weeks in decreasing amounts then it petered down to the point of needing a pad but only just and continued watering down from blood to pink and then brown discharge. Just when I thought it was over, at 4.2 weeks past the delivery date, I began having an achy back and period type feelings and bleeding bright red blood and requiring a 'super' pad rather than the 'light' ones I had been needing. It has been 4 days now of this heavier bleeding. Can anyone please offer any kind of explanation as to what is happening to me? Just for the record, there has been no large clots or anything.
thanks so much

[Lisa]

Hi,
I am so very sorry for your loss sweetie.
I too had to terminate my much wanted little baby Noah due to severe abnormalities of his urinary tract and kidneys.
I had a D&C due to retained placenta... that was on the day Noah was delivered which was 21 Feb... I bled, and then my period returned on March 11 which is around 2 weeks after... from then on, my period came every 28 days as it previously did. My first period after having Noah was as you have described yours being now.
Hope this helps,
Lisa

[saslia]

Sorry you have had to go through this.
I went though this last year and it was the worst time of my life. I had a D&C after Caleb was born but I still had "chunky" bleeding afterwards. My period returned 5 weeks after his birth and D&C.

[mummacassdy]

Thanks for your quick answers and for your sympathy. And I am sorry to hear of your personal losses too.I may wait to see what happens in the next two days and if it goes for the same amount of time as a normal period, otherwise I will definately get it checked out and request an ultrasound. A friend of mine suggested asking for a blood test to see where my hormone levels are. Has anyone ever done that?

[chris]

Hi
I am sorry to hear your news.
That bleeding don't sound really good. I would go and have it checked asap.
Its best to be on the safe side when dealing with your uterus.
Take care
Chris

[munchy]

Hi Mummacassdy

i just came across your post and was wondering how things are i am so sorry to hear of your loss it must have been so hard for you i to had to terminate my pregnancy at 23 wks due to kidney problems and lungs and urinery track it is such a hard thing to do and also i blamed myself alot, before getting induced i had to have a needle to stop my baby girls heart and i think that is what hurt the most. i really hope your periods settle down i had a few heavey periods for a while and they were all over the place its only a yr on the have started to settle hope you are ok swettie take care.

Lisa

hope you get this message but i was just reading about how you lost noah and i hope you dont mind me asking but if you read above my baby girl brooklyn had similar problems i was just wondering if he had the same problem as my little angel she was diagnosed with bilateral multicyctic dysplastic kidneys and no bladder which ment her lungs would also never develop its just i have never known anyone to have the same thing. I am so sorry for your loss of your baby boy it is so hard at times its being a yr for me and i still find it hard. take care.

Munchy xxx

[mummacassdy]

Hi Muncy
thanks for your sweet message and taking the time to write. I am so sorry to hear of your little girl. How heartbreaking? It has been 6 weeks - yesterday actually. I find when I cry for another reason that I also still feel the pain and the loss but I seemed to have bounced back quite well. SEveral reasons I think. One is that I have 3 girls aged 9, 11 and 13 plus I work full time mnding 4 children a day in my home so I am soooo busy, but the other reason is because I feel at peace with my baby. We got to hold him and we have photos so I dont ever have to think hard to know what he lookedl like or anything. I talked to him heaps when he was still alive and inside me and treated him no differently than before I know of his condition and for the most part it was a normal birth, except that he was not alive, I presume as they rarely survive the contractions and birth. I hope this doesn't offend anyone but when they cut the umbilical cord his body spasmed and I said 'He's alive, the poor baby" but they said that was probably involuntary and he was most likely gone. I should have just picked him up and held him then but I didn't. It felt so wrong to be going through with it, but we could not have dealt with bringing a child with very little chance of survival into the world. But then I wonder why he didn't miscarry on his own as a lot of miscarriages are for that reason.
My heart goes out to you, it really does.......
As for my bleeding... I am now thinking that in hindsight, that after two weeks I remember saying to my friend that the bleeding had eased and this could be the end of it, but then every day I needed a pad for some spotting. And then when it hit 4 weeks, I noticed the symptoms above - the heavy bleeding, the period feeling etc. And it lasted for 6 days and then eased up. I had a couple more days of lightly coloured discharge and then no colour for a few days now. So I believe I did bleed for 2 weeks, then I did get my period at the right time, and now I am keeping track of my signals and signs etc and I keep meaning to take my temp but forget. I had some dry days after the period then stretchy clear, so I think I am approaching the fertile time but sadly I am taking homeopathics and also ear drops for an ear infection and therefore I shouldn't try this time around. Much to our disappointment. Next month for sure. It really was very confusing for a while, but I feel much more confident in my body and what it is doing. Of course, that's not to say that things may not change. I have heard that sometimes you can be a bit all over the place after termination, but by all accounts I should consider it a normal birth, although it was started artificially, but then again all my labours had help.
Please feel free to talk to me anytime. Private message me if you like. I would love to hear more about your experience. Once again, thanks for taking the time to write and I am so deeply sad and sorry to hear of your experience and losing your little girl. She will never be forgotten.
Much love
Mummacassdy