If you’re reading a guide on miscarriage recovery tips it’s likely you’ve recently lost your baby.
Mama, I am so sorry for your loss.
As someone who has gone through this experience three times and I know right now you’re feeling devastated.
I believe the isolation and loneliness of a miscarriage can be just as painful as the physical loss of your baby.
It’s especially hard to cope if your pregnancy was in the early stages and no-one or few people around you knew.
I want you to know I’m there for you.
I made this guide for Mama’s who are experiencing a miscarriage but don’t quite know what to expect.
These miscarriage recovery tips are for you to know what to expect and take care of yourself during this hard time.
The emotional recovery of a miscarriage will last longer than your physical recovery. Take as much time as you need and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
I want you to know you are strong and you can survive this.
12 Useful Miscarriage Recovery Tips
1. Prepare for Miscarriage Symptoms
You’re going to experience cramping during your miscarriage.
If your pregnancy is very early on (less than 6 weeks) this may be similar to period pains.
If your pregnancy is further on you’re going to experience cramps which are a lot more intense than usual.
You may feel these cramps in your tummy, back, hips or thighs. I’d recommend you take painkillers to manage the pain.
For extra comfort, I’d recommend using a reusable heat pack which can cover these areas and provide you with some cramp relief.
2. Stock up on pads
It’s very important that you use thick pads to catch your bleeding after a miscarriage. Maternity pads or incontinence pants (like these) can be ideal.
You need to use thick sanitary pads not only because you’ll be bleeding heavier than you normally do, but you need to monitor your blood loss for signs of infection.
That means tampons are a no go. Not only can you not keep an eye on your blood loss, but they massively increase your risk of infection.
Plus thick maternity pads will offer some cushioning to your vagina which may be tender.
3. Prepare for heavy bleeding
Following on from managing the bleeding directly. It’s best to be prepared for just how much you might bleed.
The blood loss may also be quite erratic and catch you off guard when you’re least prepared.
I’d advise you keep a bag of spare underwear and clothes close by, should you need to change.
One of the most common time to have a heavy gush of blood is when you’re in bed.
Needless to say, you don’t want to be reminded of your miscarriage by a big stain on your mattress.
A quick option to keep your bed protected is to use an old towel for protection.
Honestly, I’d never have survived my miscarriage without using a waterproof bed pad (like this).
These pads are a godsend when your bleeding is at its worst, to manage big leaks. I even used one on my car seat for extra reassurance.
4. Keep taking your vitamins
If you were taking pregnancy vitamins, I highly recommend you keep taking them.
If you’re not taking a multivitamin, I’d highly recommend you start this one now. Your body is going to need all the nutrients and energy it can to help you to physically recover from your miscarriage.
Your immune system will take a huge hit, so don’t be surprised if you feel run down for weeks after.
Miscarriage may affect your appetite and impact on the nutrients you get through food. Keeping up with your vitamins will give your body what it needs to recover.
5. Take iron tablets
All that blood loss will have a big impact on your iron levels.
You may start to feel the symptoms of anemia such as
- Extreme Tiredness
- Racing heart
- Short of breath
- Cold
- Dizziness
Your doctor may routinely take blood to check for this after a miscarriage. But if you want to avoid these symptoms I’d recommend you take an iron supplement.
Some Iron supplement can make you constipated and just generally feeling like crap. These are the iron tablet I recommend for women particularly if you’ve had a big blood loss.
Adding iron-rich food (Meat, spinach, lentils, broccoli) to your diet will help keep your iron levels high. To boost your uptake add in food rich in vitamin C.
6. Rest is Vital
You may want to start trying to distract yourself as much as possible from the physical and emotional side of your miscarriage.
I can’t stress how important it is for you to let your body rest.
Keeping on at your normal pace is going to leave you exhausted.
Your body is going through major trauma and just like any other health issue, it needs time to rest to help you to heal.
7. Gather your support network
This is a massively emotional time for you and your partner. It’s likely your other half will be feeling lost and unsure how to help.
Use each other for support. Asking them to help you grab a few items will make them feel useful when they feel they can’t do much for you.
It’s completely normal for either of you to have periods of feeling better and then suddenly having a mood crash. Talking through your feeling will work wonder for you both.
You may even want to talk with a close family member or a friend.
Keep your circle close to those you trust and know will have your back.
If you feel you need to talk to someone anonymously these are great support options
- All options Talkline 1-888-493-0092
- Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline 1-833-246-2632
- Pregnancy Loss Website Resources
8. You may need surgery
This sounds terrifying and probably not what you want to be reading right now.
The important thing is to know what your options are after a miscarriage so you know what may be needed for your recovery.
Some miscarriage occur naturally and your baby will pass without any medical input.
You may require medication to help your cervix open and to help your baby pass.
The last option is a surgical procedure known as a Dilation and Curettage (D&C). This is usually carried out as day surgery.
A D&C is minor surgery which requires your doctor to open your cervix and remove any pregnancy tissue from inside your womb.
It’s likely you may need a D&C if your baby does not pass naturally or medication has not worked.
Your doctor is the best person to advise what treatment options you have after your miscarriage.
9. Be aware of warning signs
If you have no medical intervention to manage your miscarriage you’ll likely stay at home to recover.
During this time it’s important you are aware of red flag symptoms that mean you need urgent treatment.
Look out for:
- Heavy red blood loss – soaking through a thick maternity pad every hour needs attention.
- Feeling unwell/ fever– a fluey like feeling can be a sign of severe infection which needs treating.
- Offensive blood loss – This is another sign of infection and likely you need antibiotics
- Large clots – Golf ball-sized clots are not normal and need medical attention, it’s likely some tissue has been left behind. Left untreated this will cause further bleeding and severe infection.
I’d recommend keeping a small hospital bag ready with essentials such as clothes, underwear and money, just as a precaution that you may need to go to hospital as an emergency.
10. Take Time out
In addition to the rest, you need to take time out from your daily life to recover better.
If you already have a child its best to keep them in regular daycare or have someone babysit for a few hours to let you have time to recover.
If you work, call your employer and discuss what your options are. They may grant you some compassionate leave or even holiday entitlement.
If you can afford to consider negotiating some unpaid leave if you have.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks unpaid per year to care for their health, including miscarriage.
11. Keep hydrated
One of the most basic things you can do during any kind of physical recovery is to keep yourself hydrated.
Your mind will be clearer, you’ll have more energy and you’ll prevent yourself from becoming constipated, especially when your activity levels are low.
Keeping yourself hydrated during your miscarriage recovery is important for helping your womb to shrink down and control your bleeding.
12. Avoid sex
Getting intimate may not be the first thing on your mind during such a traumatic time.
But it’s likely you’ll be wondering how soon you can start trying to conceive after your miscarriage.
You can ovulate around 2 weeks after a miscarriage, however sex this soon can increase your risk of internal infection.
The ACOG advises that you wait at least until you have another period before trying to get pregnant.
Remember that you may have recovered physically but have you recovery emotionally from your miscarriage. This is a huge consideration for you and your partner before trying for another baby.
—
I hope that these tips provide you with some degree of comfort during this awful time for you.
Miscarriage is never you’re fault. You may find it useful to know some lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk of a further miscarriage.
I wish you all the best with your recovery and hope one day you get to meet your Rainbow baby.
