On Sunday 9/13 I started to bleed. It started out brown so I just tried to stay off my feet. On Monday 9/14 I woke up and was still bleeding and it was now red. I knew then my baby was gone. Around noon I passed a few dime size clots so I called my husband and asked him to hurry home because I needed to go to triage. I got to the triage and they sent me to maternity. I sat in the maternity waiting room for 2 and half hours with women in labor while I was losing my baby.
They finally came to get me and apologized by saying “sorry about the wait, we forgot about you.” I was taken back and they did a pelvic exam and said I was bleeding (well duh) but that my cervix was not open. They did an ultrasound in the room and said I was only measuring 6 weeks and there was no heartbeat but that was okay for 6 weeks. I told them I was supposed to be 10 weeks and 2 days and that my last menstrual cycle began on July 4. I looked at my husband and just lost it as I knew my baby was gone.
They sent me for another ultrasound and came in about 45 mins later to tell me it was fetal demise and that I was starting a miscarriage. They sent me home telling me pain would be like a bad period. Well the next day, Tuesday 9/15, I woke up to heavy cramping that got worse throughout the day. By 11:30 I was doubled over in pain from full on contractions happening every 2 mins and lasting 60-90 seconds. After 2 hours of this my doctor called me to see how I am doing and I told her. She says to me you can’t be contracting and I told her I was sure I was contracting – I have had 5 pain med-free births. She told me to hurry in, I should not be contracting as baby was only measuring 6 weeks.
My husband rushed me in where after 30 min of sitting in maternity waiting in horrendous pain I was taken back by myself (so they could ask if I feel safe at home). They then sent me into the restroom to take a urine sample and left me alone. Alone in the hospital bathroom I passed my baby. They finally came in and brought my husband back. They did a pelvic and said my cervix was open and that they wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure everything passed. After the ultrasound the doctor came in to go over the ultrasound and told me that the baby is gone but that there is blood in my uterus. She said the blood would clot and I would pass clots the size of quarters and it would not be painful. I told them that the ibuprofen they told me to take was not helping with the pain but they would not give me anything else. I headed home in pain and emotionally a wreck.
I slept little that night (much like the last 3 nights) and around 6:30 the next morning I started contracting again. By the time my husband had gotten up at 8:30 I had been crying, doubled over in pain and begging him to please make the pain stop. At around 10:10 am I passed a huge clot the size of an orange and finally the pain was bearable. I contacted my OB and apparently due to the blood in my uterus my body still thought I was miscarrying so in actuality I had 2 miscarriages in 2 days. It was the worse experience of my life and I would not wish it on my worse enemy.
I am lost emotionally and missing my baby horribly. I feel empty. I am mad for them not telling me how painful it would be physically as the pain was unbearable (but nowhere near as painful as the emotional pain). I am still in a lot of pain but it is now somewhat under control with 800mg of ibuprofen.
-Crystal Robertson
New Castle, DE
Published 10/4/15