Trying Again After a Pregnancy Loss
A pregnancy loss can be an extremely difficult experience.
You may feel as if your hopes for the future have been taken from you.
These feelings can occur even if the pregnancy was only a few weeks along.
Grieving a pregnancy loss takes time.
Some couples think that they must try to conceive again right away in order to fix the problem or replace the hurt.
Unfortunately, it's unlikely that a subsequent pregnancy will carry the same feelings of innocence and bliss.
A pregnancy after a loss can be highly stressful because of anxiety and fear that something may go wrong.
Emotional recovery Losing a child is one of the most difficult things in life, and losing one before birth can be no less difficult.
If you find yourself grieving deeply after a pregnancy loss, allow yourself the time to do so.
Emotional recovery can, and usually does, take much longer than physical recovery.
Physical recovery Miscarriage Physically speaking, it generally takes one normal menstrual cycle for a woman to recover from a miscarriage.
It's usually four to six weeks before your period comes back.
Recurrent pregnancy losses If you've had three or more pregnancy losses, you may wish to see a doctor with expertise in this area.
Most ob-gyns can address this issue, or they may refer you to a maternal-fetal specialist or a reproductive endocrinologist.
Tips for future pregnancies Although it's very unlikely that you can prevent a pregnancy loss, you can do things to give yourself the best chance for a healthy pregnancy.
Here are some tips to consider: o Eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.
o Get your daily dose of folic acid, either in a supplement or multivitamin.
o Get preconception and prenatal care.
o Don't smoke, drink alcohol or use illicit drugs while you are trying to conceive or are pregnant.
o Get checked and, if necessary, treated for sexually transmitted diseases.
o Limit caffeine consumption.
o Work with your health care provider.
Together you can keep yourself and your baby as healthy as possible.
You may feel as if your hopes for the future have been taken from you.
These feelings can occur even if the pregnancy was only a few weeks along.
Grieving a pregnancy loss takes time.
Some couples think that they must try to conceive again right away in order to fix the problem or replace the hurt.
Unfortunately, it's unlikely that a subsequent pregnancy will carry the same feelings of innocence and bliss.
A pregnancy after a loss can be highly stressful because of anxiety and fear that something may go wrong.
Emotional recovery Losing a child is one of the most difficult things in life, and losing one before birth can be no less difficult.
If you find yourself grieving deeply after a pregnancy loss, allow yourself the time to do so.
Emotional recovery can, and usually does, take much longer than physical recovery.
Physical recovery Miscarriage Physically speaking, it generally takes one normal menstrual cycle for a woman to recover from a miscarriage.
It's usually four to six weeks before your period comes back.
Recurrent pregnancy losses If you've had three or more pregnancy losses, you may wish to see a doctor with expertise in this area.
Most ob-gyns can address this issue, or they may refer you to a maternal-fetal specialist or a reproductive endocrinologist.
Tips for future pregnancies Although it's very unlikely that you can prevent a pregnancy loss, you can do things to give yourself the best chance for a healthy pregnancy.
Here are some tips to consider: o Eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.
o Get your daily dose of folic acid, either in a supplement or multivitamin.
o Get preconception and prenatal care.
o Don't smoke, drink alcohol or use illicit drugs while you are trying to conceive or are pregnant.
o Get checked and, if necessary, treated for sexually transmitted diseases.
o Limit caffeine consumption.
o Work with your health care provider.
Together you can keep yourself and your baby as healthy as possible.