# Had D&C Yesterday - My Experience



## mrsfeehily

Afternoon ladies,

I had a D&C yesterday afternoon following the discovery of my MMC on Wednesday (baby died at 8+2, should have been 10 wks :cry:)

I decided on Wednesday I wanted the D&C as I didn't feel emotionally I could handle passing my baby naturally or endure the possible waiting. 

I had never had any kind og surgery or a general anaesthetic before so I was very nervous to say the least.

I just wanted to share my experience to put anyone's mind at rest who is considering this option.

The nurses in hospital were so caring and understanding and couldn't have done more for me. The general anaesthetic was absolutely fine and the next thing I knew I was in recovery. They did give me some oral morphine when I came too as i was in quite a bit of pain but about 15 mins later all the pain was gone.

I was allowed home after some tea and toast about an hour and a half later. My blood pressure had dropped a bit during surgery so I did feel woozy but nothing bad and was told just to take it easy.

I had quite a bit of bleeding last night but no pain at all, and no clots, and today hardly any bleeding at all, although my stomach feels very bruised and all my internal muscles feel achey but certainly nothing too bad.

I can honestly say that I am so glad I chose the surgical option as it was over so quickly and has allowed me to move on mentally, I feel such relief that it's all over. God forbid I should ever have another MMC but if I do I would definitely choose D&C again.

I also felt better about the whole thing when I was told that my baby would be sent to the local crematorium where once a month they hold a blessing service for miscarried babies, and then the baby would be cremated. Being religious I feel very happy that this is what will happen.

Sorry for the long post but I thought it might assist anyone who is in two minds or is worried about the procedure.

i'm happy to answer any questions about the whole D&C process that anyone may have.

:hugs: to you all.

x


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## Lulu

What a lovely post.

Firstly, I'm so sorry for your loss:hugs: I've had a similar experience with my d&c, it's just over 3 weeks since I had mine. Discovered at my 12wk scan that baby was only measuring 8wk5 and no heartbeat.

I'd never had any operation before so really didn't know what to expect. Like you I knew I was emotionally strong enough to cope with a natural mc, the waiting would have been too much, so I opted for the d&c. I shouldn't have worried, all the staff were lovely. Honestly they couldn't have been nicer, I even had a strange conversation with 2 male nurses in recovery about the off-side rule! Sounds odd but it really helped at the time.

I've had very little bleeding and although I felt drained for a couple of days afterwards, physically I'm ok now. Just waiting for AF to show up and there is still the emotional side to deal with but that will always be the case.

Although reading your post it has just occurred to me that I don't know what happened to my baby. It was never mentioned and I didn't think to ask. I think I'm going to phone the hospital on Monday to ask.

Again sorry for your loss but I 'm glad you were treated sensitivily :)


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## mowat

Glad it went well for you. I also chose to have a d&c and definitely feel like it was the right decision. It wasn't nearly as bad as I would have thought and I felt absolutely fine (physically) by the next morning. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for you!


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## mrsfeehily

So glad to hear both of you were treated so well and made a speedy recovery too. I hope you both heal emotionally very soon too :hugs:

Obviously D&C wouldn't be for everyone but it definitely was the right choice for me.

x


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## mirm

Thank you for posting these stories. I'm just back from my 12 week scan, but sadly it was a mmc they think at 7 weeks. Operation is on Thurs, ty for posting, it makes me feel better about it xx


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## MrsR3AM5

MrsFeehily and other posters,
Thank you all so much for posting about your experience. I went to Doctor this morning for 10w2d check up--took DH as we were hoping to hear the heartbeat. And found our baby died at 8w5d. 

We are shattered. I elected the D&C as I don't think I could emotionally handle a "natural" miscarriage. 

Does anyone know what happens to your hormones after the D&C? When will my cycle start back up? How long will it take me to ovulate again? I have the D&C tomorrow. What is next week going to be like? 

I'm definitely going to ask what they will do with my baby tomorrow when I go in. 

Thanks again for posting!


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## Lovelyy_tiff

Thanks for posting!! Waiting to schedule my d&c also very nervous! This is my first so not really knowing what to expect:( never been put under either


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## princesskirst

Hi girlies

I had a D&C this morning. I was supposed to be 10 weeks 2 days today! Baby was 6 weeks 5 days. That was my 2nd D&C last one was in Sep 2009. Both painless experiences, aside from the heartache.

I had an Ectopic in Sep 2011 and to have a tube removed, so was really hopefull this was 3rd time lucky...

We were told today, that because an Ectopic isn't classed as a miscarriage, we cant receive tests for our losses until I have had 3 consecutive miscarriages... This is only classed as my first one. This approach the consultant told us, was confirmed by my GP

We are petrified to try again.

Glad you are ok, mrsfeehily and you had a painless time of it. I know what you mean, I was not mentally strong enough to do it myself.

xx


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## CarpeDiem87

I had a D&C on Feb 16th after baby had stopped growing at 6+4. I was given the chance to let nature take its course from Jan 31st when I started bleeding but nothing was happening so decided to have the op. I'd had general anaesthetic quite a few times before so new what to expect but this was my first pregnancy, first miscarriage and first D&C so I was scared. The nurses were so lovely and reassuring and they told me I'd only been under for about 20 mins. I felt like I had a bad hangover whilst in recovery but after about an hour and some tea and toast I was fine. Had a little bleeding at home later that night but no pain or anything. I was just glad it was all over with to be honest. 
So it's now been 3 weeks and no idea when af will arrive (in all honesty I'm hoping she won't and hoping I've managed to conceive.. I've read loads of threads where women have conceived soon after D&C and not even had their period!) but hey ho we shall see!
Sorry for your losses ladies. It's so nice to share experiences though, right? 
Keep smiling :) xx


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## Lately

Hello ladies...would just like to say sorry for the loss suffered by everyone.
With my experience over this past week i didn't need to have a D&C done but came very close. 

I went in for my first appt last tuesday and discovered the fetus only measured 6 weeks when i should have been 10 weeks and there was no heartbeat. My OB wanted me to wait a week to do a confirmation u/s to be sure the fetus stopped developing but over the weekend i started cramping really bad with some bleeding. 

On monday night i knew something was not right because my cramps got increasingly worse, the bleeding got heavier, i started throwing up and i kept feeling like i was going to pass out so i went to the ER. i ended up expelling most of the fetus overnight and was discharged with some pain meds.

I had my u/s appt today so they still wanted to check to see if everything came out on its own which most of it did but because i was still bleeding and having cramps my doc suspected i still had a piece of tissue remaining so she gave me cytotec to help expel any remaining tissue. 

Everything i read about cytotec, i expected to be in a lot of pain once i took it but i believe since most of my tissue already came out, the cramping and bleeding is not that bad right now. 
Thank you for posting about your D&C experience and again my condolence to everyone that has suffered a loss....:flower:


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## princesskirst

Hey Ladies

I know it is probably the last thing you want to think about, but when are you going to try again. I only had a D&C yestrday and I am busting. I dont think I can wait until my next period. There are so many different opinions on the net.

I know I should wait, and I prob will. Just wanted to know your plans!?


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## CarpeDiem87

Me and OH were at it within a few days after my D&C!! Just couldn't help myself lol. As long as you're not bleeding you should be fine to start right away. The nurse told me that I could start trying again as soon as I wanted. 

We aren't trying but we're not preventing! What will be will be :)

xxx


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## mrsfeehily

Hi Ladies,

I just thought I'd follow up with you all. Although I've had hardly any pain following the D&C (which was a week ago now) I have had quite a bit of bleeding on and off and am still bleeding now (I'm assuming that's normal).

Some days I bleed hardly at all and others I bleed all day and last night I passed a clot about the size of a 10p which concerned me slightly but I've not passed any others since.

As far as trying again is concerned I think we will start trying as soon as I have definitely finished bleeding. It will give us a focus instead of concentrating on the grief of losing this baby. 

Hope all you lovely ladies who have suffered a loss are healing well both physically and emotionally :hugs:

x


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## MrsR3AM5

Hi all,
Thank you all so much for sharing. I had my D&E (I guess slightly different from a D&C, since I wasn't bleeding at ALL) two days ago. I made sure to ask my dr what would happen to my baby and I asked if I could take it home, since he said they would just send it to the lab. So, they sent it home with me--they had put it in my arms before I awoke from surgery and that was my very first question. It made me so happy to be able to hold onto it(it was all wrapped up in a plastic container and hospital towels, so as not to be a disturbing sight). We brought it home and buried it right outside--I can see it's resting place from my bedroom window. It's in a ring of trees, right beside a pond--a lovely place for our little one. 

I wanted to thank those of you who mentioned asking about the fate of your baby at hospital. Otherwise, I never would have thought to ask, and I'm so incredibly grateful that we got to bring ours home and have a little service for it. 

As for trying again, my doctor told me no sex for 3 weeks (I'm assuming b/c of the difference in procedure between D&C and D&E????). But if I haven't ovulated by then (really hoping not!!!), we shall try again immediately. 

So sorry to all of you who must walk this difficult path! :hugs:


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## AlannaB

I had a D&C yesterday and would like to add my experience, which was extremely positive (I mean, as positive as it can be obviously...). 

Previously, my ultrasound had showing the baby measuring 9 days behind and with a heart rate just under 100. There was also a small blood clot under where it had implanted. My dr wasn't thrilled about this, so had another ultrasound 10 days later which showed no heartbeat. I was 9 weeks exactly but the baby measured 6 and a half. She walked us through our options (this was on Thursday) and said we could have the weekend to decide what to do. Well, we really wanted to just get on with things, and obviously I was still having symptoms and my body had had a week to figure out it was supposed to miscarry and nothing was happening. So we asked if we could possibly do it Friday so I could recover over the weekend. We were in luck, there was an opening.

I went in at 7 AM but things didn't get going till after 9. Since my surgery had been scheduled at 5 PM I had no paperwork in my file, so they had to play catch up. After I got all hooked up and they were about to give me valium (to relax me) and anti-nausea meds (I told them I'd gotten sick after anesthesia when I had my appendectomy last year), my doctor comes in and tells me my insurance hasn't authorized it and their office doesn't open till 9 because they're in a different time zone. So here's me, 2 doctors, 3 nurses, all hanging around waiting. Everyone was extremely nice. I told my ob-gyn I was so jealous of her coffee. She and one of the nurses told me they'd also had to go through a D&C. 

After they got the go-ahead call, I remember being wheeled into the room, but I don't remember even being told they were starting the anesthesia. I do think it wasn't as strong as anesthesia I've had previously (I've had 7 vertebrae fused in my back and a metal rod put in for scoliosis, and an appendectomy), because I distinctly remember being in the middle of a dream when I woke up. It's always freezing coming out of anesthesia, so my teeth started chattering. At this point I had cramps and lower backache. I would rate them as about as bad as I get on the first day of my period, maybe only slightly worse. I was also having some bleeding, but again I would rate it the same as the first day of my period. They gave me IV meds, the pain went away, and I fell asleep for 3 hours or so. 

When I woke up, my husband was there, and they made me drink some juice and told me I had to go to the bathroom before I could leave. Honestly I couldn't keep my eyes open at this point and probably dozed for another hour between sips of juice. I am a drug lightweight. The nurse told me my last pain meds were given at 10:30 so I should take a painkiller at 2:30. She seemed a bit surprised when I said I was in no pain at all. After being discharged at around 1:00, I then slept all afternoon till 6 PM. 

Well, I have yet to take a pill, because I have had no pain except for the 15 or so minutes after I woke up from the D&C. Nothing, no cramps, and barely any bleeding since the hospital. I spot a little bit whenever I pee, but that's it. I have never had a natural miscarriage, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I would definitely recommend this option to anyone who is trying to make the choice of what to do.

Edited to add: Eeek. Didn't realize how long this was. Oh well, I hope all the details help someone!


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## twokiddos

Thank you ladies for sharing your experiences with me. I found out yesterday that we lost our baby and I need a D&C on Monday. This is my first miscarriage and I'm lucky if I make it more than 10 minutes without crying about something... doesn't necessarily need to be about anything. This thread reassures me that life will go on after the loss and I shouldn't worry about the D&C. I honestly can't wait for this to be over. I hate sitting here knowing there's a baby inside me no longer growing. I just want it out so I can close this door and open another. This has been so hard for me but hearing your stories about the procedure eases my mind a little bit. Thank you ladies again for sharing!


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## HuskyMomWI

Thank you for sharing your stories. I also have my d&c scheduled for Monday. I'm not quite sure how to handle the emotional part of this but hearing your stories helps.


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## sandrea

hi ladies , 
i just got a d&c done yesterday and i have absolutely no pain at all .....my procedure was perfect and i am soooo ready to start trying to have kids . i didnt suffer a miscarriage but i have been trying to get pregnant for a while now and only lately i started having heavy period with big clots and developed anemia because of this . so i went to see my gyno, She did an aultra sound that showed i had tissue growing in my uterus which could be the cause of me not being able to get pregnant ....she wants me to come on for a 4 week check up but i hope to be pregnant by then .

wish me luck and keep me in your prayers :hugs:


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## Finallytrying

sandrea said:


> hi ladies ,
> i just got a d&c done yesterday and i have absolutely no pain at all .....my procedure was perfect and i am soooo ready to start trying to have kids . i didnt suffer a miscarriage but i have been trying to get pregnant for a while now and only lately i started having heavy period with big clots and developed anemia because of this . so i went to see my gyno, She did an aultra sound that showed i had tissue growing in my uterus which could be the cause of me not being able to get pregnant ....she wants me to come on for a 4 week check up but i hope to be pregnant by then .
> 
> wish me luck and keep me in your prayers :hugs:

Good luck!!!!!


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## sandrea

hey ladies , 
so 10 days after my D&C i stopped bleeding and waited about 4 days after that for my husband and i to start TTC .....after having unprotected sex 2 times ....i started bleeding again very heavy too .....i think its my period but according to my doctor i should not get a period until I've finished taking the 4 weeks of prometrium prescribed. so now i'm kinda worried about whats going on in there , my husband and I decided to wait the length of my normal cycle and if it doesn't stop we'll go see my doctor .....i just want to know if this has happened to anyone else


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## ESwemba84

Thank you for your post. I am scheduled for a D&C tomorrow. Had a 12 week scan Monday only to find out baby measured 10 weeks and had no heartbeat. This was very reassuring as I've been dreading everything about this.


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## HuskyMomWI

ESwemba84 said:


> Thank you for your post. I am scheduled for a D&C tomorrow. Had a 12 week scan Monday only to find out baby measured 10 weeks and had no heartbeat. This was very reassuring as I've been dreading everything about this.

I am sorry you are in this situation. I am almost two months out from my D&C and am preparing for another round of IVF. Know that the emotional pain does get a bit easier with time. Try not to fight your feelings or it will take longer to heal. Feel free to ask any questions. I found great support from these ladies. :hugs:


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