I have kept this story as unemotional as possible, so that you can have an idea of the process medically, in case anything fits for you. If you’d like to read my story as I experienced it (i.e.the emotional side of things), you can read My Miscarriage Journey.
We had been trying for about 6 months when I finally had the first signs of pregnancy. When I took the test I thought it was a negative (impatient person that I am, I didn’t wait before I saw just one line). After a couple of minutes, I realised when I looked again that there was the faintest pink line. Mike & I were thrilled! I booked an appointment with the gynae, and we saw a heartbeat. Unfortunately, I started to bleed a few weeks later, and a visit to the doctor confirmed that we had lost the baby.
At this stage I was sad, but philosophical – I knew that miscarriages were not uncommon and believed that if we tried again, I would not have any more problems. I was wrong. We had another two miscarriages before my doctor sent me for tests. She tested for antibodies, thyroid issues and progesterone levels, but nothing came up abnormal.
The tests
I had another miscarriage, and decided to see a fertility specialist. We tested for karyotypes (to make sure that my husband & my dna was compatible), and Mike had his sperm tested. I was put on chlomid and prednisone and monitored closely. The clomid made me quite bitchy – poor Mike!
I also went to a blood specialist, who did a whole battery of tests on my blood. eventually they found out that I have sticky platelets – similar to the antiphospholipid syndrome, but harder to diagnose.
I had to inject myself daily with a blood thinner (Clexane), and my husband would give me another injection of progesterone.
Blood sugars
Despite this being the only thing that they could find wrong with me, I continued to miscarry at around 6-8 weeks. I researched a lot on the internet, as well as talking to other people who had gone through similar issues. I suspected that I had insulin resistance, although my doctor at the time did not think so, because I don’t have trouble conceiving. I went ahead and did the test privately, and my blood sugar came back as abnormally high.
I started to eat like a diabetic and took Metformin to help control the blood sugar, which helped me to lose about 8kgs. Despite the medicines, we did not see a heartbeat for pregnancies 2 – 7.
Life coaching
In the meantime, I’d begun studying to become a life coach, which was a great tool for managing my stress, especially around the pregnancies. I found out I was pregnant for the 8th time. We followed the same medical routine, and I worked on good outlets for my emotions – talking, writing and helping other people who were going through the same thing.
The shock
At about 7 weeks (over a long weekend), I started to spot again. I didn’t bother to call the doctor, because I knew what to expect. I was going to take some painkillers to avoid the pain of the impending miscarriage, but I stuck it out, preferring to wait until the first cramp hit. I waited and waited, and cried. Eventually, after the long weekend, I booked an appointment with my gynae so that we could schedule a D&C.
Mike & I went to the gynae at around lunchtime. The ultrasound totally shocked Mike & I – there was a heartbeat!! We cried.
The joy
About 8 months later, we had a perfectly healthy baby, weighing in at 3.68kgs - Joshua had finally joined our family.
