Did YOU know?

Did you know that today, October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness day? It kinda gets overshadowed by October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. (An equally important cause, don't get me wrong.)
So today, I am going to talk about my personal experience with pregnancy loss, which, for some reason, is sometimes a taboo subject. The word "miscarriage" seems to make some people (usually NOT the ones who have had it) uncomfortable.
When my husband and I got married, he wanted 5 kids. I wanted 3. We wanted to have them quickly. I got pregnant with my son, Blayke, right away. (Before this, I also had Cierra and had no problems.) My second pregnancy went smoothly. (including morning sickness, heartburn, swollen feet and all!) I delivered a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Miscarriage, in my mind, wasn't even a possibility. In June, a short 10 months after Blayke's grand entrance, I started feelin' nauseous, and knew almost immediately that I was pregnant. I took a test, and sure enough, got a positive! We were ecstatic. I was slightly nervous. Blayke would barely be a year-and-a-half when the new baby would come. Still, miscarriage wasn't even a glitch on my radar. My first appointment was scheduled for 12 weeks. At 11 weeks, I started bleeding and cramping. I made an appointment immediately, and was in later that afternoon. I got an exam, and the doctor "couldn't tell" (somthing to do with my cervix) if I had, in fact miscarried. I was sure I had as I had NEVER experienced cramps like that before, but the fact that he "couldn't tell" gave me some hope. They drew blood. My HCG levels were definitely that of a pregnant woman. They wanted me back in the next day to see if they rose or dropped. Ok, so here I am, emotional anyway, and not sure if I had lost the baby or not. What a mess!
The next day I went in, and got blood drawn again. Later that day, they called, and told me that I had miscarried, and that I needed to come in and get a shot of Rhogam. I was devastated. I never thought for even ONE SECOND that a miscarriage would happen TO ME. I also have to admit, that before I experienced MY miscarriage, I didn't understand how a woman could be sad about losing something you barely knew was there. I get it now. I cried and cried. We had to tell Cierra what happened, and she was devastated. (I had ruined her fond hope of a sister!) Of course, the doc chalked it up to a "normal" loss, and figured there was no reason for further testing.
Fast forward to October that year...Another round of nausea. And again, just like my 3 previous pregnancies, I knew IMMEDIATELY that I was pregnant. A test a week later confirmed it. Now, having had one miscarriage, I was slightly worried, but somehow reasoned that a second loss was impossible. A week after my test, at work, I started bleeding. I knew instantly what was happening. Woody was driving long haul, so I was left, with 2 older kids, to do it alone. I went home, my mom came and picked up my older 2. I cried the night away in both emotional and physical pain. I went in, again, and they immediately confirmed the miscarriage, and gave me another shot of Rhogam. (I have negative blood, so I get 1 with every pregnancy and sometimes 2). Again, they chalked it up to "normal" pregnancy loss.
A year later I got pregnant. Again, I started having some pains. I was around 6 weeks along, and was sure I was about to miscarry. I called and INSISTED on getting in THAT day and getting tests done. I ended up spending from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. getting blood drawn, internal exams, ultrasounds and any other kind of test possible done. They also insisted on ANOTHER Rhogam shot, just in case. (If I wasn't losing the baby, I would have to get it anyway) Well, after all this testing, they found out I had low progesterone, which is what, during the first 12 weeks, keeps the baby alive. I also found out I hadn't miscarried, yet. I had to start my medication immediately in order to keep from possibly losing the baby. (Just so you know, I thought the medication was going to be the death of me! It magnified my morning sickness AND fatigue!) But it worked. I was able to carry Konnor to term with NO more problems.
I don't know what happened between Blayke and the first baby. But I am glad I know what to do to help prevent future losses!
The statistics show that anywhere from 10-75% of fertilized eggs will be lost. 22% of pregnancies are lost before they are clinically detected. 10-25% of clinically detected pregnancies will end in miscarriage. I am here to attest, that, as soon as you see that positive, you love that life that is growing inside of you, and to lose it is devastating. Please, take a moment today, and think about babies lost and those parents who are grieving! Thank you!