Last week, on October 15, the world celebrated Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I?ll admit, this is one of those ?holidays? I didn?t know about. In fact, I didn’t know it existed at all…until I scrolled through Instagram and saw countless friends and loved ones sharing their stories of loss and grief.
As I scrolled through my feed, clutching my five-month-old daughter to my chest, I was struck by the tragedy shared by so many women. I was also surprised by how little many women (including myself) know about miscarriages?and how scary it must be to navigate that storm on your own. Here are a few things you should know about miscarriages.
1. Your Body Has to Recover
From the moment you become pregnant, your body immediately starts changing to accommodate the growing little one. Hormones rise, your breasts swell, your uterine lining thickens. Your body puts in extra work to make things comfortable for that baby?which can explain why pregnancy is an EXHAUSTING experience. After a miscarriage, your body tries to go back to ?normal.? This process isn’t easy: the uterine lining sheds, your hormones change violently, and if you have to have a D&C (Dilation and Curettage: a surgery to remove the fetus from the uterine lining), you?ll have to undergo major surgery.
You need to give your body time to recover from this rapid change. You may feel tired. You may lose hair (due to sudden hormone fluctuations). You may not get a period for weeks after the m...