#pregnancyafterloss

[memyself024]

COVID-19 Vaccine During Pregnancy Helps Protect Newborns, CDC Study Reveals

[queen-esther]

Weirdly enough, r/PregnancyAfterLoss used to be comforting to me before I got pregnant again, but now that I’m actually pregnant, I’ve been needing to stay away. There are too many posts on there about second and third trimester losses, or someone will post seeking reassurance for an upcoming anatomy scan only to be met with, “Hi! Not to scare you, but my 20 week ultrasound is when I found out my baby had a fatal heart defect and couldn’t survive outside of the womb. Hope all goes well! ❤️” Having all these 0.X% chance scenarios concentrated into one online space makes them sound a lot more common than they actually are, so it’s easier to freak out about leaking amniotic fluid or the baby dying from a knot in the cord or whatever.

[stylishleeds]

So full of love on the inside & out 🤎🙏🏽 Its so crazy to think we’re so close to meeting our little girl. This time last year my life was so much different & I was losing all hope…and now a year later I’m almost fully cooked & waiting for the BIG day 😭 I hope I’ve given any of my TTC mamas a little bit of hope to keep going 🤍 • • • • #natashaleeds #natashaduhaney #prenancyannouncement #rainbowbaby #rainbowbabyannouncement #ihadamiscarriage #lifeafterloss #pregnancyafterloss #pregnancyjourney #infertilityawareness #miamiblogger #miamicontentcreator #miamiinfluencer #pregnancyfashion #bumpfashion #shein #sheinhaul #feminineenergy #blackcreatives #devinefeminine (at Miami Design District) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb22iljOhiY/?utm_medium=tumblr

[fosterthoughts]

The echo went okay today. Baby girl was comfy all curled up, spine up/face down which wasn’t a great angle for the techs and doctors, but I think they were still able to see a lot. They didn’t express concern in that area at least; just that she was snuggled up in an inconvenient place.

The scan took maybe an hour and a half, and then doctor met with us afterwards. She said that baby girl has a tiny hole between her ventricles but that it will most likely resolve itself either before or very soon after birth.

Also her aortic valve and her aortic arch are both on the small side. It sounds like they are relatively even - no pinched spots or anything, but they are smaller than they’d like. This means that, after birth when she starts oxygenating her own blood, it might not allow enough flow to get to her lower organs. They said this was unlikely but possible, and we will keep monitoring it. As I understand it, it’s not at all a big deal in utero since I’m providing all the oxygenated blood while her lungs continue to develop. So, worst case she might need surgery after birth, special meds, or just need monitoring for while. (If I have any medical friends reading feel free to weigh in here.)

We have another echo in a month to see how things progress. It’s not ideal but I feel like it could be much much worse.

I’m always relieved when I get to see her heart beating on ultrasound. Our girl is still with us.

[fiddlingliesl]

Our little #rainbowbaby Mikko John was conceived after two heartbreaking miscarriages last year. #pregnancyafterloss is TOUGH. It is filled with fear and anxiety - but looking back, I know in my heart of hearts that it was all part of God’s plan. The loss of our two little angels in 2019 caused a helplessness and hopelessness that only He could have brought me out of. That grief caused a conversion in my heart and a longing for happiness and peace in Him that might not have ever happened otherwise. I believe my pregnancy with Mikko was a gift and a chance to continue to test and strengthen my faith. After I discovered we were pregnant with him, every trip to the bathroom was filled with fear that I would discover blood - and so I started to pray this prayer @ally.zi showed me every time I started to walk to the bathroom or went to change clothes: “Jesus, I love you. Everything I have is Yours. Do with me whatever you will.” That means that many many MANY times every day, I surrendered my will to God and made the choice over and over again to place my trust in Him, knowing that He is love and that he created me for love. This powerful prayer Changed. My. Life. And I never would have had the humility to pray it if I hadn’t lost my two angels before Mikko. I have profound hope that the conversion of my heart will continue to deepen each day and I have profound hope that every mama out there who is struggling with fertility, loss and fear and anxiety in pregnancy will experience their own conversion and deepening of faith. God loves us - and He MADE US FOR LOVE - and every time I look at this little face and reflect on my journey to motherhood, I know that TRUTH. 🌈💙 👼🏻 #pregnancyandinfantlossawareness #fertilityawareness #godisgood #madeforlove #prolifegeneration https://www.instagram.com/p/CGfwu_zAipL/?igshid=1xzutz3gro83f

[taylorthewriter]

🌈 🎀

[xonatalieox-blog1]

I promise , this tiny noise , is the best . After having a missed miscarriage, this sound is so.. amazing .

[alittlesunflowergrew]

It's National Infertility Awareness week, and while I might be only 10 weeks away from meeting my first, precious little rainbow girl - it hasn't always been this way. She took a full 7 years of heartache, miscarriages and waiting to even be here.

I am a woman who is 1 in 8 and I can't even tell you how much I will cherish this child that I waited so long for.

To all of the other women out there affected by infertility - whether you have children on earth, whether you have children in heaven, whether you have none at all, whether you are dealing with secondary infertility or if you're struggling to conceive your first - I see all of you. You are so brave and I am so sorry that you are dealing with the same heartache that I have. Stay strong.

[catherinegibbons]

Just the two of us

I’m so late to the party here, but my first blog... here goes...

I don’t even know where to begin really, but I’m laid awake, it’s twenty past five in the morning and as I look across at the baby monitor and see my little starfish fast asleep in her cot I can’t help but start to think of the journey we’ve been on to get to this point. It’s only now, from a distance, I can fully process how I felt then and how I feel now and I realise there’s so many things present me would love to be able to tell past me. I’m not much of a writer but as my mind is spiralling, I feel like writing it all down is going to help. So, this here, is a bit of retrospective therapy, a letter to newly married me, stuff I wish I’d have been told (but probably wouldn’t have listened to because I would’ve thought it was patronising and a load of bull shit) but NOW me can see old me was naive and hurting.

Dear Newly wed Catherine,

Wow, what a day!? Congratulations, we had an absolute blast didn’t we? I promise in three and a half years you’ll still look back on your wedding day and get butterflies and feel so grateful for it. So much is going to happen in the next few years, but I promise it’s all SO worth it. You’ve said from the off that as soon as you’re hitched you’re going to start trying for a baby and I know you’re really excited but things aren’t going to be that simple, sorry. (If this blogging malarkey goes ok, I’ll tell you a lot more about all that but bear with) So your journey won’t be simple. There’ll be a lot of heartbreak, a couple of miscarriages, loads of frustration and long spells of nothingness and it’ll be so shit, your heart will hurt but the outcome is wonderful and you did right all those times you didn’t give up. I know that in the thick of it, when you’re at your most bitter and angry this letter will infuriate you but I wish it was something I could’ve given you then, to let you know it all worked out in the end. So the main thing I want to tell you, is to enjoy the time being just the two of you. You and your lovely husband (he is going to show you just what an amazing human he is through all this. How strong and loving he really is, but don’t forget to check on him and show him the same patience and love he shows you). I promise, I know how much you want a baby, but whilst your going through all the trouble to get there make the most of being a twosome. One day “just nipping out” will be such a luxury, deciding on a whim to go out for tea will be a thing of the past and staying in bed till 12 on a Sunday..... Ha! Smashing a Netflix series in a week may seem a little sad now but you’re going to long for the times you did it one day. When your baby comes along, she’s the best thing ever (yep, you get a girl!) and the amount of time you and Scott spend discussing how beautiful she is, coming to the conclusion she is a child genius and signing her up for the Edinburgh fringe, cause surely everyone will find her raspberry blowing as hilarious as us (right!?) is ridiculous. But I promise there’ll be moments you grieve your previous life of duvet days and last minute plans and times when you long to be able to spend the day cleaning so revel in it now! Have ALL the late nights and long lay ins, get drunk more, book that weekend away, spend the money because 1) you need something to soften the heartache 2) you’ll miss it a bit one day (you ungrateful cow!) and 3) you and Scott are amazing as a three but you were pretty brilliant as a two as well.

Lots of love Catherine of 5.59 am on September 30th 2019

[loveinasoul]

Sharing post/words by @ihadamiscarriage :: Yesterday was National Rainbow Baby Day and all I could think about was anxiety. The anxiety that coursed through my body following my 16-week miscarriage and gushed into my subsequent pregnancy. The anxiety that didn’t necessarily stop once my daughter made it earth side. The anxiety that actually physically and psychologically rattled me so much that I eventually turned to medication. Therapy wasn’t enough. I haven’t shared this part of my journey here (yet), but dove deep into it in my forthcoming memoir/manifesto. The alarm bells of anxiety and how insidious and debilitating and frightening it all was. How pregnancy after pregnancy loss rocked me to the core and rendered me someone new altogether. Let’s be sure that when we talk about rainbow babies, we also include maternal mental health, the mother’s state of mind, the toll this stress can take. _ Yesterday was also my 15 year wedding anniversary. I’m married to a rainbow baby. His mother weathered such an arduous, tragic loss and was terrified beyond measure in her next pregnancy. Another piece of our family puzzle that I explore in a big way in my book... . _ When we talk about rainbow babies let’s also be sure to take note that not everyone gets one. The pain of wanting something so badly and not arriving at it is compelling and potentially soul crushing. As always, let this be a community and a place to lay it all out, out loud, in all its sullied truth amidst hope and despair, gratitude and grief. _ #IHadAMiscarriage #nationalrainbowbabyday #pregnancyafterloss #ptsd #maternalmentalhealth #anxiety #medication #SSRIs #lifeafterloss // Photo by @elliana_allon. https://www.instagram.com/p/B1hTm0SH5KK/?igshid=ljm3gypz7c4v

[regansheasparks]

Our Pregnancy Journey:

Pregnancy Journey: 

We started trying to get pregnant in August of 2018, every month there was more and more negative pregnancy tests. I kept taking them even though I knew I wasn’t pregnant just hoping for a positive to show up. By January 2019, I was having very intense periods. They came with crippling pain that just seemed to not be letting up at all. I had always had really rough periods but they were just getting worse I felt. I started asking my doctor what we could do because I felt that there might be a bigger issue than just a normal period. We talked about a few different conditions and medical conditions that ran in my family on my moms side to see if that could be an issue. We ended up doing an Laparoscopy on February 13th, 2019 to see if I had endometriosis. After surgery, I was told I did indeed have endometriosis and that he cleaned it all out while I was in surgery. That was good and bad news. I knew that it can and will always come back and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to have kids. He reassured me that I still have just as much of a chance as anyone else. I was feeling very good about it all. The healing process was about a week or so, and then I started feeling much better. 

On the 26th of March I woke up in the wee hours of the morning and had this very weird feeling that I needed to take a pregnancy test, but I was like no - just go to the bathroom and go back to bed so I wouldn’t get my hopes up. So then I got up and was getting ready for work and decided to go ahead and take it. I hadn’t even had a period since my surgery which was so odd. The test was faint but it was positive, I immediately started freaking out and was like yeah there’s no way this isn’t real - I just had surgery and my levels must be messed up right? So, I took another two tests with me to work and decided that I would give it some time and then I would take another one. Well the next one was positive too. I still was like freaking out but in denial that the tests were faulty. Then I took a 3rd test, still thinking it was fake positive. (Usually if you get 2 they’re real……) So on my lunch break I drove to the store and got the digital pregnancy tests by Clearblue that come in a pack of 2! I was sure these would be negative. I took one and it was FAULTY - it said error and was defective so there was no result. Of course by this point I have to wait a little while because I don’t have to go to the bathroom yet. It’s been about a few hours or so I want to say and I took that test and gave myself a pep talk in the bathroom mirror while it was loading (YES - I know i’m weird). About 2 minutes later I go to grab the test and it says *PREGNANT*. If you know me at all, you know that I am shaking and crying and extremely overjoyed but also freaking out all at the same time. I knew I had to tell Derek that night because I can’t keep a secret or a surprise from him - its sooooooooo hard. I texted my friend who has a cricut and was like look, I get off in a few hours can you please make me a baby onesie that says “FACT YOU’RE GOING TO BE A DAD” with the Dwight Schrute glasses on it. I then told Derek I had to run an errand for a surprise for him when I get off work. I ran over to her house and grabbed that onesie and headed home. I haven’t gotten to post this video anywhere so I will post it below of his sweet face when he found out he was going to be a daddy. 

We had an appointment to see how far along we were on Friday - April 12th, 2019. We then found out that we were about 6 weeks along! Later on that night I started having some really intense cramping and was starting to get scared that something was happening. It let up and I went to bed and just tried to relax. Saturday morning April 13th, I was having some more pain and slight bleeding. I called the doctor and they said if the bleeding is not bright red and heavy to not worry. The pain became intense - I had another appointment coming up that following tuesday and I was trying to make it to then but the pain became too intense and the bleeding got heavier. I was in so much pain - I had Derek take me to the Emergency Room. After a few hours of being in the ER and having ultrasound and blood work done, we were told that we lost the baby. As you can imagine this was one of the hardest things we have ever dealt with. Time heals all wounds and this was not something that we would just heal from or forget. This would take time, and a lot of it. Even though we lost this baby at 6 short weeks the pain of losing him/her was unbearable. Any and all loss is hard loss.

On May 18th, 2019 the day we got back home from seeing System of a Down in Ohio, Derek told me that I needed to take a pregnancy test. I was like oh hush, there’s literally no way I’m pregnant right now. So I took a test just because he said I should and well…. it was positive. Not even faint, this was VERY POSITIVE. I was SHOCKED. Our first doctors appointment was on June 7th and we found out we were 8 weeks pregnant already. I had no idea how this was even possible and my doctor couldn’t believe it either. They said its possible that I was pregnant with twins and lost one, but the timeline still does not add up. Nothing makes sense as to how we’re pregnant and how far along we were at the time we found out. It’s literally a miracle, this baby is a miracle. As I’m writing this it is October 29th, 2019 and tomorrow I am going to be 29 weeks pregnant with this rainbow miracle child. 

He is due on January 15th, 2020 and his name is Kai Anthony Sparks. 

I’m writing about our pregnancy journey to show those struggling with pregnancy loss not to give up. We stopped trying and it happened again for us. I hope that our story helps one of you who might be struggling with pregnancy loss. Please reach out to me if you need to talk or ask me any questions that might help you get through your journey. 

[mawmaloves-blog]

Pregnancy After Loss

Being pregnant is not easy... especially after losing 2. I'm going to use this space to tell my story and vent about my anxieties. I am currently 23 weeks pregnant after losing 2 pregnancies. I had a chemical pregnancy and started bleeding at 5.5 weeks and went to the hospital to find out. It was terrifying and heartbreaking, but we were told to try again right away. We got pregnant again right away, I had morning sickness and everything. I went in for my 8 week appt at a midwife (different than the obgn I used for my daughter) they looked for the heartbeat, thought they may have heard it and sent me to my ultrasound the following week. In the ultrasound I watched the tech check over and over again for my little beans heatbeat. I knew something was wrong but the tech left the room and told me to answer the room phone if it rings. Of course it rings about 10 mins later and they said "your baby is the appropriate size but unfortunately has no heartbeat." I dropped the phone and just cried, my husband grabbed and hugged me, but it was the worst moment of my life. I didn't know what to do next, I couldn't believe they told me over the phone. They sent us home and my husband called the ob I used for my daughter and asked her what to do. I had a scheduled d&c 3 days later because I was terrified of miscarrying naturally. For me it was the best choice, but it was the longest 3 days of my life waiting to get an appointment for it. I just laid in bed and cried and ate chocolate for 3 days. Once the procedure was done, I still ate all the chocolate and cried but had to continue to live my life with my daughter. More to come...

[stylishleeds]

9 Months 💖 I'm under a month away from delivering our first child and despite the ups & downs on this journey I couldn't feel more blessed. I'm truly savoring these last weeks but also counting down the days until I get to bring this beautiful miracle into the world! 💖 Dress is from @muehlederlabel by @girlinthewhiteglasses Heels @misslola (I wore them for 5mins 🤣) • • • • • #natashaleeds #natashaduhaney #prenancyannouncement #rainbowbaby #rainbowbabyannouncement #ihadamiscarriage #lifeafterloss #pregnancyafterloss #pregnancyjourney #infertilityawareness #miamiblogger #miamicontentcreator #miamiinfluencer #pregnancyfashion #bumpfashion (at Fort Lauderdale, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbh-3OCOiIx/?utm_medium=tumblr

[teachingrounds]

Carrying a pregnancy after a loss brings a new level of stress to the potential joy of new life. Mother and advocate Lindsey Henke (Founder and Executive Director of Pregnancy After Loss Support or PALS) offers her perspective on pregnancy after loss.

[marietj79]

Sara has been through such a rough year so far! We are so excited and scared at the same time. Help us to celebrate the new little life growing inside Sara!! #rainbowbaby #rainbow #positivevibes #pregnancyafterloss https://www.instagram.com/p/CTVxvM3JIEB/?utm_medium=tumblr

[taylorthewriter]

Thank you God for blessing me with my Rainbow baby girl 🌈🎀❤️

My angel will be here soon 🥰