ABSTRACT

Approximately one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage but for each woman the experience is unique. This sympathetic and helpful book explores the many different ways in which women physically experience miscarriage and emotionally react to it. Drawing on the experiences of over 350 women, it will help every woman who has miscarried make sense of her loss and find her own way of coping with the confusion that frequently follows.

Many aspects of miscarriage are covered including difficult issues that are often avoided:

* the nature of the loss: tissue, embryo, foetus or baby?
* guilt about an earlier abortion
* explaining miscarriage to other children
* the effect of miscarriage on a relationship
* returning to work after miscarriage
* coping with repeated miscarriages.

The text also provides a set of guidelines to good practice for professionals, based on what women say they find helpful. Professionals who want to evaluate their own practice or develop the service they offer will find this an invaluable reference.

chapter |5 pages

Introduction

part 1|63 pages

The miscarriage

chapter 1|14 pages

‘Then I knew it was all over'

Realising you are miscarrying

chapter 2|13 pages

‘Where's all the blood coming from?’

The physical process

chapter 3|7 pages

‘What did I lose?'

chapter 4|11 pages

‘I gave birth'

Late miscarriage

chapter 5|12 pages

‘It was a baby to me'

part 2|19 pages

The medical response

chapter 6|17 pages

Miscarriage on the NHS

part 3|40 pages

After the miscarriage

chapter 7|6 pages

The physical aftermath

chapter 8|15 pages

‘It's OK to grieve’

Your emotional reaction

chapter 9|15 pages

Sharing the miscarriage

part 4|21 pages

When it's more difficult

chapter 10|10 pages

When it happens again … and again … and again

Repeated miscarriage

chapter 11|9 pages

Added misery

part 5|40 pages

Family, friends and the wider world

chapter 12|12 pages

Relationships with others

chapter 13|9 pages

The world of work

chapter 14|17 pages

‘Mummy, where did that baby go?'

Children's understanding of and response to miscarriage

part 6|20 pages

The way forward

chapter 15|16 pages

‘It's never the same again’

The next pregnancy

chapter |2 pages

Jean's story – part three