The loss of a Pregnancy is heart breaking. There's no doubt the emotional & mental stress is heightened after hearing such news. Let's look at a step by step approach to getting yourself back on track after Miscarriage or a non-viable Pregnancy.
If you're thinking to yourself, Why can't I fall Pregnant after Miscarriage? In Chinese Medicine there's an expression: Every miscarriage injures the Qi & Blood.
It requires a lot of energy to begin to make another little human being. It also requires energy when that Pregnancy is deemed unviable and the body begins it's process of eliminating it. Alternatively, having a D & C although it seems more clinical when it comes to miscarriage, blood is lost and the body has to adjust from being Pregnant, to pregnant no longer.
Going through a miscarriage depletes a lot of energy and blood from your system. With additional bleeding involved, even more blood is lost and therefore the minerals that help give you energy are also lost - Iron, B Vitamins.
Step 1: Taking time to Rest....yes!! Rest!
It's simply not as easy as trying again the next month - taking a Rest would absolutely be the first Step. No, You're not sick, but your body is possibly drained, lethargic and exhausted from having a Miscarriage. It's a straight forward issue that many women experience. When women are trying to conceive after miscarriage & wondering why it isn't happening, they must give themselves permission to stop and recover and rest.
This means specifically;
- Lighter workloads (hours in the day, limited duties)
- Less picking up of heavy items including toddlers and gym weights
- More good quality sleep
- Nourishing food
- Meditation or gentle Yoga to build your strength up slowly.
Step 2: Nutrition - Eat to build the Blood & Qi back up again.
- Start eating foods that nourish your blood and BONE BROTH is my go to source. Check out my recipe here. Variations on Fish, Beef & Ham can also be made to extract the nutrients of marrow.
- If you're vegetarian, think of a Vegetable Broth with Shiitake mushrooms, and lots of protein such as bean and legumes or tofu, tempeh.
- Building your blood takes time. Even those with Anaemia often have low iron for long periods of time before their symptoms show externally.
- Start building slow and steady, give yourself plenty of time to strengthen your blood.
Step 3: Supplementation to save time & enhance outcomes
For some, time isn't a luxury and you need to be trying to conceive as soon as possible. (This isn't an ideal situation, as better results come from taking time off and really focusing on building up your strength).
Neverthless, using supplements such as:
- Iron
- B Vitamins
- Methylated B's if your have MTHFR
- Chinese Herbal Medicine - Because "nourishing the blood" is a unique concept to TCM, we have Chinese Herbal Formulas specifically for nourishing the blood in relation to Miscarriage.
Supportive herbs for the blood include Dong Quai Root, Rehmannia, White & Red Peony.
Supportive herbs for the Qi include Astragalus, Ginseng, Licorice & Atractylodis.
Step 4: Professional Consultation & Treatment to save time & enhance outcomes
Seeking advice from your doctor should be high on the priority list. If they have no concerns, and advise you to begin TTC right away, consider Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Nutrition and Naturopathy as therapies that can walk you through a step-by-step plan to get your hormones regulated again and energy levels improved.
The aim should be to:
- Build blood & energy reserves up again
- Bring back a normal menstrual cycle
- Regulate and balance your hormones to begin with a clean slate
- Work on egg quality and ovulation
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]This combined with any "homework" you do such as nutrition & supplementation, sleep & gentle exercise will be a complete strategy to help you recover. [/perfectpullquote]
It seems the pressures on women to continue on with the same high standards after Miscarriage or even when their menstruating is common. Although there are online forums and real-time support groups to receive emotional & mental help from, dealing with Miscarriage is often a hidden and silent experience.
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]Self care is a discipline that we don't often give ourselves permission to prioritise.[/perfectpullquote]
In the case of Miscarriage, it is absolutely paramount that women learn to take care of themselves physically, emotionally & mentally before they attempt trying to conceive again and if they can't do that for themselves, they find someone who can do it for them.
As I started this post; Every Miscarriage injures the Qi & Blood. Without time to recover, the demands on the body are high, setting up the propensity of another miscarriage or even recurrent miscarriage. This can lead you further and further away from Pregnancy as your grief stacks higher and higher, compounding the initial problem; inability to conceive.
So what have you got to lose? Self care + Nourishment + Rest = Closer to better fertility = Pregnancy
I hope you find value in this post and if you'd like to begin a conversation with me, please email me info@springfertility.com.au
Resources If you're in Sydney, Australia:
- For Counselling & Psychology specific for Miscarriage & Pregnancy Loss and you're in Sydney, speak to Sue Hawkins at Your Pregnancy Matters
- For help with dealing with Grief & Loss speak to Tina Bakalla at Release Soul Purpose.
- Here's an interview Tina Bakalla did with me on this website.
- For Functional Nutrition after Miscarriage or Pregnancy loss, I can recommend Linda Funnell-Milner
