Having Another Baby After a Miscarriage

The decision to have a baby is rarely an easy one to make. For those who have experienced a pregnancy loss, this decision can be compounded with even more emotions and medical details than normal.

When to Try Again

Some families choose to try again immediately, while others wonder if they ever want to try again. The decision to no longer try to conceive can be made for a number of reasons, such as a history of fertility-related issues or complications, age of parents, or the chances of successfully conceiving being low.

Some people may wish to try to conceive after a miscarriage, but choose not to do so immediately. Reasons to delay conception may include:

• Surgery in conjunction with your loss (dilation and curettage (D & C), dilation and evacuation (D&E), cesarean section, or laparotomy
• Delay in return to menstrual cycles
• Genetic testing, lab reports, or waiting for autopsy reports
• Emotional issues

Many families feel that taking at least a few months to heal emotionally and physically is right for them. Allowing the freshness of the wounds to heal and the body to be better prepared for the next pregnancy can be very beneficial.

Others feel ready to get pregnant as soon as they are physically able. "I just felt if I could get pregnant and be pregnant when our original due date came around I would be okay," says Amanda, who lost her son at 22 weeks.

Trying to Become Pregnant

If your menstrual cycle has returned from your loss and you did not experience infertility delays with a prior conception, you may not be as concerned about when you will get pregnant as other families who have experienced infertility treatments. Either way, the roller coaster of emotion and hormones is a very real thing. Finding support from your family, friends, support groups, and your doctor or midwife is very important to your emotional well-being.

Some choose to take an opposite path of their original pregnancy, using medications to help them conceive or maintain a pregnancy when they didn't in prior pregnancies or giving up medicinal help when they used it before.

Being healthy and realistic are the only goals you really need to have for this stage. Finding support and taking good care of your body and mind will go a long way to sustaining you in these trying times. You must remember that in addition to attempting to get pregnant you are still grieving the loss of your baby.

Pregnancy After a Loss

While some women will breathe a sigh of relief and think that the hard part is over, many others will find that the innocence of the joys of pregnancy has been replaced by the fears of losing another baby.

Seeking care early in your pregnancy is good for medical and emotional reasons. There may be certain steps that you and your practitioner have decided to use during this pregnancy to try and help prevent another loss. It may be a situation where you simply need the extra reassurance that your pregnancy is going normally.

Decisions about genetic testing can be harder with subsequent pregnancies. Even if your loss was not due to a genetic problem, many mothers find themselves worried about genetic problems and turn to genetics testing and ultrasound for further reassurance.

Some pregnant women change practitioners or plans for where they will have the baby. Keeping in mind that every pregnancy is different is important and for some the need to make it extremely so is important.

The bottom line is that a subsequent pregnancy will not be easy. It will be emotionally, physically and mentally difficult. Your days will vary from rational to irrational thought. It is important that you have a support system who knows you and what is going on and that you feel in control of the medical aspects of your pregnancy when possible.