Miscarriage Week 5

A Miscarriage at Week 5 is still difficult on your body and heart. Let’s look at what to expect, symptoms of early miscarriage, and miscarriage chances by week.

Miscarriage is always hard. It doesn’t matter if we are 3 weeks, 5 weeks, or 12 weeks. It is heart-wrenching. Maybe you aren’t sure if you are experiencing miscarriage or not. As a mother-baby nurse and someone who has experienced this personally, I’m here to guide you through it. Let’s look at miscarriage at week 5.

Miscarriage Week 5

Miscarriage is when a baby dies in the womb before 20 weeks gestation. If a baby dies in the womb after 20 weeks, it is considered a stillbirth. We don’t know every reason miscarriage happens, but many may be due to genetic problems. Regardless, your loss is still a loss and it matters.

This article will focus on Miscarriage at Week 5 because miscarriage rates at this time are at 21.3%. As we get further along in pregnancy, our miscarriage probability drops. This week is one of the most common times that women experience a miscarriage. Once we reach 6 weeks, our probability of miscarriage drops below 5%.

Below are the miscarriage chances by weeks based on the percentages given by Medical News Today.

What is happening in my body at 5 weeks pregnant?

Some women may not realize they are pregnant at 5 weeks, however, some may already be having symptoms. Hormones are beginning to surge and a pregnancy test will read positive. According to What to Expect, baby is now the size of an orange seed. The circulatory system and heart have already begun developing, and genetics are already decided.

With having been pregnant and given birth three times prior to my loss, my body responded to the pregnancy quite early. I felt swimmy in my head, a bit of fatigue, and bloated. I knew I was pregnant even before I took the test. I ended up taking about five pregnancy tests just to be sure, and all were positive. A visit to my doctor confirmed that I was indeed pregnant. My due date was set and I began having dreams of a baby girl. Losing these early symptoms was one of the first reasons I knew something was wrong.

Symptoms of Early Miscarriage

I’ll never forget the moment something changed. It was like a switch had flipped off. All of the fatigue, bloating, and “swimmy” feelings suddenly disappeared. I felt normal again. Had I picked up something too heavy? Did I eat something wrong? Did I push it too hard?

Immediately I took another pregnancy test. It read positive. “But something feels off,” I thought. About two days later, I experienced vaginal spotting. I had never had that with my other babies. The bleeding was bright red. Even though there wasn’t a large amount, bright red bleeding is rarely normal in pregnancy. I visited my doctor again. She tried to reassure me that things may be okay. Time would tell. I wanted so badly to believe her.

But the bleeding increased, and I began to cramp. The cramps didn’t feel like normal period cramps. They felt like post-birth cramps: after-birth pains. It felt like I was having contractions. And I was. My body was birthing my five-week-old. I lay on the floor of my sunroom that day deeply sobbing. It would be five days before my doctor confirmed what I already knew was true. I had lost my baby.

Miscarriage Recovery at 5 Weeks

As your body heals, you will continue to bleed for several days. Cramping is normal, and you may feel discomfort in your low back and abdomen. Over-the-counter Ibuprofen and heat packs will help relieve these symptoms. Only use pads during this time; no tampons or douching. Avoid sex for 2 weeks as your body and emotions heal.

If you take a pregnancy test during your miscarriage, it may read positive. It can take several weeks for the HCG hormone to decrease back down to zero. Your doctor may want to draw labs and make sure it is decreasing as it should be. If your uterus doesn’t fully evacuate the pregnancy, your doctor may need to help it along by performing a D&C (dilation and curettage).

You may feel discomfort in your breast from engorgement or may have milk leakage, especially if you’ve given birth before. Wear a well-fitted bra with no underwire (like a sports bra), take ibuprofen if desired, and use ice packs to manage the discomfort. About two days after I began to miscarry, I woke up in the middle of the night from my milk coming in. It feels like a cruel joke having breastmilk but no baby to nurse.

Miscarriage Week 5

I wish I could tell you that your emotions heal just as quickly as your body, but this isn’t usually the case. More than likely you will experience grief as I did. You will probably move through the stages of grief (shock and denial, anger and guilt, depression and despair, and finally acceptance) more than once. Many times these stages don’t come in order. We may feel we finally have moved out of anger and guilt, only to find we are experiencing it once again a month down the road. Healing takes time.

It isn’t your fault.

No, you didn’t lift something too heavy. No, it wasn’t because you did something wrong, or you questioned whether it was the right timing to have a baby. There are some things we just won’t understand this side of heaven. I’m so sorry this has happened to you. Know that you are not alone.

Just because this happened once, doesn’t mean it will happen again. Only 1% of women have repeat miscarriages.

Unfortunately, well-meaning people may make it worse. Comments such as, “At least you weren’t too far along,” or “Well, you were done having kids anyway,” give us a great opportunity to practice forgiveness. Comments like these are all too common and heap shame on the mother. How can she grieve the loss of her baby if it’s blown off as not a big deal? Mama, your loss matters, your feelings matter, and your baby matters.

To read my personal story of miscarriage see The Grief Bearer. You may also like The Broken Hallelujah