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Gina rose from the bed, rubbing her temple as a mild headache formed. Her stomach grumbled and she licked her dry lips. She’d have to keep water beside the bed and make sure she stayed hydrated too. Walking to the bathroom, a slight twinge in her stomach surprised her, as though the baby was making itself known. She paused, placing her hand on the invisible mound. It passed. Entering the bathroom, another twinge appeared, and she felt warmth below. She looked down and gasped. A few spots of blood, bright red against the white tiled floor. She fumbled in the drawer for a pad, but with her head foggy with dizziness and her muscles trembling, she worried she might pass out, so she grabbed a towel quickly then held onto the wall, following it into the bedroom. She collapsed onto the bed and picked up her phone.
Should she call her mother? Marvin?
She glanced at the towel and it had a larger amount of blood than she expected.
She called a different number instead. It was probably not necessary but she was scared and didn’t know what to expect.
‘I’m not sure if I need an ambulance?’ Gina’s shaky voice whispered into the phone. ‘I’m bleeding a fair bit, and I’m six weeks pregnant.’
Muffled voices.
Strange sounds.
Then a woman’s face came into focus from the blurry darkness. Gina’s mouth dry, she moistened it with her tongue, and was about to speak when the woman spoke first.
‘Gina, you’re okay. You’re in hospital. I’m Doris, one of the nurses.’
Hospital.
Nurses.
Blood.
Ambulance.
The memories surfaced in her mind, and she looked down, moving her hand to her stomach. There was a tube inserted into a vein on the back of her hand. Her gaze followed it up behind her where a drip bag hung from a stand.
‘Gina, you had a heavy bleed and your blood pressure dropped and you passed out for a little while, but you’re ok.’
‘And… the baby?’
‘We’re just waiting on the results we’ve rushed through, but….’
A nurse came over and whispered to Doris.
‘Ah,’ Doris said. ‘Gina, your beta hCG levels are low for a six-week pregnancy. We were able to compare it with the levels you had tested a week ago with your GP and, unfortunately, they’ve dropped.’
Confusion and fatigue fogged up Gina’s mind as they moved her somewhere to have an ultrasound scan.
‘I’m sorry,’ the radiographer said. ‘But it looks like thispregnancy isn’t viable.’ Doris came in just as she said the words, and held Gina’s hand.
Not viable? Huh? Does she mean...
‘I’m very sorry for your loss. Once the radiologist has checked the scan, we’ll send a report to your doctor. Please make an appointment with her as soon as possible.’
Loss.
I’ve lost the baby.
Where did it go?
As if reading Gina’s thoughts, the nurse spoke. ‘Miscarriage is very common, especially after age thirty-five. It’s nothing you did wrong. Your body will continue to expel the tissue naturally and you can have another scan after you finish bleeding to double check all remnants have passed. In some cases, a procedure called a D and C is required, but as you were so early on, it may not be needed. We’ll send a report to your GP and she can follow up.’
Remnants? Procedure?
‘We’ll keep an eye on you for a bit longer and get you rehydrated till your BP stabilises, but you should be able to go home soon. Just rest up for a few days. I’ll give you some reading material and details of a special counselling service we recommend.’
Counselling?
