Things to help you through a miscarriage at home

• ​Maternity pads or heavy flow sanitary pads. 

  • Maternity pads are usually located with other sanitary products in the supermarket. ​

  • It is a good idea to monitor how long it takes to fill up a maternity pad. 

• Hot water bottle/wheat bag​.

• Lots of comfy undies.

• Old towels to lie on at night.

• Deep breathing.

• Lying down.

• Pain relief (1)

  • Paracetamol (Panadol) is a good place to start with pain relief. Generally it can start working in a few hours but with miscarriage pain it may take a couple of doses to have an effect. It may be best to take Paracetamol every 4 to 6 hours to a maximum of 8 tablets in a day, preferably starting before the pain is too strong. 

  • Ibuprofen (Nurofen) has an increased bleeding risk so you may want to talk to your midwife before using it.

• Stronger pain relief (1)

  • 25mg of Diclofenac can be given out by a pharmacist for miscarriage pain relief depending on your medical history and current conditions and medications. Like Ibuprofen, Diclofenac also comes with an increased bleeding risk.

  • Codeine can be purchased from the pharmacy in products like Nurofen Plus or Panadeine.

  • Otherwise Diclofenac and Codeine require a prescription, which you can ask for at your local medical centre. 

• A support person.

  • If you need to go to the hospital you will need someone to drive you.

• Medical Certificate for sick leave from work (not all workplaces require this).

  • Your midwife could write this for you or you could get one from your doctor if you are keeping your miscarriage a secret from your colleagues. If you call your medical centre and ask to speak to the nurse and explain your situation, the nurse may be able to arrange the doctor to email you a certificate without needing to go in.

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