Dealing with miscarriages

Donna Kyalimpa, (not real names) a house wife, had three miscarriages which occurred recurrently before she had her first child, who is now three years old. “I followed the instructions that doctors gave me to the letter. But I kept on losing my babies at five or six months. It is sad that I could not do anything to save any of them,” says Donna.

She says it is always best to seek help from experienced doctors immediately one miscarries their first child and cautions against basing on hearsay and assumptions.

“My husband lost hope after I had the third miscarriage. He became an angry man. A friend of mine took me to her doctor who prescribed some drugs for me. I was not sure I could have a baby,” she says.

Break through
After some months, Donna conceived again but says there was no excitement because both of them expected the usual to happen.
“I was so agitated throughout my pregnancy. I expected the worst to happen. As months went by, I successfully carried my baby to full term and joy returned to my home,” she reveals.
Harriet Amagoro says she always felt pain in the tummy and would sometimes get her period, which is an abnormal condition during pregnancy.

That situation pushed her to go for a thorough medical check-up, where the doctor disclosed that she was at a risk of losing her child, adding that her womb was too weak to hold a baby.
When she visited the gynaecologist, he ran some tests on her and prescribed drugs which greatly supported her to carry her child, whom she delivered at eight months.

Common causes
Dr Tamale Ssali of Women’s Hospital, Bukoto says simplifies pregnancy in three stages: that is 0-12 weeks, 13-30 weeks, 30 -40 weeks, making it 280 days in a year.

He says miscarriages that happen between 0-12 days are always due to the foetus congenital anomalies, where the foetus develops bloated genes that deform it.
“30 per cent of mothers in Uganda have had miscarriages due to foetus congenital anomalies and this happens mostly to first time mothers.

But when they seek medical attention early enough, they may not lose their baby,” says Ssali.
Hernz Koojo, a doctor at Clinix hospital, Nsambya says some people lose their babies due to lack of medical attention and consultation, which is common among women who are 13 to 30 weeks pregnant.

“At that stage, expectant mothers may miscarry due to the existence of some chronic illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure and HIV/Aids. Malaria and viral infections should also be treated as soon as the signs are noticed because any delay may cause a miscarriage,” says Koojo.
He says there are some environments that do not favour the growth of a baby.

“For example if the expectant mother gets an accident, chances that the mother will miscarry are very high.
Fibroids that are overgrown also deprive the foetus of enough space to grow, forcing it out prematurely. A weak cervix can easily open and the foetus finds its way out of the womb,” Ssali explains.

Seek medical help
Koojo says people with chronic illnesses should go for regular check-ups and take medication as prescribed by the doctor. “Women with recurrent miscarriages are advised to get a baby through surrogacy,” says Ssali.