# When having a natural miscarriage, how do you tell the difference between clots and the sac?



## StephM76 (Jan 13, 2009)

I started miscarrying my baby yesterday when I was 7w1d. I have had a lot of bleeding and have passed around 8 large clots. I wanted to know, how do you know when you've passed the baby? I read the exactly what to expect with a m/c thread on here and so many women wrote about easily identifying it, but everything I've passed just looks like blood clots to me. I feel to have closure I need to be able to see my baby and bury him in the back yard near my cherry tree, so I really want to be able to know what I'm looking for. I feel like it will help with some of the pain I'm experiencing. Thanks in advance for all of your answers.


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## TheMommy (Jan 18, 2011)

I am so very sorry for your loss.

I was only able to notice the sac with one of my miscarriages. I'm not even sure it was the sac, but I saw something that was greyish and not clot-like. I don't truly know if this was my baby. I passed many clots, too.

I'm sorry you are going through this. I wish I had buried that little something, even if I wasn't sure what it was. It would have helped me.


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## KristaDJ (May 30, 2009)

Clots will just break apart easily kind of like jello. I would go through all the clots looking for something that didn't break apart. The sac will most likely be attached to the placenta still and the placenta will not break apart in your hands. If you don't find anything it may not have developed to that stage or may have reabsorbed. In that case I'd just bury the clots mama.


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## theboysmama (Sep 21, 2005)

I am so sorry for your loss. I agree with krista but for me the clots were very dark (burgandy). 2 of my m/c I did not see a sac (the baby had been absorbed I presume as with one of them I had a perfectly formed placenta). With the m/c where I saw the sac it was greyish/tanish and kind of round (the clots were just blobs that would lay flat on a surface, the sac would not). I agree with krista about just burrying everything or at least saving what you can in a ziploc until you are pretty sure the m/c is complete then you can bury what you wish.


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## lil_stinkyfeet (Nov 12, 2006)

with my 8w miscarriage the sac was obvious it was light colored with fluid and tissue in it. It wasn't attached to the placenta but it did have remenants of the cord attatched to it. I passed the placenta seperately and it was also obvious what it was.

I'm sorry for your loss


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## ZinniaGarden (Sep 9, 2010)

With my first mc I thought I had passed everything - LOTS of HUGE clots and a bit of tissue but nothing I could say looked like baby. But then it was an empty sack so I knew I would not see baby. Contractions stopped and bleeding slowed down but did not stop. 5 days later at work (I was an RN) I told my doctor that the bleeding had not stopped and my back hurt. The gestational sack had gotten hung up at my cervix and I had not passed it. He took it out at his office.

Also, please know that you may not actually see the baby. This early you are most likely to see the gestational sack like the PP described but not the actual baby. I have read that sometimes you can open the sack and see the baby if it is inside the sack.

I am so very sorry for your loss. Heartbreaking.


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## StephM76 (Jan 13, 2009)

Thank you everyone. It is an empty sac so I'm not sure if I'll see anything at all. Went to the ER and it is still in there right by my cervix but it is not coming out. They gave my cytotec to attempt to naturally expel it but I have had three doses and no cramps at all. I am just tired of the waiting and waiting.


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## TheMommy (Jan 18, 2011)

Best of luck with the cytotec. I had it for one of mine. Sending you hugs. This is such a physically and emotionally difficult time. My thoughts are with you. Do you have anyone with you?


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## thencamehenry (Jul 15, 2009)

My baby stopped growing around 7 weeks and I had a miscarriage at home with Cytotec. I did not see anything identifiable as a sac or baby, but some bits of gray tissue mixed in with the clots here and there. I suspect that the "products of conception" had already broken down some by then because I didn't miscarry until about 3 weeks after the baby stopped growing.

As I was waiting for the Cytotec to kick in my husband and I made plans to bury remains but I didn't really have much to bury. I agree that you could save the clots and know your baby is in there. For me it was healing to have a physical reminder of the baby. I chose a butterfly necklace because I read online that butterflies can be symbolic of miscarriage because they bring joy as they flutter into your life and then quickly disappear, an analogy for the lost baby. This one in particular is made up of two hearts symbolizing my husband and me with a small "baby" in the middle. Usually I would find all that pretty cheesy but it helped at the time and I can wear the necklace whenever I feel the desire.

I'm sorry about your loss and I hope everything goes well with the Cytotec. I had an easy time with it, though it took about 6 days to be completely over.


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## bcblondie (Jun 9, 2009)

I'm not sure when your baby passed, but if they could see the sac on ultrasound I'm sure you'll see it fairly easily when you pass it. My baby died at 8.5 weeks. The sac was almost as long as my palm. You couldn't miss it if you tried. It was still intact. Full of fluid with a tiny, 2 cm long baby floating inside, still attached to his cord. I burried my baby in my yard, like you plan to, and it was very healing.


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## mamanoish (Feb 9, 2011)

I'm so sorry for your loss. I don't know how to explain what to expect. I just MC last week at 7w 4d, and have stopped bleeding after 7 days. I had a lot of clots and the greyish tissue. Looking at everything was much too hard for me. I have a feeling that my baby was never developing correctly, so I'm not sure if mine is a "typical" loss as far as passing the baby. I passed naturally with no intervention. I never had pregnancy symptoms (although I had positive tests), but never had a U/S or heard the heartbeat as I lost the baby 2 days before my first real prenatal appt. I would have liked to see my baby and bury it. I still feel guilt wondering if my baby had been thrown away or flushed. But I just wasn't thinking at the time, I just wanted it to not be real. Many hugs and thoughts go out to you.


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