Finding Out

If your baby has died in pregnancy or you have been told there are pregnancy complications and you have chosen to end the pregnancy early, you will be supported by the Maternity and Neonatal staff to make decisions about what happens next.

If it is thought that there may be a risk to the mother’s health this will be discussed with you, and the baby may need to be born as soon as possible.  The method of delivery will be discussed depending on individual circumstances.

If there is no immediate risk to the mother’s health you will be given time to think about what to do next. It is usually advised that your baby is born vaginally as this is safer for the mother. If your baby has died in pregnancy you may wish to see if the labour starts naturally over the next few days or you may decide that you would like your labour artificially started by the use of a synthetic hormone. Both options will be discussed with you depending on your individual circumstances.

If you have decided to end the pregnancy due to pregnancy complications, you will be offered to have your labour artificially started when you are ready. The method of augmenting (starting your labour) will again depend on your individual circumstances and the gestation of the pregnancy. A common method is with hormone tablets taken in 2 stages:

The first stage is to take one oral tablet called Mifepristone, this stops the pregnancy hormones. You would then be offered to go home for 36-48 hours to allow this tablet to work. A time will be agreed with you to return to the maternity unit, usually the Benson Suite, to be admitted and start the next stage of the artificial labour. This will be with tablets called Misoprostol, these will start contractions and will be given vaginally or orally depending on your circumstances and preferences.

You will be supported through the labour and options of pain relief will be discussed with you.