Bounce back from this loss

Dr Karnika Tiwari

Pregnancy loss can be a traumatic experience for any woman. It can leave many physical and emotional consequences in its wake. Suffering such a loss, no matter what stage of pregnancy it was in, is hard and a return to ‘normal’ life after a miscarriage can cause be stressful. However, it is possible to restore your body’s physical and emotional strength and resume a regular life by paying attention to your diet and workout routine.

After a miscarriage or MTP, you need to give your body time to recuperate from the shock it has experienced.

The miscarriage may still cause your body to experience fatigue, nausea and related hormonal symptoms.

Routine checkups with your doctor and physical examinations aside, need to make some lifestyle changes to return to a healthy body and perhaps even consider conceiving again.

Eat right

Taking care of your diet and nutrition is extremely crucial to help you recover emotionally and physically. A balanced diet with all essential nutrients can help you chart a path to physical recovery easily. Iron-rich foods such as spinach, brinjal, lentils, sesame seeds, beans, red meat and fish are a must in your diet to prevent iron deficiency. If you have suffered extreme blood loss, get yourself tested for anaemia. If necessary your physician will prescribe iron supplements.

If the pregnancy loss was at an advanced stage, you will need to supplement calcium in your diet as during pregnancy the body’s calcium reserves are used for the foetus’ growth.

Hence, include calcium-rich foods such as dairy products, citrus fruits, dark green leafy vegetables and dry fruits such as figs in your daily diet

Protein-rich foods are a must to enhance cell repair in the body after a pregnancy loss. Consume lean protein foods such as fish, rajma, moong sprouts, arhar dal, nuts, egg whites, etc. which will help your body heal.

To restore your body’s vigour and conceive again, folate-rich foods must also be part of your diet. Spinach, peas, broccoli, bhindi or okra, chickpeas, and even citrus fruits are rich in folic acid and can be consumed safely to restore the levels of folic acid in the body.

Avoid foods high in carbohydrates and low in fibre after a pregnancy loss as they may hamper your recovery. Also restrict the consumption of meat and dairy products with high fat content as these cause inflammation in the body and can increase pain after a miscarriage.

Exercise for energy

Some women may experience few postpartum symptoms, depending on the pregnancy stage when the miscarriage happened. Exercise can be a good solution to beat these blues and restore physical and mental strength but do not over exhaust yourself. You may also resume exercise/gym a few days after your pregnancy loss only if you have the go-ahead from your physician. Exercise can be beneficial in helping you regain your energy and in reducing the symptoms of anxiety and stress often reported by women who faced a pregnancy loss. However, do remember the key is in taking things slow and not pushing too hard as your body is still recuperating from the painful physical and emotional changes.

Walking is the safest exercise to take up after a pregnancy loss. Begin with as much distance as you are comfortable with in the initial days and then increase the distance gradually. Walking strengthens entire body and is good for rebuilding muscle and bone strength after a miscarriage.

You can also include pelvic floor strengthening exercises and a routine to strengthen the stomach, especially lower abdomen, lower back and leg exercises in your workout routine. These exercises will help in strengthening your inner muscles and allow the tissues around the vagina to heal. Practicing pelvic floor exercises will also prepare your body for a new pregnancy and prevent another miscarriage.

Resuming to exercises can be good if you have a go-ahead from your doctor. If you are not experiencing any bleeding or cramping, you can continue with your regular workout routine.

If you are still bleeding after your pregnancy loss or are feeling bloated, you can practice yoga as part of your exercise and wellness routine. Yoga can help you find emotional and physical harmony, enabling you to relax and also strengthen your body. These are a few asanas that can be practised after a pregnancy loss. These will strengthen pelvic floor, abdomen, back and legs etc. Gently practise supta baddha konasana (reclining bound angle pose), vajrasana (thunderbolt pose), bidalasana/marjaryasana (cat/cow pose), parsvakonasana (side angle pose), utkata konasana (goddess pose), utkatasana (chair pose ), setu bandha sarvangasana (bridge pose), supta baddha konasana (reclined cobblers pose) and last but not the least shavasana.

A pregnancy loss is a time of emotional and physical upheaval but you can recover from it with a little determination and the support of your loved ones. Time is a healing factor, so hold yourself together and take time to move to new beginnings, with a healthy mind and body.

— The writer is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, Motherland Hospital, Noida