Possible Complications From Self Injuries in Early Pregnancy
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
I am currently fifteen weeks pregnant and am now very happy about it. Initially though I was terrified and was trapped in a difficult position where abortion was impossible. I was so sure I could not have the baby that I thought perhaps I could bring on a miscarriage myself.
I have never felt so ashamed of my actions, I punched myself in the stomach and deliberately threw myself down some stairs. I know this is unbelievable and disgusting and I regret it so much. At the time I was about six weeks pregnant.
Could I have damaged the baby permanently? All my scans and tests have come back fine but I am unable to tell my gynecologist as he is a traditional religious man. Please help, I feel so guilty about what I could have done to the baby.
ANSWER
First, I do think it is important that you choose a care provider that you can talk to about anything, including this. But just to reassure you, at 6 weeks, the baby is still well-protected behind your pubic bone, so it is unlikely that you did any permanent damage.
-- Cynthia, CNM. PhD.
Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
