How to Recognise Your Baby During a Miscarriage: A Guide to Identifying Pregnancy Tissue

lrcorcoran67
Dec 4, 2024
3 min read

"Blood clots are red and shiny; your baby will be pink and matte".

These words, spoken by a nurse when I called in desperation, will stay with me forever. Haunting as they were, they gave me a clarity I needed at the time.

Having never miscarried at home before, I had no idea what to expect. I knew there would be blood, clots, and eventually my baby, but I wasn’t sure how to tell them apart. I dreaded looking, yet felt I needed to. So, I examined everything as I miscarried over the toilet, hoping to find my baby amidst it all. The images have never left me.

That experience led me to create the Patent-Pending Collection Device, designed to bring dignity to this painful process—for you and your baby.

If you're unsure, simply keep everything and place it in the storage container provided. The sieve insert sits securely inside, so you don't need to examine anything if you're not ready. Just collect everything, seal the container, and bring it to a healthcare professional who can help identify and support you through the next steps.

When going through a miscarriage, recognising different types of tissue can be both emotionally and practically helpful. Below are some characteristics to help identify the baby and pregnancy tissue.

1. Understanding the Types of Tissue Passed

During a miscarriage, different types of tissue may be passed, including:

Blood Clots: These are often dark red or deep purple, shiny, varying in size. Clots are a common part of the body’s process during miscarriage and are typically softer with a slippery consistency.

Placental Tissue: This tissue can look greyish or light pink, with a thicker, somewhat fibrous texture. It may come out with or separate from blood clots, depending on the pregnancy stage.

Gestational Sac and Baby Tissue: If the miscarriage happens around or after 6-7 weeks of pregnancy, you may pass the gestational sac and possibly recognisable baby tissue. The sac may appear as a small, translucent membrane, often greyish or off-white. Inside, the baby tissue may resemble a very tiny figure or have identifiable parts, depending on the pregnancy stage.

2. Identifying the Gestational Sac and Baby Tissue

Gestational Sac: This sac can vary in size from that of a small grape to slightly larger, depending on how far along the pregnancy was. It typically has a round or oval shape and may be filled with fluid, giving it a balloon-like look and a grey or pale colour.

Foetal Tissue: If the pregnancy was a bit further along, the tissue passed might look like a tiny, recognisable baby form. It may be pink or greyish and may include features such as a head or small limb-like shapes. This tissue will feel denser compared to blood clots and is often described as being more solid.

3. Texture and Colour Differences

Colour: Blood clots are often deep red or dark purple, and shiny, while pregnancy tissue tends to have a lighter colour, like greyish-pink or off-white.
Texture: Pregnancy tissue, such as the baby or sac, feels firmer than blood clots. Blood clots are slippery and easily break apart, while the sac and foetal tissue may feel denser and more structured.

4. Why Identifying Tissue Can Be Important

Some people feel comforted by identifying the baby or pregnancy tissue as part of their grieving process, while others may prefer not to. Recognising these tissues can also be helpful if discussing with healthcare providers, as they may ask if all tissue has been passed. This can help prevent complications, such as an incomplete miscarriage, where tissue remains in the uterus.

Additionally, you may want to consider saving the tissue for cytogenetic testing. This type of testing can sometimes provide insight into why the pregnancy was not viable, which may be helpful for future family planning and for understanding potential underlying causes.

5. Options for the Tissue After Passing

Once pregnancy tissue is passed, some may choose to keep the remains for personal or memorial purposes, while others may prefer healthcare professionals to handle it. If you wish to keep the tissue temporarily or permanently, using a Compassionate Clinical Care Kit can provide a respectful way to store the remains until you decide. This kit also allows you to bring the tissue to a healthcare provider for cytogenetic testing if you’d like to understand more about why the pregnancy may not have been viable.