eli5 What is a miscarriage? Doctor malpractice involved? Just bad luck? Does the baby always die? Does the mom always die? Bad health choices?
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There are so many reasons a miscarriage can occur. Sometimes is due to a lack of proper development of the baby, a disease, virus or other health factor the baby has. Even an issue with RH factors in the blood that compete and kill the baby, depending on the paretns’ blood types.
Other common issues could be the health of mother. Malnutrition, consuming toxins such as too much alcohol, cigarettes, or even bad deli meats. If mom doesn’t watch her diet, it can result in gestational diabetes.
There are simple issues of the umbilical cord becoming wrapped around baby’s neck and suffocating it. Complications during birth.
Miscarriage is always death.
Depending on how far along in the growth baby is, mom’s body may pass the tissue out following a miscarriage, or if baby is further along a D & C (technically an abortion) may be required which is a medical procedure that surgically enters mom and removes all dead tissue and the baby to prevent potentially fatal infection to the mother.
Bad choices can certainly contribute, but it’s not always anything mom could have done differently. My wife and I lost a baby in the first term, not clear why. My coworker lost her baby a month prior to the due date. Both moms were excellent and did everything by the books but lost the babies.
I also know one mom here in Florida that used hard drugs, has herpes, smoked cigarettes and consumed a lot of alcohol and her baby was born [relatively] healthy (developmental issues are yet to be observed).
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