My experience at 7 +3 weeks was very positive and I'm so grateful

I have just had a medical abortion at 7+3 weeks. I feel the need to tell my experience because before I had this done, all I heard were horror stories.

I was fully prepared for the excruciating pain I was told I would have. I am 28 and already have a 17-month-old son. I’m not going to go into detail about my reasons for termination as it’s not really relevant but it just was not the right time, I got pregnant even though I took the morning after pill within 24 hours of intercourse.

I found out I was pregnant at 5 weeks. I had my appointment at the clinic (NHS Hospital) at 7 weeks. They scanned me, confirmed pregnancy and I was given the first pill to take.

I was told it’s unlikely I would have any side effects or bleeding of this pill and I was to come back 2 days later for the second step. The day after this I started to bleed but had zero pain. I had a hangover type feeling the entire day but really was nothing bad. I called the clinic to ask about the bleeding and they said it was fine and to still come in the next day as planned.

The bleeding tailed off and I was fine. I arrived at the hospital at 8 am the next day, I decided to stay in the hospital whilst it happened, just personal preference. The nurse inserted 4x pills vaginally at about 9 am, which was uncomfortable but nothing too bad.

I had a c section with my son so not really used to any internal exams so that probably added to that. I walked around a lot, they said that would speed the process up. I watched tv with the 3 nurses who were with me, chatted, drank tea.

It got to 11 am and I still didn’t have a single cramp. The only thing I had was SLIGHT ‘rumbling’ - what I can only describe as the feeling you get 1-2 days before you’re due on and you can just feel a little something down there but not any pain.

I then felt again what I have felt many times during my normal period, a little bit of blood ‘gush’ out onto my pad. I went to the toilet to check. At the hospital they have you use a bedpan in the toilet so they can check everything. I saw there was blood on my pad and just went for a wee whilst I was in there.

Still no cramps at this point, as soon as I started weeing, I felt ‘something’ come out of me and into the pan. Not believing at all that would be it, I had a little look. To me it just looked like tissue about the size of a tangerine, still, I didn’t think that would be it so just left the loo and told the nurse I think it’s started.

She went and checked, she came back about 10 minutes later and told me it’s been confirmed by all of the nurses that I had passed the fetus and placenta and the abortion is complete.

I honestly could not believe it! By 11.30 I was discharged and sent home. When I got home I bled ALOT. All the large clots that you hear in the horror stories did happen, I had 3 sanitary pads on at one point laying on the sofa, I fell asleep. I woke up completely drenched!

I just stayed on the toilet for a while and it eased. Although I had loads of bleeding and clots, there was NO pain. I had some regular period cramping throughout the day AFTER I passed the pregnancy but nowhere near as bad as some of my actual period pains of the past. I had diarrhoea quite bad too but honestly, it was not bad.

It is now the day after and I am still bleeding of course but I feel completely normal. Now, I am not writing this to make people think it was a walk in the park. It was NOT. The emotional side is a different story.

I am writing this for people who were like me and terrified of the process. I know everyone is different and I know myself some girls who have had horrible pain, but it’s not always like that. My experience was very positive and I am so grateful. I hope this eases at least one person's worries who has to go through this awful experience.