Abortion. - Help.com

I am afraid it would be too late for the pill that late and I would be surprised if you weren’t showing - it is at this stage that the baby starts to develop fingernails. Maybe consider alternatives to abortion - adoption, for example?
Good luck :) You know what is right for you, just remember though that you won’t want to regret anything later on…

b00 wrote:
It’s not me in the situation, a friend of mine is. The abortion has already taken place, i just wanted to understand more about it. Keeping it was never an open i’m afraid, she was only 16.

Ah - sorry that I assumed it was you (I had that thought afterwards). If she made the decision, it was probably the best one for her :) The abortion is painless for the embryo - I believe a similar method to the pill is used but I am notto sure on the specifics.

Generally with an abortion if the person is up to 4 months pregnant, they would need to consider the surgical procedure. The pill form is usually used during the beginning stages of pregnancy, usually within the first few weeks.

At 16 weeks you’ll have knows you were pregnant for likely some time; so I’m guessing you’ve been deliberating on this for a while. I think you’d have spent as much time thinking about the descision one way or the other in this time to know what you truly want.

I don’t want to get all medical on you; but the fetus does not have discernable fingernails at 16 weeks, although it does have individual nascent fingerprints. A 16 week fetus does also not have any synapses; meaning that there are is no nervous system. It can’t feel anything. Some people hate to think of the fact that the fetus can feel any pain. It can’t.

Ref:
Zabinski, Mark. Forensic Series Seminar, Pastore Chemical Laboratory, University of Rhode Island (February 2003)

Illes, Judy. Neuroethics: Defining the Issues in Theory, Practice, and Policy (Oxford University Press 2006): “The first sign of electrical brain activity occurs at the end of week 5 and the beginning of week 6 (Brody 1975). This is far from the beginning of conscious brain activity; it is primitive neural activity. […] synapses start forming during week 17 and multiply rapidly around week 28, continuing at a rapid pace up until 3-4 months after birth. However, despite all this amazing and rapid growth and development, it is not until week 23 that the fetus can survive, with major medical support, outside of the womb. Before this, the fetus is simply laying the foundations for a brain–a very different thing from having a sustainable human brain.”

Yeah I started writing before the other posts. Soz.

Dilation and Evacuation (D&E): between 13 to 24 weeks after LMP

This surgical abortion is done during the second trimester of pregnancy. At this point in pregnancy, the fetus is too large to be broken up by suction alone and will not pass through the suction tubing. In this procedure, the cervix must be opened wider than in a first trimester abortion. This is done by inserting numerous thin rods made of seaweed a day or two before the abortion. Once the cervix is stretched open the doctor pulls out the fetal parts with forceps. The fetus’ skull is crushed to ease removal. A sharp tool (called a curette) is also used to scrape out the contents of the uterus, removing any remaining tissue.

Pretty brutal.

Just gotta get on with it. Life isn’t all happiness and joy, you make the best of what you can and try and forget about the bad stuff.

Well, if you are trying to understand what is going on with your friend right now, after the abortion, I can say that she is probably feeling confused,and relieved, and empty,feeling she is worthless, and scared,and sometimes she may even feel angry.

She is going to be going through the stages of grief-eventhough she may not understand what is going on with her feelings, she’s going to be up and down for a while. Something happens to a person when they have a life inside of them, and nothing can prepare a person for that, and those feelings do not go away over night, or when the pregnancy is terminated.

Some people slip inside themselves and begin to self medicate the pain away. Trying to find redemption and forgiveness in something that they thought and they knew in their heart was a good idea, but the maternal instincts speak other wise.

Be there for your friend, and encourage her to talk to someone. Maybe when she is ready, she could write a letter to her child, and then sending it on a pond, a creek, or lighting it on fire…

She’s gonna need a friend who isn’t going to judge. Try to be that for her.

Thanks.
Hugs.

i doubt shes feeling worthless, after all, having an abortion isnt any indication of her worth.

she is probably upset though, the hormones that were present during the pregnancy are still trying to sort themselves out, and this can take a while.
she will have had to have counseling before the abortion took place if she went to anywhere decent, and they also have aftercare, so if youre worried about her, just check in with her as to how that is going.

the best way to find out how shes feeling, is to just ask her really. everyone reacts to this in different ways.
btw, the procedure she underwent, she would have been anethestitised for, and would not have been aware of what was going on , or seen the aborted matter. so its not like she witnessed it being done.

you should probably let her know you know. shell be looking for a friend.