Megan Markle was met with both positive and negative reactions last week when she wrote a searingly honest essay on her miscarriage which happened during the summer.
It follows Chrissy Teigan using social media to document the loss of her baby, Jack back in September.
So, is it good to share or should miscarriage and baby loss be kept private?
Orla discussed the subject on the Sunday Grill with Laura O’Sullivan from the Miscarriage Association of Ireland and Sandra Power, a mum from Waterford, who has shared her experience of miscarriage in the past.
“I think there is so much taboo about pregnancy and miscarriage,” Sandra said.
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“I say fair play to anyone who comes out and tells their story like that. I was very open when it happened to me but one thing that struck me so strongly when I had a miscarriage was how many people said it happened to them too. A lot of people do disregard it a little bit and don’t realise how much it hurts some people”.
More than one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage – around 14,000 women in Ireland each year have a miscarriage.
Laura O’Sullivan from the Miscarriage Association of Ireland added that “the loss of a baby through miscarriage is also the loss of a future.
Many women who have lost a baby through a miscarriage would say that as soon as you see the two lines on a pregnancy test you become a mother and you literally have a future mapped out.
There is such a massive taboo about miscarriage and even the loss of a baby through miscarriage versus the loss of a person who has been in your life.
I think people do try to play it down… people do seem to forget that those little babies are part of a future that has never been. To go from that to your babies gone can be really hard for women to go through”.
Laura said that even acknowledging a woman’s loss is a good way to react to news of a miscarriage. “Don’t pretend it didn’t happen. People find they are avoided a bit…”.
Sandra agreed, “recognise the loss and don’t try to project your own thoughts on how somebody should be reacting to it. I think it’s very much about taking the lead of the person who has had the miscarriage”.
You can find the full chat with Laura and Sandra right here.
For more details and how to get support following a miscarriage, you can contact the Miscarriage Association of Ireland.
