Expecting a baby is probably the most beautiful feeling in the world, for both the mother and father. They both start to dream about a joyous future for their baby and start planning for the arrival, but unfortunately, many suffer from miscarriages which leads to an empty feeling within them that cannot be filled and cannot be explained to others.
The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg's post on the social media site regarding his wife's pregnancy and previous three miscarriages has opened the door for many people to come forward and share their experiences and griefs as well. Many women, and men alike, have been suffering silently for a while as the topic of miscarriages may still be taboo in society. There are people who blame the mothers for miscarriages, making them feel guilty of something which was not in their control.
Louisa Pritchard also spoke about her experience and the immense emotional pain she felt in The Daily Telegraph. She was waiting to reveal her pregnancy to her family and friends after the 12-week scan, but suffered a miscarriage at 9 weeks, making her feel “devastated”, shattered and “alone”. She recalls, “I felt the first waves of cramps grip me. I rushed to the office loos in Grazia magazine, where I worked, and miscarried, alone, crying in stunned disbelief. I hadn't told anyone that I was expecting, save for my husband... and my parents, meaning it was impossible to turn to my colleagues and say 'by the way, I was pregnant ten minutes ago, but now I've had a miscarriage'. So I returned to my seat and sat there for the remainder of the day... devastated that all the dreams we shared for our little family had already ended.”
In today's day and age, people may feel comfortable speaking openly about issues such as divorce, or even death in the open, and receive a great amount of support around them. However, it may tend to be hard to talk about miscarriages in the open as it may be hard to convey your loss in words.
Although it may seem that not many well-known figures speak about miscarriage, celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Jane Seymour and Lily Allen have spoken openly about their pain of losing their babies.
There tends to be a certain reservation and shame surrounding miscarriage, which makes women who are suffering feel even more lonely and isolated.
However, with people such as Mark Zuckerberg coming out and speaking openly about the pain of miscarriages and the isolation felt, it may provide some kind of inspiration for others who may have had similar experiences to speak up and not suffer in silence anymore.
