Miscarriage is one of the most common types of pregnancy loss; in fact, a study said that 10 to 25 percent of clinically recognised pregnancy end in miscarriage, as per the Parent Herald.
Miscarriage is also one of the most traumatic experiences a woman could experience in her lifetime, and it doesn’t come as a surprise that women who had miscarried is forever changed.
On the occasion that they do get pregnant again, instead of being overwhelmed with excitement, these mums are overridden with feelings of fear, stress, and worry.
The study also said that one in five pregnant women have experienced sleepless nights worrying for their unborn child.
In a Metro article, mother Lucy Howard who has had four miscarriages, shared the many frustrations and fears she encountered with her latest pregnancy.
“Every night I have dreamt of losing the baby,” she said. “And I have woken terrified, hugging my belly, believing that the dream was reality.
“Even now I am filled with anxiety. I cannot believe that we may soon meet our second child, a child that we thought we would never get to meet.”
Hers is a commonplace concern for mothers who have had similar experiences: the excitement that goes with the news of pregnancy is dampened by the fear that their unborn child will not make it to term.
Learn how to properly talk about losing a child on the next page
Talking about miscarriage: Miscarriage Anxiety
Experts say that the physical recovery from miscarriage are often easy for women with the help of ample rest and proper diet. The emotional recovery from it, however, is a different beast entirely.
That’s why many women find it hard to open up about their experience even years after the fact.
According to author Angela Garbes, who had penned the book “What I Gained From Having a Miscarriage,” the term “miscarriage” is highly problematic in that it steers women toward feeling guilty and ashamed.
For Angela, the term “pregnancy loss” makes more sense.
“The greatest challenge, however, is talking about miscarriage and the emotions that go with the tragic experience,” the Parent Herald report said. “Perhaps one of the reasons for this is the fact that miscarriage or motherhood is often spoken about “clinically” and not as a journey or an experience.”
Thankfully, more and more experts are becoming more open to deeper discussions of miscarriage.
“I believe now we are much more aware as a society, and that includes medical care,” said Dr. Kristen Swanson, dean at Seattle University College of Nursing, in a KUOW report. “We’re starting to get more and more research done on how do you prepare people for what lies ahead now that you have miscarried.”
Dr. Kristen also highlighted the importance of empathy when dealing with women who had gone through pregnancy loss. They need help coming to terms with the trauma of the experience and having a person willing to listen to them.
