Spontaneous abortion, miscarriage, heavy period, stillbirth, these words do not do justice to what so many families endure.
Mothers experiencing miscarriage ought to be honored as mothers giving birth in early pregnancy, with similar verbiage, counsel, and similar birth options as mothers giving birth in late pregnancy and with live infant outcomes.
The six Australian mothers and seventy one American mothers giving birth to stillborn babies today, ought to be supported with trained doulas in birth and bereavement support.
I am a mother of five children. My fourth child was born unassisted at home, at twelve weeks gestation, for few reasons more pervasive in my mind than “let’s hurry up and have a D&C to remove your debris” as an abhorrently insufficient response to the early pregnancy birth and death of my very real and very loved child.
Giving options restores hope, at a time that can feel impossibly hopeless. Offering mother-friendly verbiage restores dignity to a time that can be charging with self-doubt, confusion, shame, and heartbreak.
You have an opportunity to bring hope and healing to the hurting. Please join the stillbirthday global movement of providing support to families giving birth in any trimester.
I founded http://www.stillbirthday.com/ in August 2011 after a doctor called my beloved baby “debris” – as in, “We need to get that debris out of there.” With real, printable birth plans, doulas listed in every US state and internationally, as well as a comprehensive online birth and bereavement certification program, stillbirthday has reached nearly 1,000,000 families in just two years.