Health
UK Resources & Hotlines Offering Support After Miscarriage
Losing a pregnancy can be isolating and traumatic, here's where to find help.
Meghan Markle has shared her experience of having a miscarriage in July 2020. In a piece for the New York Times published on Nov. 25 she said she and Prince Harry had experienced “an almost unbearable grief.” She explained how she had dropped to the floor in pain while holding baby Archie. “I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second," she said. Losing a baby can be an incredibly traumatic and lonely experience. While it’s estimated that 10 to 15 in every 100 pregnancies end in miscarriage, there’s still a silence that surrounds it and many are unsure where to turn for help. So here are resources and hotlines offering support to those who have experienced a miscarriage.
She isn’t the first celebrity to open up about losing a baby. In Oct. 2020 Chrissy Teigen and John Legend lost their third child and shared the story of the miscarriage along with images from within the hospital. In a post on Instagram Teigen wrote, “he will always be Jack to us. Jack worked so hard to be a part of our little family, and he will be, forever.”
Teigen and Markle have really opened up the conversation surrounding miscarriage in 2020, but there is more still to be done. In her piece Markle explained the heartbreak experienced by herself and Prince Harry and encouraged them to “commit to asking others, 'are you OK?”
Charity Tommy’s reports that one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage and one in 100 people will experience recurrent miscarriages which is defined as three or more in a low.This can be devastating but there are resources and hotlines that offer support for parents going through miscarriage.
Resources
NHS
The hours, days, and months after a miscarriage can feel completely overwhelming and lonely. The NHS offers practical advice, grief support, and relationship advice for life after miscarriage.
Tommy's
Tommy’s is a leading charity in the UK that fund research into miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature birth. They also provide pregnancy health information to parents and support for people who have lost children at any stage of pregnancy.
Miscarriage Association
The Miscarriage Association offers support and information to anyone who has experienced ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, or molar pregnancy. They offer emotional and practical advice as well as a support helpline.
Baby Loss Awareness
Baby Loss Awareness raises the profile of miscarriage and baby loss. They work with charities, policy makers, and support people who have gone through pregnancy-loss. They’re committed to improving bereavement care and research into miscarriage.
The Lullaby Trust
The Lullaby Trust provides expert advice on baby safety, raises awareness for sudden infant death, and supports bereaved families. They have a network of staff, volunteers, and trustees who provide support services for families who have lost a baby.
Petals
Petals was first established in 2011, with the aim of providing specialist counselling for bereaved parents. The charity puts parents in touch with counselling services near them in order to help them process what they've been through and manage the grief they may be experiencing.
Life After Loss
Life After Loss provides information and emotional support for people who have lost babies at any stage of pregnancy or early life for any reason.
Helplines
Sands
You can contact stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands via its freephone helpline on 0808 164 3332 anytime, or email helpline@sands.org.uk.
Miscarriage Association
You can contact the Miscarriage Association on 01924 200799 on Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. They also have out of hours support.
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust runs a telephone call-back service on 020 7733 2653 and you can email them on ept@ectopic.org.uk.
Saying Goodbye
You can contact charity Saying Goodbye on 0845 293 8027 or by email at support@sayinggoodbye.org.
The Child Death Helpline
The Child Death Helpline is free from landlines on 0800 282 986 and free from mobiles on 0808 800 6019. Lines open from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday to Friday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
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