Miscarriage is fairly common among women. Figures from the National Institutes of Health show that between 15 to 20 percent of pregnant women experience the ordeal.
Talking about pregnancy loss, however, can be difficult even among friends and family. Many do not know what to say to a woman or a couple who have lost a child.
L.A psychologist Jessica Zucker knows this well. She had miscarriage in 2012 and lost her second child on her 16th week of pregnancy. What made the ordeal even more traumatic was that it happened when she was alone in the house.
Zucker noticed that despite her painful experience and as she mourned for the loss of her daughter, the people around her did not or could not express their sympathy to her. Those who did came up with the wrong words.
Zucker, who treat women's reproductive and maternal mental health, also heard of the same sentiment from her patients who also experienced the ordeal and similarly felt the same isolation.
It gave her an idea to come up with a solution so she created empathy cards that people can send to the women or couples who lost a baby through miscarriage.
"I know how hard this must be for you, to be pregnant after your loss. I understand that you're terrified. I'm here for you," one of cards reads.
Zucker said that she was making the cards because of what she wanted to receive when she was grieving for the loss of her child.
"We shouldn't feel ashamed of our traumas, nor should we hide the consequent grief. It's not that I necessarily feel proud of having a miscarriage, but I do feel compelled to question why it seems as if we rarely talk about pregnancy loss, though the statistics are staggering," Zucker said.
Social media such as Facebook and Instagram appeared to have helped make discussion of pregnancy loss easier. Bereaved parents, for instance, can share their experience without having to meet other people face-to-face.
Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg has shared how his wife had three pregnancy losses before becoming pregnant helping bring more light to the issue.
"Zuckerberg was openly discussing something that's common and taboo," said Coming to Term: Uncovering the Truth About Miscarriage author Jon Cohen. "Women who miscarry often torture themselves over this. The more open conversation there is, the less stigma there will be."
