you re not supposed to express your grief or express your pain, you have to be the strong one. this is also culture in africa, especially in malawi, things like miscarriage are taboo in this part of the world. in the uk, men who have experienced pregnancy and baby loss are increasingly finding each other and starting up support communities. these men have all lost babies and they share their grief through football. there s no pressure to grieve. us playing football and us doing the training is us grieving. matt and his wife, lauren, have suffered four miscarriages. it absolutely crushed me. i would go and do some shopping and i would cry in the car on the way to the shops, or i would cry sitting on the toilet, because that was the only time i could get to be alone. during and after a loss, the focus is quite rightly on the woman. support for women is patchy across the world and many women don t
of obstetricians and gynaecologists race equality task force. unfortunately, black women have a number of factors associated with the risk of miscarriage overrepresented, so for example, they are more likely to have a number of conditions that puts them at greater risk of miscarriage, but really, on a more significant level, what we hear time and time again is that black women never feel heard in this space. without addressing the institutional racism where it exists, we will never be able to truly say that all women receive the care that they so deserve. back in coventry, professor quenby runs the recurrent miscarriage clinic at university hospital. a lot of the patients are understandably very anxious because of their previous pregnancy losses. she s also a leading researcher in this field, which is notoriously underfunded. she s currently trying to raise money to investigate some of the many unknowns around why black women are at higher risk,
thank you so much. for raul, liam, matt and all those speaking out, the aim is to help others who might be secretly struggling. many people choose not to talk about their losses, but it s about having the opportunity to if and when needed. what s the worst that can happen? we can t make anyone feel worse about what they ve gone through, but actually, we can make a lot of people feel a little bit more at ease. yes, baby loss doesn t discriminant, doesn t care yes, baby loss doesn t discriminate, doesn t care what colour you are, how much you earn, how old you are, it touches everyone on every continent. all the dads we ve spoken to have gone on to have healthy babies, and they all say speaking out has helped them to move forward. it s not the case for everyone, but most people who suffer a miscarriage will go on to have a healthy pregnancy. sadly, though, the more miscarriages you have, the more likely you are to have another loss. i am on another
many countries do not even have a specific word for miscarriage, theyjust use the term spontaneous abortion, which can be very upsetting and confusing. even the medical term miscarriage is defined differently depending on where you are in the world, and it s based on when a baby can survive on its own outside the womb. whatever you call this type of loss, and no matter what point in pregnancy it happens, it can be a life changing event. for the mums and families who contributed to this exhibition, it s a unique opportunity to acknowledge and reflect on their losses. most women don t get that chance. we re often told that miscarriage isjust a part of life, move on, try again, it wasn t meant to be. but a recent study suggests that millions of women around the world are potentially spending years suffering with undiagnosed and untreated
charlotte s and chelsea hospital here in west london, which sees many black and ethnic minority patients, to try and get a better understanding of why black women are at higher risk of having a miscarriage, whether they have underlying health conditions or not, and no matter what their social, economic or educational background. why does a women s skin colour affect her chances of having a healthy baby? dr ekechi runs the early pregnancy unit here. she s also co chair of the royal college of obstetricians and gynaecologists race equality task force. unfortunately, black women have a number of factors associated with the risk of miscarriage overrepresented, so for example, they are more likely to have a number of conditions that puts them at greater risk of miscarriage, but really, on a more significant level, what we hear time and time again is that black women never feel heard in this space. without addressing the institutional racism