The Elephant In the Room

When you read parenting blogs you mostly get lots of cute kid pics, interesting activities to do with your little one, reviews of great toddler items and a few rants about sleepless nights. What is harder to come by is an honest story or discussion about a sad but true parenting reality— miscarriage.

Miscarriage and stillbirths are a subject near and dear to my heart. I've known several folks who've been through it, and I miscarried during an earlier pregnancy. Anyway you look at it, it sucks. For me, it was so early on that I nearly missed it and disregarded it as a regular period. If I hadn't gone to my doctor at the time i may have never known. However, many mamis aren't as fortunate and make it well into their 2nd and 3rd trimesters only to have their hearts broken.

I wanted to bring this topic up here to let other Latinas know that they're not alone. It is something that happens a lot more often than anyone would like to admit. Sometimes you have answers and sometimes you'll never know why. For me, I never got an answer. I was only 5 weeks along. I don't think about it often but with this new baby soon to arrive, I am more grateful than ever to be lucky enough to be healthy and happy.

Every situation is unique and hurts in a different way for each family. If you know someone who's experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth, just be there for them. Don't try to make things better or make them forget. Be sure to remember that, here or not, the baby was already a family member for those parents.

Have you or someone you loved ever gone through this? What suggestions would you share on how to get through this painful period?