Cards For People Affected By Miscarriage, Stillbirth And Infant Death Offer Honest Words Of Support

These Cards Provide Support For People Who Have Lost A Child

It can be difficult to know what to say to someone who has experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death. Unfortunately, this sometimes means we avoid the topic altogether.

To open up dialogue about these sensitive issues, psychologist Jessica Zucker, who specialises in women's reproductive and maternal health, has created a series of cards that people can send to men and women who have experienced the loss of a child.

"My central inspiration is to help address the gaping hole in the conversation around pregnancy loss, miscarriage and stillbirth," Zucker tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle.

"Lately people are writing more and more about their own personal stories of child loss, which can be so healing and powerful. But these blogs don’t help with the question: 'What do I say to someone who's had a miscarriage?'

"I thought it would be helpful to offer actual words people can give to others experiencing pregnancy loss."

Through her work, the Los Angeles-based psychologist has spoken to dozens of women who have experienced the loss of a child. But she also created the cards based on her own experience of having a miscarriage at 16 weeks.

At the time, she felt like other people didn't know what to say to her.

"We know what to do when a grandparent dies, but this is a very different subject and culturally, we don’t address it very well," she says.

One of the cards that is particularly personal to her is designed to be given to a woman who becomes pregnant again after previously experiencing a miscarriage.

"Being pregnant again after my 16-week pregnancy loss was terrifying, even though I knew my baby was healthy," she says.

"There are countless women who lose babies and go on to become pregnant again - we need to acknowledge them and recognise that fear they may have. Those women do not experience pregnancy like everyone else."

See some of Zucker's designs below, or visit her website.

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