Devan McGuinness is the founder of the online resource Unspoken Grief, dedicated to breaking the silence of perinatal grief for those directly and indirectly affected by miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. Using her own experience of surviving 13 miscarriages, Devan has been actively supporting and encouraging others who are wading through the challenges associated with perinatal and neonatal loss.
The silence is all around us. The moment we find out we're pregnant, we're encouraged to keep it quiet. Discouraged from sharing the news until we're past 12 weeks and the risk for miscarriage goes down. We're told that although it's something that can affect so many women and families, it's normal and we shouldn't dwell. We have little support from the … [Read more...]
It did not happen because of something I did. It was not God's will. It doesn't make me feel any better when you speculate on why it happened. I hate the term "try again". It's okay for me to cry. It's not better or worse that my pregnancy wasn't further along. I don't want to be told it was for the best. I want to define it in my … [Read more...]
Truthfully, perinatal grief due to miscarriage can be hard to comprehend for someone who has never experienced it. Part of me has this unrealistic expectation that people should "get it", that they should understand the emotional and physical toll a miscarriage has on a woman, on a family. People should get it, but every so often I am taken to task … [Read more...]
When I was pregnant with Nora I was worried about how introducing a child into our lives would change the relationship between my husband and me. Nick and I have had a strong loving connection since our first date, after meeting through online dating. We are a perfect match in every way. His calm and [...]
Exactly one year and six months ago, my husband and I said hello and then goodbye to our daughter, Eve. When the doctor told us that she’d died inside of me, I didn’t see how I was going to survive her birth, much less the days and weeks and months of life-without-her that lay ahead. [...]
