Break The Silence – Miscarriage reflection story

Motherhood is often described as pure joy, but the journey isn’t always easy. When I first found out that we were expecting, my husband and I were thrilled. Our families celebrated with us, and our daily lives quickly filled with care and hope for the future.

But everything changed during a routine check-up. The doctor couldn’t find the baby’s heartbeat. We checked repeatedly, hoping it was a technical glitch, but it wasn’t. The grief hit us suddenly, quietly, and completely.

In that moment, our doctor’s kindness gave us strength. She gently explained that sometimes the body isn’t ready, and nature takes its course. Her words didn’t erase the pain, but they helped us face it with acceptance instead of guilt.

Healing involved not just processing emotional loss but also focusing on recovery – following medical advice, taking small steps forward, and allowing ourselves the time we needed. That process was essential. We are glad we made informed decisions.

Miscarriage is not taboo. It is a medical and emotional situation that requires appropriate handling. It can happen at any stage, with varying degrees of intensity. Breaking The Silence is important. Voice out when you need your space. Talk to the right people, share your feelings, and ensure you get all the support you need to navigate through it.

Be kind to yourself and give space for the time you need to heal. Hope can return, quietly and gradually. Remember, only by healing yourself can you be your best self in all areas, whether at work or in your personal life.

Today, we are grateful for our two wonderful children, who bring so much love and joy into our lives. Looking back, that loss, though deeply painful, became a profound and transformative part of my path to motherhood.

“There’s a gap in your career, why? “

It’s a question I have been asked often. My answer has always been pregnancy and childcare. But never once did I share the underlying trigger for the gap ………. a miscarriage.

In Asian countries, especially in India, being a working woman already means constantly negotiating between deadlines and dinners, ambition and expectation. There’s an unspoken assumption that you will excel at work while seamlessly carrying the invisible weight of home. You learn to stretch yourself, absorb pressure quietly and keep everything moving. And then something like a miscarriage happens and it doesn’t just add to the load; it shifts the ground beneath you. Your body no longer feels reliable, your emotions are harder to contain and the quiet frustration creeps in… you question your strength, your luck. However around you, expectations don’t change and the silence around miscarriage makes it harder to speak. At such times, stepping away from the workforce feels like the only option. The cost of silence is heavy.

Looking back, I often wonder, if I had the right support system, would I have navigated it differently? I believe I would have. With greater understanding, more open conversations and structured support from my workplace, experience like mine would not have had led to disengagement or exit. And that is why the “cost of silence” initiative matters to me and I have chosen to break the silence and provide my voice to the program. This initiative will begin to normalize conversations that are often kept private, especially in cultures like ours and push organizations to be more intentional about policies and support systems.

The first time I spoke about my miscarriage was at a “together”, Quest Global’s  women’s employee resource group. It wasn’t easy, I remember my voice breaking as I shared my experience with my colleagues. But I believe that if sharing my story helps even one person feel less alone, or encourages an organization to respond more thoughtfully, then it’s absolutely worth it.