Have you experienced miscarriage or baby loss? Share your story

‘The shame and stigma surrounding baby loss is still rampant. And where shame resides, silence isn’t far behind’

Photograph: iStock
Photograph: iStock

Today, Aoife Walsh writes about her experience of pregnancy loss: "You could say my first baby was stillborn and that my second was a miscarriage. I say we called our first little one Cara and our second, Hope... The shame and stigma surrounding baby loss is still rampant. And where shame resides, silence isn't far behind. Sharing our experiences, all of us, men and women, makes for a kinder society."

The Irish Times would like to invite our readers to share their experiences of loss; whether during pregnancy, at birth or after the baby was born. This could have happened recently or fifty years ago. If you or your partner has experienced this, we would like to hear from you. We hope to publish some of these stories in the coming weeks and open up the conversation.

You can share your story using this form. Couples are welcome to send a joint piece. Please keep the text to under 500 words. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please indicate this in your submission – we will keep your name and contact details confidential.

You can include a photograph with your submission if you wish.

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Please note we may not publish every story we receive, or be able to reply to every submission. All authors whose stories are selected for publication will be contacted in advance.

Thank you.