"My experience with miscarriage care and early pregnancy support"

I experienced a miscarriage earlier this year and had to return to the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit multiple times for bloods, scans, and support. Through all those visits — five or six, maybe more — only one midwife ever asked me how I felt walking back through those doors after a loss and if I felt able to do this prior to an appointment. That simple question meant a lot, but it also highlighted how little emotional support I had been offered before then.

It wasn’t until my fourth or fifth visit that I even knew there were support services available. No one had spoken to me about them. I had to be the one to ask. That was incredibly disappointing. When you’re going through something as painful and vulnerable as a miscarriage, you shouldn’t have to be the one pushing for information about how to cope.

Additionally I think it would be good to have separate building for loss appointments and not going back into the maternity building. 

One person, though, stood out in the most positive and memorable way. A healthcare support worker at the unit — I wish I could name her here — treated me with such compassion and humanity. She saw me not just as a patient, but as a person in pain. She sat with me through my feelings, listened without judgment, and was consistently kind and present. I saw her many times for blood draws, and after I received good news at my six-week scan in a new pregnancy, I went back to the unit and showed her. She hugged me warmly, shared in my emotions, and once again made me feel heard and supported.

Her presence reminded me that the best of the NHS lives in individuals like her. She truly embodied what I understand to be the core values of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde — care, compassion, dignity, and respect. I hope she knows how much she helped carry me through the darkest days and how much her empathy meant to me.