Women who had three miscarriages urges others to never feel alone

Lisa Williams, right, with husband Phil and daughters Alysa, 10, and Talia-Beau, three. (Picture: Contributed)

A woman who suffered three miscarriages has urged others to "never be alone" and speak to someone about their heartbreaking experiences.

Lisa Williams from Rhuddland, Wales, miscarried three times between the births of her two children, Alysa and Talia-Beau. Now, following Baby Loss Awareness week, she has opened up about what she went through and is encouraging others to do the same.

Research from University College London (UCL) and KU Leuven in Belgium found that one in six women who miscarries will experience long-term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One in four pregnancies end in baby loss, according to YouGov, and one in 100 women have more than one miscarriages.

Lisa said: "My experience is more common thank you might think, that's because not many people speak about it. If you had a heart attack you would probably feel comfortable talking about it with friends and family, but people don't tend to open up about losing a baby. Because of that, women typcially end up carrying the burden themselves.

"Because it's something that happens with your body, a lot of women end up thinking that it's their fault - that was certainly the case for me too. It wasn't until my third miscarriage that I was able to get away from that feeling, and only because I had changed my mindset by then.

"The journey through it was quite dark though. I felt very alone and didn't feel like I had anybody to talk to, I didn't even know there was any help out there. Although my husband was amazingly supportive, it is difficult for men to fully understand it. "

WHERE YOU CAN REACH OUT

Tommy's - Information and support for anyone who has experienced the loss of a baby, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, or termination.

Sands - Sands exists to reduce the number of babies dying and to support anyone affected by the death of a baby, before, during or shortly after birth, whenever this happened and for as long as they need support.

Child Bereavment UK - Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies, offering free, confidential bereavement support for individuals, couples, children, young people, and families, by telephone, video or instant messenger, wherever you live in the UK.

Miscarriage Association - If you’ve been affected by miscarriage, molar pregnancy or ectopic pregnancy, the Miscarriage Association will provide the information and support that you’re looking for.

Petals - Originally working as a counsellor within the NHS in Cambridge, founder Karen Burgess witnessed first-hand how critical her specialist counselling work was for bereaved parents. So when the funding for her role was cut, she was determined to keep it going.

Lisa's three angel babies, Joy, River and Rain, will always hold a special place in her heart. The three were given names as part of her and Phil's wedding ceremony in 2019. Earlier this week, Lisa launched her book, Vision Board Blueprints, and she and 30 other mums lit candles in memory of those they have lost. Lisa also has a podcast, of the same title, which can be listened to on Spotify.

"Everyone in that room had experienced loss," she said. "It was magical in a way, for all of us to release that pain into the air together and share in that moment.

"That's sort of what this is all about, just getting people talking to one another. I want people to be able to reach out for the support they need, never feel alone in the darkness."

Welsh woman who lost three babies during pregnancy urges others to "never feel alone"

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