ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the feelings women have experienced following their miscarriage; their reactions are diverse, yet there are underlying themes of sadness, depression and guilt. Distancing themselves from what is going on and maintaining a false sense of composure enables many women to cope with the public performance, which the last stages of a miscarriage in hospital often are. Grieving is the healthy response to any loss the death of someone close or the loss of their job. There is often an initial phase of shock and denial, of carrying on as if it hasn't happened, followed by a phase of personal disorganisation. Many women describe how their grief peaks and then fades, their feelings about the miscarriage become less intense, the times when they are upset less frequent. For some women this happens earlier than for others. There is no set time-scale. Immediately after her miscarriage Veronica used to cry every night.
