Miscarriage and stillbirth may be more common than you thought. In fact, around 26% of all pregnancies result in miscarriage, and one out of 167 pregnancies results in stillbirth.
People who experience pregnancy loss are often left in the dark, without answers, understanding, or support. But it doesn’t have to be that way. After all, you’re far from alone in this experience.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Forums About Miscarriage or Stillbirth
- Forums About Abortion
- Forums About Pregnancy After Experiencing Pregnancy Loss
Coping with a miscarriage or stillbirth means tapping into all the resources you can find. Many people find comfort in reading books about miscarriage or blogs about grief. These are great places to start, but most people need further support and a community that truly understands.
It can be difficult to find a supportive community or a place to go with your questions and thoughts. Thank goodness for the internet and the many communities that have formed there. Below, we’ll help you find an online forum that can help you feel supported through a pregnancy loss.
Forums About Miscarriage or Stillbirth
Online miscarriage forums give people the opportunity to connect and share their experiences. Coping with a pregnancy loss can be incredibly isolating. Having other people to talk to who are going through a similar experience can make a world of a difference when it comes to your healing.
Forums are a great place for people to share their stories and advice, get vital information and resources, and be heard when they’re feeling alone.
If you have a loved one who has had a miscarriage, abortion, or stillbirth, you may be wondering about the best ways to support them. Forums are also a helpful resource if you’re comforting someone who had a miscarriage. While you might not be able to understand exactly what they’re going through, you can learn from other’s stories and get advice on the best ways to support them.
Try checking out these forums for people who have had a miscarriage or stillbirth:
1. Mumsnet
Mumsnet was created in 2000 by founder Justine, who was inspired to create a website where parents could swap advice and just talk about being parents.
Now the UK’s biggest network for parents, the site averages seven million visitors per month.
Their miscarriage and pregnancy loss forums have hundreds of threads with topics ranging from recurrent miscarriages to being surrounded by pregnant people after you’ve experienced a miscarriage.
2. What to Expect
This forum can be found on the website for the popular book series (which you can find on almost every new family’s bookshelf), “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”
The community area of their website has a specific area for miscarriage support. This was created by someone who, after experiencing a miscarriage themselves, didn’t have anyone to talk to and wanted to create a safe space for people to talk about their loss.
The What to Expect miscarriage forum has almost 25,000 members and tens of thousands of discussions.
3. The Bump
The Bump is a resource for first-time, millennial parents to get advice and information on all things fertility, pregnancy, birth, and babies.
Their community page has an active miscarriage forum for people currently going through a miscarriage or pregnancy loss. Some popular discussions focus on postpartum anxiety and panic after miscarriage, second miscarriages, guilt around miscarriages, and advice on natural miscarriages.
4. What to Expect – LGBTQ+
This forum is on the same website as the other What to Expect forum but is specifically for LGBTQ+ parents.
It can be difficult for queer people to find inclusive resources and communities for fertility and conception. This forum gives hopeful or expecting parents a place to talk about their experiences.
Those that have experienced a miscarriage oftentimes need specific community support that feels safe and speaks to them. Some miscarriage-related topics that people have posted here include intrauterine insemination after a miscarriage and miscarriages after IVF.
5. Maven Clinic
Maven Clinic is an organization dedicated to building a more equitable healthcare system and a better world for all.
They offer comprehensive care for people planning, starting, and raising families through technological innovations.
Their community support page has a miscarriage support section, where people can post questions and get advice from not only the community but from experts and professionals, as well.
This is a great resource to check out if you have medical questions or need more information on the physiological aspect of miscarriage.
6. Made for Mums
Made for Mums is a website dedicated to offering parents and expecting parents advice from experts and fellow parents. It’s run by a small group of moms (most of whom are journalists) who wanted to create an online home for mums, parents to be, or anyone trying to start a family.
Their forums have thousands of posts and a dedicated section for miscarriage and pregnancy loss. Here you can find discussions on all sorts of topics like “I’m not sure if I miscarried,” “Miracle Prayer,” and ectopic pregnancies.
It’s important to note that, although people may post on these forum discussions wondering if they’re currently having a miscarriage, it’s important to seek medical support if you believe you may be having one. A miscarriage is a serious medical event, and it’s important to protect your own health (and potentially your fertility, too) through the process.
Forums About Abortion
Everyone has their own reasons for having an abortion. You don’t need to justify this decision to anyone, but you may still want support navigating through the decision-making and healing processes.
Abortions don’t just end after the procedure itself is over. Most people need support as they heal physically, mentally, and emotionally.
If this is you, here are a few forums about abortion to check out:
7. Inspire
Inspire is a social network for health that connects patients and caregivers in a safe, permission-based manner. Posts on this site cover all sorts of health topics including oncology, rare disease, and chronic and autoimmune disorders.
They also have a support group and discussions dedicated to abortion. Here, people can ask abortion-related questions. Some popular areas of discussion include “I’m considering having an abortion,” “post-procedure emotions,” and “finding a provider.”
8. Shout Your Abortion
Shout Your Abortion is a decentralized network that gives space for individuals to talk about abortions on their terms.
They seek to normalize abortion and discussions around it through storytelling, art, media, and community events.
While this isn’t exactly a forum, it’s an incredible place to not only hear and learn from others’ stories, but it also gives you the opportunity to tell your own. Just sharing what you’re going through, even if it’s anonymous, can be incredibly healing and help you through this journey.
9. Ending a Wanted Pregnancy
Ending a Wanted Pregnancy is a website dedicated to providing resources and support for parents who had to end a wanted pregnancy for medical reasons.
This kind of abortion can be traumatic and is widely misunderstood. If you had to end a wanted pregnancy, or you’re considering doing so, because of the baby’s health or because your health is at risk, try checking out this website.
There’s an area where you can share your story and hear others’ stories. They also have a private support group, private forums, a Q&A, and an email list where you can connect with others who have had similar experiences.
Ending a Wanted Pregnancy also has helpful articles on topics like Catholicism and merciful choice, grief and the holidays, and why this loss is so hard.
Forums About Pregnancy After Experiencing Pregnancy Loss
Pregnancy after a pregnancy loss can come with a whole mixed bag of emotions. You may be happy and excited but also worried and scared. It’s not uncommon to have fear around your current pregnancy or feel guilt or uncertainty about your future.
Other people are in the same boat as you or have been before. Connecting with people who have had a similar experience can help answer your questions, give you some relief, and feel uplifted by their success stories.
Here are a few forums to connect on:
10. Belly Belly
This Australia-based website is passionate about helping people feel informed, confident, and prepared for their parenthood journey. Miscarriage is, unfortunately, sometimes a part of this journey, which is why they have a specific forum dedicated to miscarriage and pregnancy loss.
Their miscarriage forum has thousands of users who share their miscarriage stories and discuss topics like pregnancy after miscarriage and late loss, parenting after a miscarriage or loss, and trying to conceive after a miscarriage. These forums are a place for people who have experienced a loss to find support.
11. Oh Baby!
Oh Baby is a modern lifestyle brand that seeks to empower people on their parenting journey. The New Zealand-based brand has an active community forum page with topics all over the parenting spectrum.
In addition to forums about coping and life after miscarriage, they also have space for people to discuss pregnancy after a miscarriage.
They also have an online, seven-week prenatal course, where you can learn all about your body and ask questions about your specific situation. Prenatal courses can help build confidence and calm your worries.
Finding Space to Talk About Pregnancy Loss
If you’re feeling at a loss after experiencing a miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, online forums can give you a space to vent, connect, find resources, support others, make friends, and more.
Just like finding any new community, it may take a few tries to find a forum that resonates with you. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, ask whatever questions come to mind, and ask for support when you need it. You can find comfort in the fact that you’re all there for similar reasons.
Sources:
- Dugas, Carla, and Valori H Slane. “Miscarriage.” Stat Pearls Publishing, 29 January 2021, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- “How Common is Stillbirth?” National Institute of Health. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 1 December 2016, nichd.nih.gov.