Miscarriage: The Pain of Unacknowledged Loss

These stories of fetal death make us aware of the several losses that attend a miscarriage and-equally important-they highlight the personal, cultural, and organizational constraints that make difficult the kind of caring responses needed to address these losses. In reading these narratives, we feel the grief and frustration caused by the inappropriate, or absent, reactions of caregivers. The seeming meaninglessness of the event led some to look for meaning in religion, while for others, the loss challenged their understandings of God. These stories also point to the importance of rituals-religious or otherwise-for helping the bereaved "carry their sorrow." Careful listening to the experiences of these women can help us make the changes-organizational and personal-that are necessary to provide the care and comfort those living through a miscarriage need.