‘She has opened up the conversation’

Francesca Woodstock, 34, from Tring, Hertfordshire, lost her second child in 2018. The mum-of-two says, “When I read about Meghan’s miscarriage, my heart went out to her as I know the heartbreak losing a baby can bring.

“I was 12 weeks pregnant when I found out I’d miscarried. Like Meghan, I was already a mum to my then 18-month-old daughter, Scarlett, and I was looking forward to getting past the first trimester so I could share my happy news. But the week before my first scan, in October 2018, I started bleeding and had painful stomach cramps. As the pain intensified, my husband Dan rushed me to A&E where a scan confirmed our baby had no heartbeat. We were both heartbroken.

“The next day, I underwent a surgical removal procedure, where I was given a general anaesthetic. When I came round, our baby was gone. Scarlett was too young to understand, but Dan and I grieved for the baby we thought we were having. I hadn’t expected the physical pain of miscarriage to be so intense, and my body felt as though it had been through labour, despite having no baby. Dan felt helpless and a sense of guilt for not having to endure the process himself. We both took some time off work to come to terms with what had happened.

“On 6 May 2019, Meghan Markle gave birth to Archie on the day our second child would have been due, and it was hard to read their exciting news knowing we should’ve been celebrating, too. But we were fortunate to have another daughter, Olivia, now one, later that year and I’ll always feel lucky that we have two beautiful and healthy daughters. Up to one in four women experience miscarriage, so it’s great that Meghan is opening up the conversation. We should talk more about our experiences and break down the stigma.”