Miscarriage is something that many women unfortunately experience during pregnancy. Like with any loss, a miscarriage can be difficult to talk about, not to mention a topic of conversation some want to avoid as not to feel uncomfortable, or because they don't know what to say without making the person grieving feel sad. Well, there's one celebrity looking to change that. Broadway star Laura Benanti revealed she had a miscarriage with her fiancé Patrick Brown in a piece she wrote for The Huffington Post. She isn't looking for others to feel sorry for her, but the Nashville actress is hoping to unite women who've had a miscarriage and change the stigma that comes with "The 'M' that must not be named," as she writes.
She begins her written piece as follows:
The day I found out I was pregnant was the happiest day of my life. I had wanted to be a mom for a long time, and at 36 it was finally happening. When my fiancé, Patrick, and I first saw and heard our little peanut's heartbeat, a wave of love washed over me that I had not known was possible. Patrick and I loved each other so much that we created a person together, and that person was living inside my body. I felt like I was experiencing a miracle. I went home after our doctor's appointment with the sweet rhythm of that heartbeat on a magical loop in my mind.
Sadly, she miscarried and it changed her entire world. So much so, that she soon realized miscarriage is something that is not discussed a lot. Actually, she relates miscarriage to Harry Potter in the sense that it feels "like the Voldemort of women's issues," because so many people want to avoid the word and discussing it altogether. She wonders why more people don't talk about it, especially if it is "SO common."
She truly hopes this will change and that her story will help other women (and couples) going through similar situations. Benanti understands if someone doesn't want to talk about it, because everyone grieves differently. But, she wants society to develop "a cultural environment more conducive to empathetic understanding."
Furthermore, Benanti wants women who are feeling exactly what she's feeling to know that there are others out there experiencing the same thing. As she writes, "My purpose in writing this is simply to say, if you are part of this sisterhood, you are not alone." By talking about it in an open forum, she is not only shining a light on something extremely eye-opening and bringing women together, but she is doing it in a beautiful way.
With that said, I'll leave you with this quote from Benanti:
Sometimes it can be helpful to know that someone out there has felt the same pain as you, and that they are holding you in their heart.
