Meghan: The Duchess of Sussex speaks of her miscarriage as "pain and mourning".
The Duchess of Sussex reveals she had a miscarriage in July, writing in a post that she feels "almost unbearable grief".
"I knew, hugging my first child, that I was losing my second," Meghan said in a New York Times article.
She went on to describe how she saw "my husband's heart break as he tried to hold the broken pieces of mine."
Meghan adds that "loss and pain have struck all of us in 2020".
The 39-year-old shares her experience with getting people to "commit to asking others if they're okay" during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.
A source close to the Duchess confirms to the BBC that the Duchess is currently in good health and the couple wanted to talk about what happened in July, having learned how common miscarriages are.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace says "this is a deeply personal matter that we will not comment on."
The Duchess and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, have moved to California to live out of the media spotlight, having stepped down from their role as an active member of the Royal Family in January.
Their first child, Archie, was born on May 6, 2019.
The Duchess begins her article by describing a "sharp cramp" she felt while caring for Archie.
“I collapsed on the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to calm us both, the cheerful air contrasting sharply with my feeling that something was wrong,” she wrote.
"A few hours later, I lay down on a hospital bed, holding my husband's hand. I felt the wetness of his palm and I kissed his knuckles, wet from both of our tears. .
"Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes froze. I tried to imagine how we were going to heal."
From the first event in which she spoke as Harry's future wife, Meghan made it clear that she wanted women's voices and women's experiences to be heard more clearly.
Today, she writes about her loss and her grief. She places them in the context of a year of breathtaking turbulence. And she makes a plea for tolerance and compassion.
She talks about the struggles of so many with the Covid-19, the battles for truth and lies in our divided age, the murder of black Americans by the police.
And based on an experience so many women have had, she makes grieving a way to put miscarriage at the heart of public debate.
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The Duchess continues: "to lose a child means to live an almost unbearable sorrow, lived by many but of which few speak".
“In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10-20 of them will have miscarried.
“Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame and perpetuating a cycle of lonely mourning.
"Some bravely shared their stories; they opened the door, knowing that when one person speaks the truth, it allows all of us to do the same."
The Duchess also refers to a TV interview in which a reporter asked her if she was okay, during her tour of South Africa last year.
She says she was interviewed at a time when she "was trying to keep a brave face in the public eye."
"I answered him honestly, not knowing that what I had said would resonate with so many people - new moms and older ones, and all those who in their own way had suffered in silence," said -she.
The Duchess is the second member of the royal family to open up about a miscarriage.
In 2018, the Queen's granddaughter, Zara Tindall, opened up about her two miscarriages before having her second child.
The Duchess suffered a miscarriage while involved in a lawsuit against a newspaper, following the publication of a letter she wrote to her father. Last month, she got her privacy lawsuit postponed until the fall of next year.
It is estimated that one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage, according to the Tommy's charity.
Tommy's midwife Sophie King points out that talking about losing a baby during pregnancy is "a real taboo in society," so "mothers like Meghan who share their story are an essential step in break this stigma and this shame ".
She believes that the Duchess's honesty and openness sends a "powerful message to anyone who loses a baby: they may feel incredibly lonely, but you are not alone."
Clea Harmer, executive director of the charity Sands, which specializes in neonatal death, said it was a "sad fact": the stigma surrounding pregnancy loss and baby death "leaves no many parents in a sense of isolation ".
“The isolation we have all felt this year has made things even more difficult for parents whose babies died during the Covid-19 pandemic and brought up painful emotions for all those who have lost precious loved ones ", she explains.
Dr Christine Ekechi, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, believes it is "important" that any stigma or shame surrounding this issue be removed.
“Unfortunately, early miscarriages are very common and they can be a devastating loss for parents and their families,” she adds.
And Alice Weeden, of the Miscarriage Association, tells the BBC: "When someone, especially in public, talks about it openly, it helps other people know that they are not alone."
Miscarriage: a deep and lasting impact on parents
By Smitha Mundasad, BBC health reporter
In the UK alone, there are around 250,000 miscarriages each year, the majority of which occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
It is a common and shocking experience, often treated privately at home or quickly in hospital.
Many parents experience their grief in silence and may feel that society expects them to "return to normal life" too soon.
But charities and scientists say much more needs to be done to recognize the long-term effects of pregnancy loss.
Research indicates that one in six women continue to have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
For some, the nightmares and flashbacks continue for many months, while anxiety and depression are also common thereafter.
Partners also report suffering, with one in twelve facing similar problems.
Psychological support, alongside physical help, is essential for women and their partners, according to UK pregnancy experts, but resources for such care are often insufficient.
Often it is not clear why miscarriages occur - whether in the first or second trimester of pregnancy, and many pregnancy losses cannot be avoided.
Usually, something is wrong with the development of the fetus in the womb.
The warning signs may be bleeding and / or painful cramps in the lower abdomen.
Pregnant women are advised to seek medical attention if they experience any of these symptoms.
