One of the more challenging aspects of miscarriage–besides the profound pain and sadness–is feeling like it’s not okay to express the emotions of loss. Little to no room is given to women or their partners to talk about miscarriage, let alone to grieve. Miscarriage stubbornly remains one of the last taboos.

“Usually I’m an open book, but I never felt like I could publicly show my grief,” says Rebecca, who miscarried twice and lived in constant fear of losing a third while she was pregnant with her oldest daughter. …

Anxiety and uncertainty are swarming. And as emotions swing on what seems to be a random and recklessly constructed pendulum, our frayed nerves seek solace in the familiar, in old ways of thinking and being. Yet what we had understood as normal no longer exists. It is up to us to re-design and co-create systems and practices that best serve ourselves, our communities, and the planet at large.

Before we can possibly harness our creativity and find the resilience and agility to rise up to new challenges facing us, we must first acknowledge what was lost. …