Hello, I'm Mrs O'Neil.

Welcome to today's lesson which is a continuation of our unit all about intimate relationships, pregnancy, and parenting.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

So this lesson is about the really difficult topic of miscarriage and stillbirth.

It will cover aspects of pregnancy loss and grief.

So if this is a sensitive topic to you, we really do recommend checking with a trusted adult before starting or doing the lesson with a trusted adult nearby.

So, you will need an exercise book or a piece of paper and you'll need a pen for today's lesson.

If you haven't already, please complete today's introduction quiz.

You can just press pause, head back and complete that now, if you haven't already.

First of all, we're going to study an overview of miscarriage and stillbirth.

We're then going to look at the emotional impact of miscarriage and stillbirth.

We're going to consider the support available after miscarriage and stillbirth, before I will direct you to what exit quiz.

I would like to say at this point in the lesson, that you might feel that this topic has very little relevance to you right now in your life.

However, it is more than likely that you do know somebody who has been through a miscarriage, even if that's not something they've ever spoken about to you.

It may be something that may affect you or a partner in the future.

So although it might not feel relevant to you right now, one day you're learning from this lesson might indeed be very relevant.

So it's really important that we all take part fully and really try to get the most in terms of our understanding from today's learning.

Thank you.

So the keywords for today's lesson.

First of all, miscarriage, which is the spontaneous loss of a foetus or unborn baby before the 24th week of pregnancy.

Miscarriage is a naturally occurring event, unlike a medical or surgical abortion.

Stillbirth is the death or loss of a baby before or during delivery.

Now in the UK, a stillbirth is a loss of a baby at or after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

So miscarriages are more common in pregnancies that are under 12 weeks gestation.

One in four women have experienced miscarriage in the UK.

Therefore, as I said earlier, even though you might think you don't know anybody that miscarriage has happened to, in all likelihood, you probably do know somebody who has experienced miscarriage, even though it might not be something they choose to talk about or choose to talk to you about.

Now, the cause of miscarriage is not normally identified.

The main symptom of a miscarriage or how a woman might suspect that a miscarriage is occurring is because they will bleed vaginally and they'll go to the toilet and perhaps notice that they are bleeding, or they may experience some cramping.

Now, sometimes there are absolutely no symptoms for a miscarriage, and the miscarriage is only discovered during routine scans or ultrasound checks and at that point, it's identified that the unborn baby, the foetus, has sadly died.

Now for most women who experienced miscarriage, they go on, in the future, to have successful pregnancies.

So that's something to really take from this, that having a miscarriage does not mean that it's not possible to have a future successful pregnancy.

In most cases, they absolutely do go on to have successful pregnancies.

So true or false.

Doctors can identify why the miscarriage occurred in most cases.

Is that true or is that false? It is indeed false because doctors do not usually identify the cause of a miscarriage.

It's actually thought that many miscarriages are due to chromosome issues in the foetus.

So stillbirth happens in around one in every 225 births in the UK.

Somebody who's pregnant should contact their midwife or doctor straight away if they have any concerns about their baby.

So if, for example, they've noticed that the baby is moving far less than usual, they should contact a midwife or a doctor immediately, just to be on the safe side.

So some stillbirths are linked to complications with the placenta, a birth defect or with the mother's health, but for all those there's simply no cause found.

Which statement is untrue.

One of these statements is not true.

Stillbirth in the UK occurs in around one in 225 pregnancies.

If movement from an unborn baby stops, medical attention should be sought immediately.

For some stillbirths, no cause is found.

And in all stillbirths there is an obvious cause.

Please point to the untrue statement now, please.

Okay, let's have a look.

So the untrue statement is that in all stillbirths there is an obvious cause.

In some stillbirths, yes, the cause is easily identifiable, but in other stillbirths, there just may be no obvious cause.

So the emotional impact of miscarriage and stillbirth.

This emotional impact should in no way be dismissed.

It is likely to be a devastating event for those suffering from it.

Feelings of grief, fear, emptiness, confusion, loneliness are justified and common for couples who experience pregnancy and baby loss at all stages of the pregnancy.

And there's no easy or right way for people who've experienced pregnancy or baby loss.

They will feel different things and experience different emotions and that's okay.

So I'd like you to reflect for a moment to consider how you might offer support and understanding to a person who has suffered pregnancy or baby loss.

You might want to pause the video for a moment while you reflect on that and jot a couple of ideas down.

Press play when you're ready to move on.

Okay thank you for coming back to me.

Let's see if any of your ideas match mine.

So to listen.

To listen to what they have to say.

Let them talk.

To offer practical help.

Is there anything you can do practically to support them at this time? To acknowledge the baby.

And just to support the family in any way you can.

And being careful with your choice of words.

For example, it's perhaps not helpful, even if it's well meaning, to say things like, oh don't worry, you can try again and have another baby.

That might not be what the parents want to hear at that moment when they're grieving the loss of the baby that they have just lost.

So follow their lead, in terms of the support that you offer.

So what support is available after miscarriage and stillbirth? The NHS.

Support will be available from the medical team at the time of the loss and individuals can always visit their GP at any time after that, after the immediate loss if they are struggling and feel that they need extra support perhaps with their mental health.

Many couples who experience miscarriage or stillbirth may wish to seek counselling through the NHS, through a private service or a charity.

And the charities that offer advice, guidance and support through pregnancy and baby loss include the charities Tommy's, SANDS and the Miscarriage Association.

And they can be found online really easily.

So our final reflection.

Why do you think it's important for you as young adults to recognise and talk about pregnancy and baby loss? Can you think of any possible reasons? It might be because one day, this might affect you personally.

Could be that you've got relatives, siblings, aunties, uncles, parents, who themselves have or may go through pregnancy and baby loss.

And you will be a better source of support if you have thought about the issues around pregnancy and baby loss before hand.

It might be that you didn't know about pregnancy and baby loss or that you thought that it wasn't an important topic or wasn't as wide spread as it actually is.

So your answer to this question might be quite personal.

Again, what I hope on this lesson is that in the future, if pregnancy and baby loss affects you, a partner, relative, a friend, you might be able to draw on some of your learning from this lesson that might be in here and tucked away, but that might come back to you at some point in the future if needed.

Thank you so much for joining me today in this lesson, which is number five in our intimate relationships, pregnancy and parenting.

I hope that you'll join me for our sixth and final lesson next time.

Please don't forget to complete today's exit quiz.

Have a lovely day.