TO HIGHLIGHT Baby Loss Awareness Week, a family from Newtown has shared their experience.

Anne Owen’s daughter Charlotte, 31, had no previous medical issues, but had four miscarriages over two years.

Added to their grief, Anne said Charlotte and her husband encountered a number of issues when it came to accessing services from Mid Wales, advice and after care.

With no services for emergency situations within easy reach in Mid Wales, Charlotte was referred to Telford, a one-and-a-half hour drive from Newtown.

Hoping to see an improvement in care, to help others, and to raise awareness for those who could go through the same, Charlotte has shared key points from her experience.

She said: “Miscarriages are not dealt with as the emergencies that they are. A miscarriage is a severe bleed, which should be treated as a medical emergency. There is no medical assistance until three miscarriages in a row even if you are able to go private.

“There is no joined up thinking with regards to the causes of miscarriage and therefore you only get advice that the specialist themselves believes in.

“The NHS does not have the funds for research – the Tommys and Miscarriage Association charities appear to lead the research although this can also be disjointed with help only available to women near these specialist centres.

“We were left to try and work out the causes of our miscarriage ourselves, taking the advice of a private consultant, NHS Professor and research from Tommys and trying to decipher what was most likely to have caused our problems and what route to take next

“GPs provide little to no support. In my experience, midwives do not provide support to the couples who have had bereavements

“The advice when having a miscarriage is extremely lacking and does not prepare you for the horrors of what happens. The subject is not talked about despite how common miscarriages are, mainly because of the belief around the 12 week scan being a significant turning point in pregnancy.

“If attitudes were changed then more support would be there during the early weeks, which are usually the hardest even in normal pregnancies.

“My employer (a construction contractor) has been excellent providing support throughout and never questioning the time required for medical appointments or sick leave following miscarriages. They have even allowed me a significant role change to reduce my work hours to give me the best chance of success in the future.”

A spokesman for Powys Teaching Health Board said: “Powys Teaching Health Board is committed to improving access to bereavement support after pregnancy or baby loss.

“If women and families have experiences of loss and bereavement that they would like to share with us to help us improve our provision of bereavement support then we would encourage them to talk with their community midwife or contact our Putting Things Right team (www.powysthb.wales.nhs.uk/complaints or by telephone on 01874 712697).”

n Baby Loss Awareness Week is running until October 15. For more information visit www.babyloss-awareness.org