Shortly before Christmas 2010 I found out I was going to be a father for the first time. While this wasn’t a total surprise I was still overcome with a mix of emotions – happiness and excitement all mixed in with the feeling of uncertainty, financial worries and concerns for Beth’s wellbeing – something I’m sure fathers around the world will be able to relate to.
Barely a few weeks into the New Year we discovered that we had miscarried. The joy and elation we felt in the knowledge of becoming parents had suddenly been taken away and replaced with more questions than answers.
Five years later and we now have two amazing girls to keep us “entertained” (Marlee, 3, and Seren, 11 months). They are my world and I wouldn’t be without them – even if they do push me to my limits sometimes.
Miscarriages are more common than you think; 1 in 4 pregnancies will end in a miscarriage. There’s not always a reason why it happens and more often than not no answers can be given to the questions asked other than “we’re very sorry, but it’s just one of those things”.
Beth and I have come to terms with what has happened and although we don’t normally broadcast what has happened, we both feel there should be far more awareness of problems that can happen during pregnancy. This is very the reason I’ve decided to do a trek for Tommy’s. It’s not much, but anything I can do to raise awareness (and money!) of a truly worthy cause to help others who may be struggling with what has happened or is happening to them.
Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to never experience what we have, but you could just as easily be that one-in-four.
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