With 1 in 4 pregnancies ending in miscarriage, unfortunately, so many women will experience the loss of a baby in their lifetime.
Two women on a mission to support others and lead conversations about miscarriage, infertility and baby loss are Bex Gunn and Laura Buckingham. They started their podcast The Worst Girl Gang Ever in July 2020, delivering open and honest conversations around these topics.
Writer and photographer Bex had a missed miscarriage in May 2020, and a chemical pregnancy in August 2020. Laura is a nurse, and author of ‘It Will Happen’, a personal story of recurrent miscarriage and pregnancy loss. She has experienced nine miscarriages, including ectopic and chemical pregnancies.
The podcast, which shares experiences and includes interviews with experts, has already been downloaded more than 20,000 times.
Breaking the silence
Bex Gunn, co-founder and co-host of The Worst Girl Gang Ever said: “We want to help women feel less alone during what can only be described as one of the most traumatic and isolating experiences of their lives.
“By talking openly, honestly and conversationally about these sensitive topics, we can start to reduce the stigma, smash the taboo and break the silence that has surrounded baby loss for decades.”
The Worst Girl Gang Ever podcast covers all types of pregnancy loss including miscarriage, missed miscarriage, termination for medical reasons, ectopic pregnancy, early miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal loss, recurrent miscarriage, infertility, IVF, surrogacy, LGBT fertility and miscarriage, pregnancy after loss, chemical pregnancy, molar pregnancy and blighted ovums.
As many of these terms aren’t discussed within the mainstream, the podcast hosts aim to spotlight each to ensure that women feel supported and that they’re not alone in their loss.
Giving a voice to other women
Co-host Bex, who sadly found out that she had a missed miscarriage, during her twelve-week scan in lockdown, added: “Baby loss is not going anywhere. 1 in 4 pregnancies end this way, yet we don’t talk about it. Decades of social conditioning have led us to feel shame when experiencing this loss. This shame is completely misplaced. When you lose a baby, no matter the gestation, you have lost so much more than that baby, you’ve lost hopes and dreams.
“When ONE person speaks out about the pain of miscarriage, it opens the arena for hundreds of others, others who may not find the courage by themselves. In turn, this sharing of pain is healing and reduces the isolation felt. When one woman talks, she gives a voice to hundreds.”
Normalising loss and infertility
Both women not only want to support others who have experienced loss during pregnancy but also normalise talking about infertility and baby loss. They want future generations to know how common it is and how to support themselves and others, should they or a loved one experience loss during pregnancy.
“It’s not just about condoms and bananas anymore,” they said. “It needs to be about starting conversations at a young age, normalising the arena of infertility and baby loss, so that, inevitably, when these troubles are experienced – whether it be first hand or by peers, friends and family members – they are armed with both an emotional toolbox to be able to give and receive support, and also an expansive basis of knowledge that is based on fact, rather than glossy movies.”
Recognition
The Worst Girl Gang Ever podcast has been nominated for a prestigious GLOMAMA Award (known as the ‘BAFTAs’ for mums who use social media to inspire others).
Bex and Laura were delighted by the news, and said: “We had no idea we’d been nominated in the first stages, so to get to the final awards and be considered among the ‘big boys’ so to speak, is just such a wonderful reward for the hard work we’ve put in. It will also give us the kudos to be taken more seriously and spread our message further.”
Bex and Laura are also working on a book based on the premise of the podcast, featuring stories, advice and banter.
Find The Worst Girl Gang Ever podcast on your preferred podcast platform, as well as on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.