A brave mum has shared a heartbreaking photo of her cradling her baby after she suffered a miscarriage – and we couldn’t admire her more for it.
Jamie Notis, a reality TV star in the US, posted the poignant image on Instagram, and it speaks a thousand words. In the picture she is lying in a hospital bed with tiny son Johnathan Edward in her hands. Her husband Doug’s arm is around her, the expressions on both their faces a mixture of devastation and disbelief.
“October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month,” Jamie captioned the post. “I can't sleep well tonight so I blogged about my sweet boy, Johnathan Edward. I realize there is a great stigma associated with sharing photos of your baby who was born too early and has already gone to heaven so I want to say sorry if this offends you.
“I hope by me sharing my sweet boy, Johnny (as Doug and I call him), you'll realise that he's a harmless, helpless baby who deserves to be remembered, not hidden away because his image may offend someone. And if you've lost your baby early, please know that you're not alone.
“Unfortunately, 1 in 4 women are affected by this. Yet, no one talks about it. I hope this can change. I'll be the first in my circle. You be the first in yours. My prayers go out to everyone who has lost their sweet baby too early.”
It’s true that we very rarely see images of the baby a mum miscarried, but by sharing a photo of her boy, Jamie is honouring him, acknowledging him and saying that yes, he was a person, and he deserves to be remembered.
By doing so, Jamie is challenging the stigma around miscarriages and reaching out to mums who have been through the same ordeal, reminding them that they’re not alone.
“I've realised that there are SO many women who have experienced a similar loss and feel so isolated from it,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “It wasn't until I blogged [that I realised that] so many women feel the same way as me. It's taboo to share photos and talk about miscarriage.
“I really want to desensitise this topic, I want to show [other women] that they aren't alone, and I want to give them a space where they can share their sweet baby who was taken from the world too early. I hope by me sharing my story and my son, Johnny, it helps women who have gone through similar circumstances or who are going through a loss now.”
