Supporting and empowering your employees through pregnancy loss

By Carole Gilling-Smith, CEO and Medical Director of the Agora Clinic.

As many as one in five pregnancies end in loss. In this article I want to explore how businesses should support and empower their employees through the huge emotional challenges loss like this can trigger.

A few definitions to start with

Most miscarriages occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and are referred to as early or first trimester miscarriages. These affect about 15 to 20% of all pregnancies, but the risk rises significantly in women over 40. The majority are due to chromosomal errors in the baby and are Mother Nature’s way of ensuring that most babies are born healthy.

An early pregnancy scan at seven weeks can be hugely reassuring if a heartbeat is seen as there is a greater than 95% chance the baby is healthy and the pregnancy will go on to develop normally. If no heartbeat is seen, then an emotional rollercoaster is usually triggered as hope fades to despair and grief. Many couples I see have been trying to conceive for years, so when we diagnose a miscarriage, especially if it follows an IVF attempt, it is an even greater blow.

About one in 80 pregnancies develop in the fallopian tube, a condition called an ectopic pregnancy. These are medical emergencies which can be life threatening requiring surgery under anaesthetic, often a blood transfusion and may lead to the loss of the affected tube and subsequent infertility.

Second trimester miscarriages are rarer, occurring in 1-2% of pregnancies after 12 weeks but before 24 weeks. These are often due to more complex issues, sometimes medical, and may require long hospital stays and even surgery.

Stillbirth is when a baby is born dead after 24 weeks, and neonatal death is when the baby is born alive but dies within the first 28 days of life. Both are extremely difficult situations to accept and often follow an otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy. The period of psychological recovery following such losses can be prolonged and accompanied by many hospital appointments as the underlying cause is investigated.

The impact of pregnancy loss

With all these scenarios, there is both a physical and psychological impact on the mother which may necessitate surgery, time off work and further investigations to understand the reason behind the loss, particularly when these occur in later pregnancy or following birth.

Pregnancy loss can also strain relationships with partners, family members, friends, and colleagues. Specialised counselling to address the complex needs of pregnancy loss is therefore essential to ensure the individual or couple are given emotional support appropriate to their needs, that the grieving process is addressed, coping strategies are explored and communication challenges are confronted and talked through. Missing any of these steps can significantly delay recovery and leave long lasting psychological wounds.

What can employers do to help?

Employers need to understand the unique grieving process triggered by the loss of an unborn child, stillbirth or neonatal loss and develop a workplace culture and policy which recognises the personal nature of this grief and range of emotions that can be experienced by both the mother and her partner.

The most supportive approach is to encourage open dialogue in a private and safe space, and to have resources available to be able to signpost the employee to specialised pregnancy loss counselling and beyond this, when they are ready, to empower them to undertake the relevant miscarriage and/or fertility investigations.

The best workplace practice is to also offer affected individuals some paid time off work to enable them to process their loss in their own time, without the pressure of seeing to their job, allowing them to recover completely emotionally and physically. It is the only way to help those affected navigate their way back into their role fully engaged and feeling positive.

What staff training should you consider?

Understandably, many of those affected by pregnancy loss don’t wish to let their line managers know they have been pregnant in the fear that this might affect their career prospects. HR and line managers should therefore receive training on how to best approach, support and communicate sensitively with employees who have experienced pregnancy loss, respecting the privacy and confidentiality this difficult situation entails.

Baby loss certificates

Individuals who have experienced pregnancy loss before 24 weeks can now apply to get a free baby loss certificate through the GOV.UK website. By providing formal recognition of their loss, this certificate can be a valuable tool in the grieving process, offering individuals and couples a tangible acknowledgment of their experience and validating their grief. Businesses should encourage their employees to consider this option.

Expert help and advice

At the Agora Clinic, we understand the complexities of pregnancy loss and our consultants have a wealth of experience in investigating and treating miscarriage, especially when it is recurrent, as well as exploring the reasons behind ectopic pregnancies and infertility. Once a cause has been identified, we can then recommend a strategy and treatment plan for future pregnancies, such as early scans to confirm a heartbeat is present, blood clotting tests for recurrent miscarriages or tubal patency testing after ectopic pregnancies. We also offer specialised counselling following a miscarriage and the opportunity to join our patient support group. We can also support businesses with advice and help them develop guidelines and policies for all fertility related issues.

Please do reach out to our professional team if you, or anyone you know, has been affected by miscarriage or visit our website for further information www.agoraclinic.co.uk.