Petra Boynton is a social psychologist and agony aunt, as well as someone who has experienced miscarriages, and her warmth, wisdom and compassion shine through all of her text in Coping With Pregnancy Loss – both factual, and otherwise.
For a small book, this is impressively comprehensive and I imagine being useful to many coping after miscarriage, or for those keen to support someone else as best they can. After an introductory foundation exploring facts, figures, symptoms and treatment options, there are chapters devoted to the range of emotional responses that often arise after loss, and wise ideas about how to make sense of a time that can often feel confusing, as well as deeply upsetting.
Boynton is sensitive to the how such responses can vary, while highlighting commonalities, and contextualises them both within a relationship or not, or for those who may be a parent already. Needless to say she has a chapter devoted to the experiences of partners too. Quotes and illustrations along the way support this book as an accessible one, as well as affirming that whatever you feel after miscarriage is normal – even if what you feel may need further support from professionals.
There are useful pointers for navigating medical and other responses, deciding whether to try and conceive again, and squaring up to the inevitable anxieties that this is likely to bring. I particularly like her emphasis on ‘recovery is not forgetting’ and the plentiful, sensible, signposts to further support. I hope this valuable resource reaches far.