I'm discovering other gaps in women's healthcare as I go. They might be out of my scope but I am keeping an issues register of them here.
Unfortunately I experienced a miscarriage in late 2016. Miscarriage happens in one in four pregnancies, but it's rarely talked about. There is very little medical information about miscarriage available to women (in New Zealand, anyway), and it doesn't even count as a reason to take bereavement leave under our Holidays Act. 

I would like to change all of these things. I'm doing this around my job and my writing, so it might be slow going. But if you'd like to be a part of this change I'd love to have you on board. Check out what I'm up to below and let me know if you'd like to help. 

If you've found this page because you are experiencing miscarriage and don't know where to turn, try Miscarriage Support for grief support (also try the Miscarriage Support and Sands Facebook groups where you can ask other members questions). Contact your GP, midwife or Healthline (open 24/7) for information. Visit your hospital or White Cross if you need to. Personally, I found this American forum on missed miscarriage really useful. 

Holidays Act

Our Holidays Act specifies a number of reasons for taking bereavement leave - but miscarriage is not one of them. I'm working with a local MP to try to get this amended via a Private Members Bill. Read my letter to MPs here. Please get in touch if you support this letter - it will be stronger with your support. 

NZ pregnancy book

The NZ Pregnancy Book is over 400 pages long. It only has two pages specifically about miscarriage - but chances are 25% of women who buy the book will go on to lose their babies. If you think our national pregnancy book should include information about miscarriage, check out my letter to the editor. 

information

There is an excellent website about dealing with the grief caused by miscarriage, but physical / medical information is thin on the ground. Click here to follow my journey as I attempt to navigate DHBs, The Ministry of Health etc to make miscarriage information accessible to those who need it.