The Instagram account breaking the silence around miscarriage

As many as one in four confirmed pregnancies end in miscarriage before 20 weeks - and that number could be much higher. 

Despite this, pregnancy loss remains a topic that’s shrouded in stigma and rarely openly discussed.

Dr Jessica Zucker is determined to break this silence, and she’s using Instagram to do it.

Dr Jessica Zucker. Image: Instagram

The Los Angeles psychologist, who specialises in reproductive and maternal mental health, runs an account and corresponding social media campaign called I Had a Miscarriage. 

Each day she shares personal accounts, photographs, artworks and talking points surrounding pregnancy loss - some heartbreaking, some uplifting - with her growing community of followers. 

Her posts also explore the often fraught experience of falling pregnant after a miscarriage.

"This campaign is here for anyone who has experienced any type of pregnancy or infant loss ... Let this space be a life line. An anchor. A community," a recent post explains.

Video: Sam Dalmege reflects on losing her twin babies at 12 weeks pregnant.

Zucker had spent a decade treating women after pregnancy loss before she experienced it herself. It happened in 2012, when she was 16 weeks pregnant.

“This life-threatening, heart cracking experience eclipsed everything that had come before,” she recalled in a 2014 essay inThe New York Times.

Zucker questioned why pregnancy lost was shrouded in stigma despite the fact it was a relatively common experience.

“[Pregnancy loss] doesn't mean anything about who you are, or your body being a failure."

In addition to her Instagram campaign, Zucker marks National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month with a special project each year. In 2015, she designed a range of sympathy cards for women who’ve suffered a miscarriage, which received wide media coverage.

If you or someone you know has been affected by pregnancy loss and is in need of support and/or information, call SANDS on 1300 072 637 or visit http://www.sands.org.au/