Exploring Women's use of Facebook pages to discuss their experiences of Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss

Abstract

Miscarriage and pregnancy loss are deeply personal and painful experiences for women and their families. These losses are publicly unacknowledged and represent an undeveloped area within social work practice and research. It is estimated that between fifteen and twenty percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage, this population of women encounter medical and social care spaces that do not adequately meet their needs for recognition, validation and support (SOGC, 2017). The present study explores the ways in which women use the online social networking site Facebook to seek out opportunities to share their stories and engage in exchanges of support with others who have miscarried. Furthermore, through a thematic analysis of posts and comments shared to the “Miscarriage & Pregnancy Loss” Facebook page, this study utilizes Feminist Standpoint Theory to examine how women describe their experiences of miscarriage and pregnancy loss, which yields three distinct themes. First, miscarriage is a multi-layered experience for women that involves physical, emotional, psychological and social levels of embodiment and meaning. Second, women acknowledge that interactions with medical professionals reproduce harmful ideas and language that minimizes their experiences. Subsequently, women resist and counteract these ideas and language in their comments and exchanges of support with one another. Third, women engage with the idea of a maternal identity, which for some, endures following miscarriage, while for others motherhood is framed as something they almost achieved. This exploratory research provides insights into the utility of online resources and support networks in developing an understanding of the impacts of miscarriage and pregnancy loss, and how women use these spaces to offer words of empathy and compassion to one another.