This morning, the New York Times published an essay by Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. In it she details her recent experience having a miscarriage and connects it back to our collective pain over the last year. From the way Covid-19 has derailed all of our lives – the illness and death, the loss of work and forced isolation – to the incessant systemic racism that has contributed to countless Black lives lost, Markle links her devastating experience to the devastation suffered by so many.
And for that, we say thank you.
At Babe, our job is to shed light on every aspect of the pregnancy and motherhood journey.
From the elation and excitement, to the embarrassing, WTF hilarity, to the saddest, most painful moments endured by so many women each year. While Ms. Markle isn’t the first high profile woman to speak out about her miscarriage, she does so at a time when we’re all wondering how to be thankful, how to show gratitude when so much feels wrong in this moment.
Markle closes out her story with a plea to all of us. That when we see someone in pain, crying on the street, eyes tearing above the folds of a mask, ask them, “Are you OK?
” When we Zoom with our parents tomorrow, knowing they haven’t seen their grandchildren in months, check in and ask, “Are you OK?” One of the biggest lessons of motherhood (that we’re still learning over here, btw) is the idea that nothing goes as planned, nothing is always OK, but if we can be open, if we can share these experiences with one another and lead with empathy and kindness, then the collective strength of all fellow mothers will help carry us through. At Babe, we’re committed to telling more stories like these, so that you know it will all be OK.
Maybe not now, maybe not next week, but eventually, it will all be OK.
