Pregnancy BUMP&baby issue 13

Heartbreakingly, miscarriage affects one in four women. Motherhood photographer Shannon Radford bravely shares her story.

We found out I was pregnant in early November. Six days before my period was due, exactly the same way we found out with our three-year-old son Bjorn. We were so excited. A sibling for Bjorn to run around with, to be protective over. We made a little sign for him to hold in front of the Christmas tree, and we announced it to our friends and family. I didn’t get a chance to go to the doctor; I just contacted a midwife and made plans to see her in a few weeks. Everything seemed normal. I was pretty sick from the outset, which was the same with Bjorn – vomiting randomly and feeling horrible. We went to Whangamata with mybest friends, intending to spend New Year’s eve there, bringing in 2021 with excitement for what was to come.

I had chronic morning sickness. Think head in the toilet, not coping kind of sick. So we called the doctor, and they prescribed me some antinausea pills. It didn’t help a whole heap, and we carried on with the holiday anyway. (So to those who say, “Oh, if you are sick, that’s a sign of a healthy baby” – that’s BS.) I woke up on New Year’s Eve to blood when I wiped. I called out to Aaron, and we headed straight to a clinic. When asked if we had an appointment, I responded, “No, but I’m eight weeks pregnant and I’m bleeding.”...READ MORE IN BUMP&baby MAGAZINE