MEGHAN Markle bravely shared her heartache after suffering a miscarriage to support other women who faced the same tragedy in silence, an insider claimed today.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, last month penned an emotional op-ed that revealed the “unbearable grief” she and husband Prince Harry had gone through after losing their second child.
In the deeply personal essay for the New York Times, the mum revealed she had to be hospitalised four months ago after feeling a “sharp cramp” before losing her unborn baby.
A source told People magazine that Meghan had bravely decided to share her experience to break the “cycle of solitary mourning”.
The insider told the US outlet: “They kept their miscarriage private for months because it was very painful and not anything that they knew if they would ever want to share.
“They both seemed shocked at how painful it was.
“Meghan was ready to share now because so many women go through the same thing in silence.”
In the emotional essay published last month, Meghan encouraged others to reach out to friends and family, saying that once the pain was shared, “together we take the first steps toward healing” .
Meghan wrote in the powerful op-ed: “Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few.
“In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage.
“Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.”
She added: “Some have bravely shared their stories; they have opened the door, knowing that when one person speaks truth, it gives license for all of us to do the same.
“We have learned that when people ask how any of us are doing, and when they really listen to the answer, with an open heart and mind, the load of grief often becomes lighter — for all of us.
“In being invited to share our pain, together we take the first steps toward healing.”
Recalling the devastating morning in July, the duchess said she had been looking after her son Archie, who would have been about 14-months-old at the time, when she felt a “sharp cramp”.
She wrote: “After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right.
“I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second. Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand.
“I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal.”
Meghan said she had decided to speak out about her loss because miscarriage was still a taboo subject which led to a “cycle of solitary mourning”.
The former actress said she wanted to encourage people to ask “are you OK?” this holiday season.
