This week’s blog is on a topic many women have experienced; and secretly gone through. The pain and emptiness of not having anyone to confide in or help bring understanding and clarity to; including such questions as “Why Me?”

Hopefully not anymore after today! My guest today is Tasha! She has volunteered to briefly share her story and her journey on how she has survived and want to help other women who have experienced the unforeseen loss of their unborn child and/or have experienced infertility challenges.

Q1: Dr. Wynette:

Hello, please tell us a little bit about yourself and what motivated you to participate in this week’s blog: Surviving Miscarriage!

A1: Tasha:

Hi! My name is Tasha, and I’m here to tell my story. From the time I was a teenager, I would say about 16, I always had my life planned out. I said by the time I’m 30 I’m going to have two kids, I’m going to have a boy & a girl, and I’m going to name them this & that…and I’ve always been the type of person to plan everything out, and my fertility journey didn’t go as I planned.

Having a baby is the most, I think is the most fulfilling experience a woman can have, and when it doesn’t happen for you right away, it makes you feel like you did something wrong, or why is this happening to me. So many women go through the struggle of getting excited about being pregnant, and then going through the struggle of having a miscarriage, and this is the reason why I’m sharing my story.

Q2: Dr. Wynette:

After having it all planned out, what was your experience when you found out you were indeed pregnant?

A2: Tasha:

Pregnancy is an emotional roller coaster. You go through so many ups; you go through so many downs. You go through the excitement of first finding out your pregnant, your anxious, you want to run & tell everyone, and then when things don’t go as planned, it’s like you just got the wind knocked out of you and that’s exactly how I felt. It took me a very, very long time, I would say years to finally come to a place where I could share my story with you.

The reason why I’m sharing my story is because I don’t want anyone to ever feel like their alone, and at the time that I had my miscarriage, that’s exactly how I felt. And, I had a lot of highs, & I had a lot of lows, and I just don’t want anyone to ever have to feel like their alone. There’s a whole community of women dealing with miscarriage, but because it’s so taboo, we’re afraid to talk about it because we feel ashamed, we feel guilty, we feel all these different emotions.

Q3: Dr. Wynette:

What would you want to say or let women who have experienced a miscarriage know?

A3: Tasha:

As women we blame ourselves, because I know I blamed myself for a lot of years. When I miscarried, my first thought was “What did I do wrong”, “Did I not eat right, did I overdo it, did I overtax my body…what could I have done different? And, I had to come to the realization that I didn’t do anything wrong. You feel angry, you feel sad, you feel depressed, you feel isolated, you don’t want to talk about it, and it seems like everybody’s saying the wrong things to you. And, I just want women to know that you’re not alone, and it’s going to be okay. You’re entitled to feel sad, depressed. You can feel any way that you want and it’s okay to feel that way. And, this is why I decided to share my story because I want everyone to know that, you’re not alone, and there is support for you.

Q4: Dr. Wynette:

If a women who have experienced the life changing event of miscarriage was looking for support, how can they contact you?

A4: Tasha:

I can be reached via email at natashakgrant@hotmail.com.

Q5: Dr. Wynette

Would you be interested in facilitating and hosting an online support group for women surviving miscarriage?

A5: Tasha:

Absolutely! You never know what someone is going through, & you never know how you can help someone else, just by telling your story. There’s a whole community of women dealing with miscarriage, and I think it would be great to have an open forum where we can talk about it. A judgment free zone.

Thank you so much Tasha for making yourself available to assist other women going through the pain of miscarriage. I encourage anyone who would like to continue this conversation and for support please contact Tasha at natashakgrant@hotmail.com. There is hope and life after a miscarriage!

Now that we are three months into the 2019 New Year, have you been successful in moving towards achieving your individual, family; personal or professional goals? Goal planning can be a tedious task to complete; frequently we do not know where to begin. However, it is one of the most crucial necessary steps to take towards living our best life now!

Here are five simple steps to take towards achieving your personal and professional goals before the end of the 2019 year:

1. Begin with writing and identifying one to three goals/intentions.
2. Keep them simple and realistic.
3. Make sure they are measurable.
4. List the specific, detail steps to be taken weekly and review your progress monthly.
5. Identify someone to assist in the accountability process and celebrate your “wins”.

Now with the holiday season upon us, it is more important than ever that we fully take care of ourselves; specifically, our emotional well-being. Because this time of the year is historically known to bring back feelings of sadness and depression which may manifest in the form of repressed and subconscious longings for our loved ones who may no longer be physically in our lives or reminders of non-tangible things we do not have and feelings of just not having enough.

Today I would like to offer you a remedy to overcoming these negative emotions. It is one simple word: GRATITUDE! For the next 30 days, I invite you to write down three things you are grateful for each day and review the list frequently to remain mindful of why there is a reason to smile and be thankful. Stay optimistic and keep in mind the ability to breath daily or to witness the beautiful branches on the trees is truly a gift and something to be thankful for. This holiday season allow gratitude to lead the way as you enjoy the festive lights and holiday music as well as great food.

Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays!
Dr. Wynette