Watch: Families break their silence on miscarriage for powerful doc

Tue, 06 Apr, 2021 - 16:19

Sarah Horgan

A TG4 documentary tackling the difficult subject of miscarriage is set to feature a Cork organisation helping those affected by the issue.

Jennifer and Paudie Ó Dubhgáin, who run the Cork Miscarriage Support Group, are participating in the hour-long show, Síle Seoige: Deireadh Tochta, which sees the television presenter explore the grief, hope, and fears of those coming to terms with a miscarriage. As parents of three children themselves, Jennifer and Paudie, who started the organisation in 2013, were prompted to set up the service after their experiences with miscarriage.

During the documentary, they speak about how fathers, as well as mothers, require a confidential support service where they can be heard and understood.

The documentary came about after Síle Seoige opened up about her miscarriage through social media in 2019. It will see her meet doctors and service providers to discuss the medical, emotional, and psychological impacts of miscarriages.

Ms Seoige, along with other Irish women like her, will talk openly about miscarriage and how it has impacted their lives. Other well-known participants include Rosanna Davison who suffered 14 miscarriages and eventually had a baby girl through surrogacy. The former Miss World has since given birth to twin boys naturally.

Celebrated author and UCD professor Angela Bourke will speak publicly for the first time about her experience with miscarriages as a young academic in the 1980s. Professor Keelin O’Donoghue leads a team in Cork University Maternity Hospital exploring the effects of miscarriages on mothers and treatment options available in individual cases.

While giving Ms Seoige a fact-based medical explanation of what happens when women miscarry, she also emphasises the importance of how women are cared for in the aftermath.