“Each year in Ireland, thousands of women have miscarriages…”
In 2019, Síle Seoige opened up about her miscarriage. Taking to social media, the broadcaster said that a few months back she had discovered that she was pregnant, “but it wasn’t meant to be.”
“I had something I never even heard of before, I had a missed miscarriage,” she said at the time. “It basically means that you miscarry but nothing is happening physically to you.”
Afterwards, Síle was met with an “avalanche” of support – message after message from those sharing kind words, and from women who had experienced the same thing.
It was then that Síle started a national conversation on miscarriage. In her new documentary, Síle Seoige: Deireadh Tochta, the presenter talks to mothers, couples and healthcare professionals about how miscarriage has affected their lives, and why so many people experience pregnancy loss.
It is estimated that 14,000 Irish women miscarry each year and that approximately 20% or 1 in 4 of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, yet most who experience this tend to do so in silence.
The film features former Miss World Rosanna Davison, who recently welcomed twins Hugo and Oscar after struggling to become pregnant for years. Following 14 miscarriages, Rosanna decided to have her first child, Sophia, via surrogate. She has since become an advocate for speaking opening and honestly about fertility issues in Ireland.
Armagh musician and filmmaker Bernadette Morris will also speak to Síle about the to miscarriages she and her partner experienced, and how she used her music to express the pain she was experiencing.
Meteorologists Joanna Donnelly also tells Síle about her own experiences of miscarriage and the physical and emotional realties of losing a pregnancy. Dublin couple Oonagh and Brian Murphy also discuss the anxiety they are experiencing as they expect their fourth child, after five past miscarriages – one at 17 weeks.
Síle will also meet with members of miscarriage support groups as well as healthcare professionals, who discuss the gaps in Ireland’s miscarriage support services, as well as the issues that many people face when trying to get pregnant later in life.
Sure to be an important watch, this one.
Síle Seoige: Deireadh Tochta airs Wednesday night at 9.30pm on TG4. You can check out the trailer for the documentary below:
