RTÉ presenter Kathryn Thomas has spoken of her devastation following the two miscarriages she experienced.
Thomas, who is expecting a child with her fiance Pádraig McLoughlin said during an interview on The Late Late Show she had experienced two miscarriages in the past three years.
“We were trying for a long time, nine months came and went and you’re starting to lose faith and you’re thinking, have we left it too late?” she said.
“We got pregnant and we were over the moon and we had booked a holiday to Greece and I was six weeks gone when I had my first miscarriage which happened on one of the islands. I had to get a boat and go to hospital and nobody was speaking English and it was the most horrific experience,” she said.
“Because of my line of work I had interviewed so many women who had miscarriages and I had done the research that says one in four women will have a miscarriage but until it happens to you, you can’t imagine it. It completely floored me.
“We were unlucky, we were unfortunate. A lot of women go through it, not a lot of women talk about it but so many women go through it. It was another eight months before we got pregnant again for the second time,” she said.
“I was absolutely bricking it, you’re nervous and you’re anxious. We got to the six-week scan, got the all clear, went for lunch and celebrated because the six-week point is where it went wrong for me the last time. That night I miscarried again for the second time,”she said.
“That hit me like a ton of bricks. It was very difficult for me to stay positive because all of my life, all of my career, all I do for me is to be positive and to have self-belief and confidence,” she said.
“You go through self-blame, why me? Is it ever going to happen? It’s very testing on a relationship too,” she said.
Thomas said speaking out about her experiences has helped her to cope.
“There are so many amazing forums out there for women who have gone through miscarriage. I didn’t get counselling but talking about it . . .
“It’s still a taboo subject in Ireland and it needs to be talked about as part of the pregnancy process,” she said.
Thomas urged women and couples going through a similar experience to try to “remain positive”.