Since publishing my book, No U-Turn at Mercy Street: A Memoir and Resource Guide for Grieving Parents, I've heard from readers that resonate with reading about my miscarriages.

Miscarriage is usually an unspoken grief. Women are often told they can try again, which is not what we need to hear. The feedback I've gotten is gratitude that I wrote about miscarriage, followed by their stories of miscarriage. I was honored to listen. Miscarriage rates are high, you likely know a woman who has had one.

If you have had a miscarriage please find a trusted friend, relative or clergy person to share your story with.

If you know someone who has had a miscarriage, please offer them a listening ear and an open mind: emotional presence is what we all need to heal.

For those of you interested in the rates of miscarriage, UpToDate, an online reference source for doctors and patients, relates the following statistics:

"Studies show that about 10% to 20% of women who know they are pregnant have a miscarriage some time before 20 weeks of pregnancy; 80% of these occur in the first 12 weeks. But the actual rate of miscarriage is even higher since many women have very early miscarriages without ever realizing that they are pregnant. One study that followed women's hormone levels every day to detect very early pregnancy found a total miscarriage rate of 31%."

If you'd like to know what to say to someone who is grieving (and what not to say), please download my free pamphlet, The Language of Grieving.