Show Notes
In this deeply personal and insightful episode of The Miscarriage Rebellion, host Sam interviews Sarah Mitchell, a Member of Parliament for New South Wales and former Minister for Education and Early Childhood. Sarah shares her own experience of early pregnancy loss, which ignited her passion for advocating for better support and policy change for families navigating fertility journeys.
This conversation delves into the emotional, societal, and political landscapes of reproductive health, miscarriage, and family building.
Sarah speaks candidly about her two miscarriages between her two daughters, including a devastating loss at 10 weeks, which was only discovered at a routine appointment. She discusses the acute feeling of grief—a feeling she wasn't able to label at the time but recognizes now.
Sam and Sarah explore the societal narrative that often minimizes early pregnancy loss, making women feel like they are not "grief worthy," especially if they already have children. Sarah reflects on feeling exposed and isolated going through her loss in a small country town and the burden of feeling she "shouldn't" be sad because she already had a daughter.
Sarah, now in opposition, is chairing a Parliamentary inquiry into fertility support in NSW. The broad scope includes:
* Fertility education in schools.
* Support for conditions like endometriosis (endo).
* Addressing miscarriage and loss.
* The IVF and surrogacy journey.
* The goal is to move beyond the linear narrative of parenthood and create a more comprehensive support system.
If you are interested in reading more about the impact of geographical isolation on fertility and loss, you can find the Pink Elephants Not Just A Loss Report [https://www.pinkelephants.org.au/resource/not-just-a-loss] on their website.
EARLY PREGNANCY LOSS SUPPORT If you or someone you know has experienced miscarriage or early pregnancy loss, please know you are not alone.
* For crisis support, please call Lifeline - 13 11 14. * Access all our support [https://www.pinkelephants.org.au/page/65/find-support] * Connect through Live Chat with Peer Support [https://www.pinkelephants.org.au/page/75/peer-support-live-chat] * Join Online Communities [https://www.pinkelephants.org.au/page/74/peer-support-online-communities] * Call out Pregnancy Loss helpline delivered by PANDA [https://www.pinkelephants.org.au/helpline] * Join the Circle of support [https://www.pinkelephants.org.au/the-circle] * Follow @pinkelephantssupport [https://www.instagram.com/pinkelephantssupport] on instagram.
STACEY JUNE LEWIS You can follow our host Stacey on her personal Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/staceyjune/] account where she shares some of her lived experience.
More from The Miscarriage Rebellion
Professionally trained as police officers, Britt and Taz are no strangers to navigating heavy and distressing situations—yet nothing could prepare them for the devastating, invisible grief of losing their baby girl, Hazel, at 14 weeks.
Welcoming a "Rainbow Baby" after pregnancy loss is a deeply layered journey—one that was entirely ignored by the commercial world a decade ago. In this episode, Sam Payne sits down with Hana Krawchuk, founder of global infant sleepwear brand Love to Dream. Hana shares how a chance meeting at the Telstra Women in Business Awards sparked a seven-year partnership with Pink Elephants, shattered retail silences, and brought early pregnancy loss support directly onto mainstream store shelves.
In this deeply moving episode, comedian and advocate Libby Parker shares her eight-year journey through eleven pregnancy losses, navigating medical misogyny, and finding hope beyond loss. Libby opens up about trusting her intuition, using humor to break down reproductive trauma, and ultimately rewriting her family narrative through foster care.
In this episode of The Miscarriage Rebellion, host Sam Payne brings together the visionaries behind the clinical architecture and frontline execution of the Pink Elephants Peer Support Program: reproductive health specialist Terry Diamond and foundation peer support companion Maggi MacDonald. Together, they trace the decade-long journey of transforming a raw, grassroots desire for connection into a highly rigorous, government-funded national support framework.
In this profoundly honest and necessary episode of The Miscarriage Rebellion, Sam sits down with Nine News presenter Tracy Vo. Tracy bravely pulls back the curtain on her deeply personal journey through the heartbreaking and heavily stigmatised landscape of Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR) with her baby boy, James, and her subsequent path to welcoming her beautiful rainbow baby, Mila.