Binky Felstead: 'We need to break the stigma around miscarriage'

Binky Felstead has spoken out about her miscarriage

Made in Chelsea star Binky Felstead says she wants to "break the stigma" around miscarriage and open up conversations about baby loss.

Lots of the influencer's followers and friends got in touch with her after she posted on Instagram about losing her baby.

The 30-year-old told Newsbeat many of those people had never talked about their own miscarriages.

"It's heart-breaking, so I felt that I'd like to try and break the stigma."

About one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage, and it's most common in the first three months of pregnancy.

After 24 weeks, it's known as stillbirth.

Binky says her miscarriage happened when she was almost 12 weeks pregnant.

She had two early scans which showed "a strong heartbeat", but at the third scan she was told there wasn't a heartbeat at all.

"It's such important issue to raise because no-one really talks about it," she says.

"It's almost like it's a taboo subject."

She adds: "It's obviously deeply personal, incredibly emotional and physically tiring.

"In all honesty the last thing you want to do is talk about it."

Binky told Newsbeat that she and partner Max Darnton made the decision to post about her miscarriage because her followers deserved to see her "reality".

"I've always shared my happy moments, from when I got pregnant with India, when I had India and my engagement last month.

"I don't think it's reality - or that it's fair - that I don't share my down time as well.

"The one piece of advice I feel that I can give is to make sure you allow yourself to physically and emotionally heal."

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Since Binky's post, the Miscarriage Association says it's been inundated with phone calls from women.

"It's really helpful when someone well-known like Binky talks publicly about her experience of miscarriage because it's not an easy thing to do," says Ruth Bender-Atik from the Miscarriage Association..

"For some reason it's still a taboo and it can be difficult to talk about.

"Sometimes you feel like you could have done better, lots of people feel like it's because they've done something wrong and that they could have done something.

"It's hard to talk about, but it really helps if we can get miscarriage talked about more."

The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact for women who have had a miscarriage.

Charities say it's complicated grief, with partners unable to always attend appointments and scans.

• 'I faced miscarriage alone - my partner had to wait in the car park'

There have been some changes to official NHS guidance, but it's still an issue for many.

"Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, feelings of isolation have become more widespread than ever and many people have begun to talk more openly about grief," Dr Clea Harmer, chief executive of the stillbirth and neonatal death charity (SANDS) said.

"Many of those whose baby died during the pandemic will not have been able to spend time making memories or saying goodbye to their baby in the way they would have wanted to.

"Now more than ever, we can all come together to let those affected by pregnancy and baby loss know they are not alone and that we are all here to support them."

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