Traditionally, women are advised to wait until they are past the 12-week mark before they announce their pregnancy, as that’s when miscarriages are most likely.
But why shouldn’t we be allowed to celebrate every step of our pregnancy with the world? And why should we be forced to keep our miscarriages hidden if they occur early on in our pregnancy?
This is exactly the question that mummy blogger Sophie Cachia has decided to address in her latest rebellious post for Mamamia.
Announcing that she is expecting a baby of her own - and that she is nine weeks into her pregnancy - Sophie wrote powerfully: “Societal norms prevent us from freely announcing pregnancy until after the 12-week mark.
“Yet, my daily life revolves around sharing incredibly intimate details of my world.
“I looked at this idea with the most realistic approach possible. I thought, if something was to go wrong, if I was to experience a miscarriage with this pregnancy – whether it be in the next three weeks or even after – then I would share it anyway.
“I would share the heartache, I would share the tears, and I would share my first experience of losing a baby.”
Sophie went onto argue that women should feel comfortable announcing their pregnancy whenever they want.
“Can't we as women have control over our bodies and thus make our own decisions? One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage, and women's silence means that rate is likely to be even higher.
"I think it's a huge problem that society makes some women feel like they have to keep their pregnancies and their miscarriages hidden away."
And, adding further to her powerful and encouraging message, she wrote: “Miscarriage does not need to be such a shocking and taboo topic of conversation.
“We need support, we need encouragement, and we need acceptance.”
Her absolutely incredible blog post has generated over a thousand comments on Facebook, with many women thanking Sophie for sharing her opinion with the world.
One wrote: “I have never understood the need to keep quiet about pregnancy for the first 12 weeks. If one were to lose their baby, that needs to be dealt with, cried about, talked about.
“Soph such a brilliant honest story and congratulations!”
Another added: “I have never commented on your photos or posts.. But I've just read your blog on why you announced early - and it brought me to tears, happy tears, tears that totally understand where you're coming from.
“It's exactly why I announced it early. And we did have a miscarriage. And it was exactly what support we needed.”
And one more commented: “With my first and my now bump. We announced early with both. 8 weeks with our first and 10 weeks with this one.
“To us, it was our child whether it was 4 weeks in or 12 weeks.”
We are so proud that Sophie has spoken out in a bid to remove the stigma around miscarriage.
Women should not feel bullied into silence, they shouldn’t be made to feel as if their grief is an overreaction, and they shouldn’t be made to feel as if they are carrying a dirty secret.
Miscarriages are far more common than we tend to think, and that’s largely because most people don’t feel comfortable talking about the loss of their pregnancy through this means.
The only way to remove the shame and stigma is by addressing the issue head-on, with open and honest discussions.
By putting faces and stories to the concept, we will remind the world that miscarriage is a real thing that happens to real people.
Only then will we be able to erase the silence that inexcusably follows such a common experience.