Final degree university project to raise awarness of Miscarriage / Pregnancy loss

[missychrissi]

Dear Mums,

I am a Photography student in my 3rd year and I am
working on my final project which will be dealing with the loss of a pregnancy.

I am aware that all of you are going through very very tough times and that this subject is a very sensitive one.
During the past few years several very close friends and members of my family have experienced the loss of an unborn, I haven't. Yet, it is something I am very aware and also scared of!

Due to those experiences and worries, I have decided to look at this "subject" closer for my degree work.
But where I haven't experienced a miscarriage myself, I am looking for women that would like to share their experiences with me and help me to develope my project.

I feel that, because it is such a sensitive subject, not many people talk about it or are even aware of it. Many people around don't even know how to react towards a woman that has just experienced a pregnancy loss. - Often it seems like society does not care?!

PROJECT OUTLINE

So here is my project outline, and ladies, please feel free to comment on anything that you would like to, also tell me how far you think that this project is worth it or not good at all.

I am going to create a book which is going to look at 5 women that have experience a loss of pregnancy (at early and later stages). I am looking for presonal thoughts and writings, poems, letters, personal items that help you to get through this time and to remember. How does your family cope? How do you see yourself? Do you own precious Ultrasound images?

THE BOOK

The book will portray each woman separately and give each women space to show her emotions and ways of feeling.
I am planning to start each story with a personal writing from the mother and include an ultrasound or image that the mother has drawn of her lost child, folowed by the story of each women starting at the point when she knoew that she was pregnant up to the point of the loss. After this part I would like to show a photograph of something that helps you to cope with this tragedy - an item, a doll, maybe a little place in the garden with a cross, a teddy bear....
I would like to end each story with (if possible) with either another few lines by the mother about her loss or a photograph of the mother (only if wished).

THANK YOU

I do know that this is really hard, but I would like to ask you if you could help me with my work.
I want to raise awarness through this project and I am hoping that the endresult will help other mothers that have lost an unborn, to cope.

Thank you for your help.

not sure if you are a regular, just rushing off o school run. But feel free to email me at [email protected]

I have suffered 7 losses.

Hi

Just read this with interest. How is your work going to raise awareness given that it is a project? You haven't really made a case for how your work is going to help these women.

As someone who has experienced neonatal loss and a miscarriage, my personal thoughts on your project are that I do feel that you are asking for way too much personal information (eg ultrasound). Perhaps some women will be comfortable giving you that information but it such a sensitive and private topic that I imagine many women would not want to share that for a personal project. I could be wrong. Might be better for you to approach people who know and trust you. I also wonder where all this personal information may end up.

hi there, i have suffered four pregnancy losses and whilst i would like to help in principle i agree with sh77 that you maybe asking too much of people. i am unusually open about my miscarriages but have not gone into this level of detail with a soul - not even my husband - and would not contemplate doing it for some random student project as i think it would make me feel considerably worse by dwelling on it at this stage.
i don't in the slightest mean to denigrate your project; i'm just being honest about my instinctive reaction.
I think you would find plenty of women willing to share their experiences of miscarriage care on the NHS - mostly its shortcomings and failings but some positive aspects too perhaps, but that is a totally different project to the one you propose.

Hello,
some time has passed since I have opened this discussion about for my final university project in photography.

I am very thankful for each woman that replied and shared with me her thoughts about it. They have been very helpful and taken me on a very interesting and intense journey during the past few months.

After reading many many books about miscarriages and women that opened up and felt an urge to tell the world about their feelings, I had to realise that not every woman feels that way, which made me reconsider the outcome of my "project".

As the project continued to develope during the past few weeks I decided to get away from the book-idea and specify only on images.

This will take the very very personal part away from it and will leave it to the viewer to his/her own thoughts and reactions to it.

The title of the the photographic series will be "Schmetterlingskinder" (Butterfly children).

Please feel free to ask me further questions and continue sharing your concerns with me.

If anyone of you is interested in seeing my final work you are more than welcome to visit Solent university in Southampton between 11th and 20th June 2010.