'It's Not Your Fault': Grieving The Loss Of A Pregnancy

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Losing a baby to miscarriage.

It's a topic that's not often talked about, but it affects many women.

October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

Friday, October 15, is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

"About 10% of pregnancies end in early pregnancy loss," said Dr. Elaine Duryea, a maternal fetal medicine physician at Parkland Health and Hospital System.

"Because of that almost one in three women will experience a loss in their lifetime. When I share that with patients who are having a loss or have suffered a loss they're really shocked."

Beyond early pregnancy loss, stillbirths affect one out of 160 births in the U.S. each year.

That's also about the same number of babies that die during the first year of life. While it's a difficult subject, Dr. Duryea said it's an important one to talk about.

"There have been some scientific studies that look, and up to a third of women who have an early pregnancy loss are able to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression," the doctor said. "If those women aren't talking about what's going on, they're not getting the assistance they need."

For those of you experiencing a loss, Dr. Duryea has a message.

"It's not your fault. Women often internalize it and have a lot of guilt," she said. "They really just need to be told over and over again that it's not their fault and there's nothing they could have done differently to prevent it."

CLICK HERE for resources.