'Speaking about the 22 babies I lost is seen as taboo'

Imtiaz Fazil has been pregnant 24 times, but she only has two living children.

She first fell pregnant in 1999 and, over the subsequent 23 years, has had 17 miscarriages and five babies die before their first birthdays due to a rare genetic condition.

The 49-year-old, from Levenshulme in Manchester, told BBC North West Tonight her losses were not easy to talk about, but she was determined to do so, in part because such things remained a taboo subject among South Asian groups.

She said she wanted to change that and break down the stigma surrounding baby loss.

She said her own family "don't talk to me very much about the things" as they think "I might get hurt [by] bringing up memories".

"It's too much sadness; that's why nobody approaches these sort of things," she said.

Sarina Kaur Dosanjh and her husband Vik also have the hope of breaking the silence surrounding baby loss.

The 29-year-olds, from Walsall in the West Midlands, have set up the Himmat Collective, a charity which offers a virtual space for South Asian women and men to share their experiences.

The couple, who have had two miscarriages in the past two years, said the heartache was still not something that people easily speak about.

"I think it's hidden," Sarina said.

"It's really brushed under the carpet."

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Source: BBC News, 13 October 2022