Brave Meghan Markle handed out clothes to needy families with Harry just weeks after miscarriage agony
BRAVE Meghan Markle and Prince Harry handed out clothes to needy families just weeks after their miscarriage agony.
The couple distributed supplies, clothes and diapers at a drive-through run by Los Angeles charity Baby2Baby in August, with the 39-year-old mum today revealing she had endured the heartbreak of a miscarriage in July.
⚠️ Read our Meghan and Harry blog for the latest news on the Royal couple
The event saw families in need given basic necessities thanks to the charity.
And despite their heartbreak behind the scenes, Meghan and Harry threw themselves into the charity work.
At the time, Meghan wore loose khaki shorts with a white shirt and trainers while Harry wore a baseball hat as they helped out families with both wearing face coverings to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Sweet photographs showed the duchess helping one little boy with his backpack while Harry cheerfully gave families the thumbs up sign.
At the time, Baby2Baby praised the couple, saying: "Thank you for putting smiles on the faces of the children and families we serve and helping us provide the supplies, basic hygiene, and clothing every child deserves."
The couple's charity work in August is all the more touching given the devastating miscarriage Meghan today revealed she had suffered just weeks earlier.
The mum-of-one penned a deeply personal essay for the New York Times, saying she and Harry had gone through "unbearable grief" after the miscarriage.
Recalling the devastating morning in July, the duchess said she had been looking after her son Archie, who would have been about 14-months-old at the time, when she felt a "sharp cramp".
In the moving piece, she wrote: "After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right.
"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second. Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand.
"I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal."
Meghan said she had decided to speak out about her loss because miscarriage was still a taboo subject which led to a "cycle of solitary mourning".
The former actress said she wanted to encourage people to ask "are you OK?" this holiday season.
In the touching essay, she added: "Sitting in a hospital bed, watching my husband’s heart break as he tried to hold the shattered pieces of mine, I realized that the only way to begin to heal is to first ask, 'Are you OK?'"
A source close to the Duchess of Sussex today told the BBC Meghan is currently in good health.
The source said the couple had taken time to process what happened and made the decision to talk about it publicly after realising how common miscarriages are.
Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and Clarence house said they would not comment as it was "a deeply personal matter".
But a royal source said: "There is understandable sadness in the family."
What is a miscarriage and how common are they?
A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks in the UK, and 20 weeks in the US.
After this point, a pregnancy loss is classed as a stillbirth.
Sadly, miscarriages are common with most happening in the first three months - the first trimester.
An estimated one in eight pregnancies will end in miscarriage, according to the NHS.
But, in many cases a miscarriage will happen before a woman knows she's pregnant.
It is important to know miscarriages rarely happen because of something you did, or didn't do. In most cases, doctors don't know what causes the loss, which makes it very hard to prevent them.
However, there are lifestyle changes that can help reduce the risk of a miscarriage, according to the charity Tommy's.
They include not smoking, eating a healthy, balanced diet, losing weight before pregnancy if you're overweight or obese, trying to avoid infections in pregnancy like rubella, not drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs, staying active and limiting caffeine intake.
The risk of miscarriage does also increase with age, according to Tommy's.
Women under 30 have a 10 per cent chance of miscarriage, which doubles to 20 per cent for women aged 35 to 39. For those over the age of 45, the risk is 50 per cent.
The most common sign of miscarriage is bleeding, but cramping, a discharge of fluid or tissue from your vagina and no longer 'feeling' pregnant are also symptoms.
Many women will notice light bleeding in the early stages of pregnancy, but if you are worried it is important to speak to your midwife or hospital straight away.
Losing a baby is a deeply personal experience that affects people differently.
No matter when in your pregnancy you suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth, support is available from hospital counselling services as well as Tommy's and other charity groups.
https://www.tommys.org/
Royal expert Katie Nicholl today the BBC Prince Harry had been supported by his family in the UK.
She said: "The royal family were very supportive about it. They were aware of what had happened.
"Harry was in constant touch with them over the summer and they knew what they were going through.
"My understanding is they've been supported by the royal family on this episode."
Sun photographer Arthur Edwards today expressed his condolences to the couple, saying the Royal Family would have been "very upset" and sent messages of support.
Meghan and Harry were married in May 2018 at St George's Chapel, going on to welcome son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor into the world a year later.
The couple kept the birth of Archie very private and chose not to reveal the hospital where he would be born or pose for pictures with him immediately after his arrival. His christening was also a private affair.
When they introduced Archie to the world two days after his birth, the parents gushed over his arrival.
New mum Meghan said at the time: "It's magic, it's pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world so I'm really happy."
She added: "He has the sweetest temperament, he's really calm."
I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second
Meghan Markle
The couple have made no secret of their desire for a second child but they previously said two would be their limit for environmental reasons.
The couple quit the Royal Family in January this year before moving to the US a few months later.
They then bought their own home in Santa Barbara, California, in July.
That same month, the duchess had a Mail on Sunday High Court hearing that saw Meghan apply to stop her five friends who spoke to People magazine from being named.
Finding Freedom was serialised in The Times and Sunday Times at the end of July.
It is not the first time the members of the Royal Family have opened up about suffering from miscarriages.
In 2018, Zara Tindall, the Queen's granddaughter, revealed she suffered a second miscarriage shortly after losing her unborn child in 2016.
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She and husband Mike Tindall had just announced the pregnancy a month before.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Zara said: "I had to go through having the baby because it was so far along. I then had another miscarriage really early on."
In December 2001, Sophie the Countess of Wessex, the wife of Prince Edward, also had to be rushed to hospital after suffering from an ectopic pregnancy.
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Tommy’s is here to help you. You can talk to a Tommy’s midwife for free, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. You can call them on 0800 0147 800 or email midwife@tommys.org.