After her second miscarriage, host Marie-Josée Gauvin spoke about perinatal bereavement on the radio. Having received several testimonies afterwards, she felt the need to open the discussion. She presents the documentary I lost my baby“a personal quest” which – she hopes – will be able to help and challenge “everyone”.
“The documentary absolutely had to be made, but I didn’t know if I was capable of doing it,” explains Marie-Josée Gauvin, who finally decided to lead the project and tell her story. The subject was “still sensitive” for her, but the facilitator believes that she had to “break this discomfort”.
PHOTO JULIEN CADENA, PROVIDED BY CANAL VIE
Marie-Ève Janvier and Jean-François Breau open up about the miscarriages the couple experienced in the documentary I lost my baby.
Marie-Josée Gauvin met women who experienced perinatal bereavement, including Ingrid St-Pierre, as well as the couple formed by Marie-Ève Janvier and Jean-François Breau. Exchanges that “have done a lot of good”, assures the host. “I felt ultra-privileged to be able to have these great discussions and these meetings. »
We understood each other, even if our experiences were not identical. We left behind our barriers that we impose on ourselves in society, because we don’t want to be heavy or to be pitiful.
Host Marie-Josée Gauvin
It was important for the documentary to represent as many people as possible, “since perinatal bereavement is a huge spectrum,” admits Marie-Josée Gauvin. The stories of women and couples come together on screen, some who had children through miscarriages and others who had to grieve parenthood.
Break the loneliness
Marie-Josée Gauvin lost her first daughter after a few months of life. “After Charlotte, I was given the resources. A psychological appointment was made three days later,” she said.
But the treatment was quite different when she experienced her two miscarriages. “I didn’t feel that there was this same return,” she explains. The loneliness was very great and I wondered if it was just me who felt like this. “A loneliness shared by the women who testified in the documentary, and sometimes exacerbated because the relatives were not aware of the pregnancy.
“There are resources, confirms Marie-Josée Gauvin, but sometimes you don’t have the strength to go get them, because you’re ashamed or you feel guilty. »
The facilitator also sees another problem: trivialization. A bereavement that can be trivialized by those around you, society or the medical profession. And she would like that to change. “You have to validate the feelings you are experiencing, she says, especially since one in five pregnancies will not come to term. »
PHOTO JULIEN CADENA, PROVIDED BY CANAL VIE
Lory Zephyr, psychologist specializing in maternal mental health, and Marie-Josée Gauvin
Professionals to the rescue
Professionals Francine de Montigny, nurse and researcher specializing in perinatal bereavement, and Lory Zephyr, psychologist specializing in maternal mental health, answer the host’s questions in the documentary.
These explore avenues of reflection for “better support and better prevention”, explains the facilitator. Perinatal bereavement is increasingly discussed. Various projects address the issue, including the book Invisible mourning: rebuilding oneself after the loss of one’s child in the perinatal period, written by Lory Zephyr with journalist Jessika Brazeau and published this fall. But the subject remains “taboo”, says Marie-Josée Gauvin.
“What I remember is that it’s important to bring solutions and light,” she says.
The project is for everyone, believes Marie-Josée Gauvin. “Both we who have experienced this and in your family or those around you,” she said. When it will happen to someone, you will better understand what is happening. »
The documentary I lost my baby will be presented on Monday, December 12 at 8 p.m. on Canal Vie. It’s already live on Crave.