Bristol graduate said studying after miscarriage was ‘horrendous’

A graduate has spoken about “fighting through” after suffering a miscarriage while studying for her degree.

Charlotte Smart, 26, studied Psychology in Education at the University of Bristol and started trying for a baby with her partner during her degree.

After her excitement at finding out she was pregnant, Ms Smart was left feeling “horrendous” when she miscarried.

She said she struggled because “no ever speaks about it. I think it’s important to share these things to help others”.

Ms Smart said: “You’re losing a child. It’s early stages but you’ve got in your head that it’s happening, you’ve got a due date, all of that.”

Ms Smart, who was a mature student, miscarried at the beginning of the first lockdown, so she was unable to see friends and family.

She said: “Through all that emotional turmoil I was trying to write my dissertation.”

However, after weeks of struggling, she focussed on her studies and found the psychology she was learning in her course helped her.

“Somehow I managed to fight through,” she added.

Ms Smart has since had her 13-month-old daughter Maya, who attended her mum’s graduation which had been delayed since March 2020 because of the pandemic.

She said: “It’s so heart-warming to have Maya here with me. I really enjoyed studying at Bristol, despite everything that happened.

She added although she did not like sharing personal details, she felt it was important to talk about miscarriages to help others going through the same thing.

Sarah Purdy, pro vice-chancellor for student experience at the University of Bristol, said: “Charlotte’s tenacity in completing a degree under such difficult circumstances shows real fortitude in such a sad situation.”

She said sharing her story to help others, was a “truly generous act”.

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