Abortion – The mother's body and mind need special care in the days following the abortion.

NGO worker Saira Mahmud (pseudonym) had her first child at the age of 30. She gave birth to Seba's child without any physical problems. Four years later, she conceived again. But Seba faced various complications. She miscarried after four and a half months.

After that, Saira saw a different side of the world. Many of her family and acquaintances began to blame her for working in the office, traveling by public transport, and eating out. However, she did all these things while carrying her first child, but Seba did not have any problems. Recalling the days after the abortion, Saira said, "At that time, my own body and mind were devastated. I could not even take care of my eldest daughter. In the meantime, hearing these things from people, I felt like I was responsible for the abortion. I felt like I had intentionally ended my child. How many days have passed!"

Of course, Saira was by her husband's side at this time, he was the one who kept her safe. However, many women in Bangladesh do not find their husbands mentally supportive after a miscarriage.

Mithila Tabassum (pseudonym) works in a private bank. After pregnancy, she followed all the rules and started traveling to and from the office car with caution. She used to bring food from home and did not eat anything outside. She regularly visited the doctor and followed his advice. Even then, there was no end in sight. She miscarried in the fourth month.

When she returned home from the hospital with a very sick and weak body, she discovered that her husband had changed. She thought that Mithila was not caring for the unborn child. The miscarriage occurred because of her indifference.

Mithila said, 'At that moment, no one touched my head and asked if I was in pain. I spent night after night crying for the unborn child. My husband did not even try to understand my feelings. He just blamed me. They said, ‘Others don’t miscarry so easily, why did it happen to you?’

This trend is seen in many families in Bangladesh. No one wants to keep track of what goes through a mother’s mind at that moment.

From women working as domestic helpers in people's homes to homemakers or high-ranking officials in an organization - many mothers in our society still have to go through similar experiences after an abortion.

After an abortion, the mother is in a very fragile state, both physically and mentally. The grief of losing a child, and the huge flow of blood leaving her body, devastates her. At this time, it is the responsibility of the husband and family members to take care of the mother not only physically but also mentally, said Lailun Nahar, associate professor of the Department of Psychology at Chittagong University. After an abortion, a woman is in the post-traumatic stage. At that time, various feelings such as sadness, emotion, anger, guilt, etc. work in a woman. Her self-confidence decreases. Her eating habits change, she cannot eat, she has trouble sleeping. She often becomes emotionless due to the grief of losing a child. During this time, the mother needs special care. On the contrary, if she receives negative behavior from the family, her mental problems can increase.

This teacher especially emphasized on treating her husband with much more compassion. He said, "No mother wants to go through a painful situation like miscarriage. Miscarriages can happen for various reasons. At this time, the husband should behave most friendly. He should show empathy. The husband's sympathy is most useful at this time than other family members."