My wife had a stillbirth; it began with bleeding after a detached placenta

A stillbirth is when a fetus dies after the mother's 20th week of pregnancy. [iStockphoto]

"It is often said that men do not understand women. I don't agree but there's one thing that we men cannot fully understand - what it means for a woman to lose a child, be it a miscarriage, a stillborn or a baby who dies shortly after birth.

Of course, both parents are devastated but it is not the man who carried the baby for nine months; he is not the one who consults friends on diets, wardrobe changes and quick fixes; he is not the one who goes through difficult nights, morning sickness and a constantly changing body.