Welcome to Cradle.

Honest, compassionate conversations about baby loss, from the charity Cradle. Hear real stories of grief, love and remembrance and find comfort in knowing it's not just you.

Whether you’ve been through baby loss yourself, are supporting someone who has, or simply want to understand, you’re welcome here.

You are not alone.

https://cradlecharity.org/

Pregnancy and baby loss are rarely discussed openly, but within the South Asian community, cultural stigma, expectations of hidden grief, and traditional silence can make an already tragic journey feel intensely isolating.

In this episode of Cradle, Kay talks to Imtiaz Fizal, who shares her extraordinary story of grief, endurance but also hope.

Having lost five children to a rare genetic condition and experienced 17 miscarriages over two decades, Imtiaz reflects on navigating deep personal sorrow without a space to speak about it.

She talks about the harsh contrast between cultural expectations around mourning, like being excluded from cemetery burials and being expected to move on after five days. But she also talks about an issue anyone faces after baby loss; the reality of living with lifelong grief.

Tragically she has also had to support her own daughter through loss, which has reopened past wounds. But now dedicates her life to breaking down barriers for other women and families in her community.

Key Themes

The Reality of Multiple Losses: Imtiaz recounts her journey through 17 miscarriages and the loss of five children to a recurring genetic disorder.

Cultural Stigma and Hidden Grief: How traditional expectations in the South Asian community often restrict open conversations about baby loss and emotional processing.

Gender Divide in Mourning: The distinct cultural rules separating men and women during funerals, burials, and grieving periods.

Intergenerational Trauma: The emotional impact of supporting her rainbow baby daughter through her own experience with miscarriage.

Peer Support as Healing: Turning two decades of isolation into community action by building safe spaces for women and men to share their stories.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Cradle: Kay Crewdson on navigating baby loss and finding community.

01:25 – Imtiaz’s story: Recounting the loss of five children and a rare genetic diagnosis.

03:20 – Navigating 17 miscarriages and welcoming two rainbow babies.

04:09 – "Shush and keep it to yourself": Cultural silence in the South Asian community.

07:40 – The day of the funeral: Traditional rules, gender separation, and cemetery exclusions.

11:05 – The "five-day rule": How short mourning periods leave parents to grieve alone.

14:47 – Finding the strength to try again amidst repeated heartache.

18:42 – Reopening the box: Watching her daughter face baby loss and supporting her through it.

25:00 – Dark moments, mental health struggles, and finding a reason to keep going.

26:16 – How men grieve in silence: Cultural expectations placed on husbands.

33:00 – A daughter's goodbye: The night Imtiaz’s infant son passed away at home.

38:35 – Turning pain into purpose: Community work, breaking taboos, and helping others heal.

48:45 – Closing thoughts and resources for support via Cradle Charity.

LINKS

If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the themes discussed in this episode, support is available:

Cradle Charity: Access 1-to-1 support, peer groups, and counsellor-led sessions at cradlecharity.org.

10: Jenny Agg - Miscarriage & Trying Again

In the final episode of Season 1, Kay chats with author Jennie Agg about recurrent miscarriage and the journey to be pregnant again and writing about it

Jennie Agg

Jennie Agg is an acclaimed health and science journalist, whose work has appeared in The Times, Guardian, Mail, Telegraph, Red, Grazia, Elle UK, and Women’s Health, among others.

She writes the award-winning blog The Uterus Monologues. Life, Almost: Miscarriage, misconceptions, and a search for answers from the brink of motherhood is her first book.

In this episode we cover

Jennie before miscarriage

naiveté and ignorance

catastrophising

when to inform?

why the taboo?

work (returning)

from pregnancy to 4th miscarriage

Need & numbness

Pregnant again

Mentioned in this episode:

Marriage - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0cpnd15

Find:

https://jennieagg.com/

http://www.uterusmonologues.com/

https://www.instagram.com/jenniemonologues

Continue the conversation - https://twitter.com/cradle_charity

Send us a message to let us know what in this episode has resonated with you - podcast@cradlecharity.org

This podcast was produced by RogueSpirit Productions - message to see how they can help you produce your podcast - david@roguespirit.co.uk