In the Season finale of The Glimmer Podcast, Dr Ashleigh Smith interviews Senator Kristina Keneally about her life after losing her daughter Caroline through stillbirth, political activism and spearheading the Stillbirth Inquiry. The 2018 Senate Inquiry into stillbirth has resulted in greater government funding toward research and bereavement support for affected families.
Senator Keneally explains how 20 years ago (when her daughter Caroline passed away) there was no internet, no support groups, no podcasts and the stillbirth foundation didn’t exist. She remembers feeling isolated and unable to connect with others. She talks about arranging Caroline’s funeral and leaning on her faith and the structure of the church. Kristina explains that she doesn’t believe that God medals in our lives and earthly existence in specific ways, and while initially feeling angry with God she has been able to make peace with her religion and its role in her life. She has a background in feminist theology and feels that if God is a woman, she is also a woman who has lost her only child. Senator Keneally speaks about the intersection of faith and loss – the anger and the solace.
Kristina says that her life trajectory was altered because of Caroline’s stillbirth and that it has made her fearless. The two discuss the difference between fearlessness and apathy and ponder how those feelings evolve over time. Kristina believes that reproduction and the challenges that women face along the way are often misunderstood– she believes these challenges give strength to women that is underestimated.
They discuss the Senate Inquiry and what it was like hearing from parents, researchers and clinicians. Senator Keneally recounts the range of emotions she felt from reading the personal accounts and impact statements that hundreds of families submitted. She describes initially feeling distraught but was later moved to anger. She felt that the hearings became quite personal and emotional.
Finally, the women discuss the future for stillbirth prevention. Senator Keneally explains that an airline tells all passengers what to do if the worst should happen – should we be educating all pregnant women about management of pregnancy loss?
Links:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=LNW