#46: Infertility, Miscarriage & Quiet Grief

Infertility is more common than we think; and it doesn’t just mean struggling to get pregnant. It can also mean waiting for years. Losing a pregnancy. Trying, again and again, with no answers. It’s a kind of grief that lives quietly in the background of so many lives…and often, no one talks about it.

In this heartfelt conversation, I sit with Shumin Lin; litigator at Drew & Napier and President of Fertility Support SG. She began IVF at 29 and experienced miscarriage before becoming a mother of two. She shares what it was like to navigate this path before anyone around her was talking about it, and how that pain led her to build a safe space for others.

This episode is for anyone who’s walked this road, or loves someone who has. Because this, too, is motherhood. And no one should have to walk it alone.

00:00 Introduction

01:31 Shumin’s Journey: Facing Infertility at 29

04:59 Redefining Infertility: What It Really Means

05:48 Understanding IVF and the Emotional Toll

07:58 Rachel’s Story: Confronting Secondary Infertility

09:03 The Unspoken Grief: Shumin’s Miscarriage Journey

17:00 The Partner’s Role in Navigating Loss

19:08 Letting Go of Control and Unlearning Stigmas

23:27 How to Support a Friend Walking Through Infertility

28:37 The Weight of Expectations and Societal Pressure on Women

32:16 The Heart Behind Fertility Support Singapore

38:15 Launching Singapore’s First Workplace Fertility Guide

43:43 A Message to Her Younger Self: Hold On

46:00 Final Reflections

Follow Rachel here: https://www.instagram.com/ms_rach/

Follow Fertility Support Singapore here:

https://www.instagram.com/fertilitysupport.sg/

Find out more about Fertility Support Singapore here: https://fertilitysupport.sg/