NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (May 10, 2022) — The Ministry of Health and Gender Affairs is inviting the public to attend a panel discussion dubbed “Lifting the Weight of Pregnancy Loss and Infertility in Nevis” on May 19, 2022 at the Nevis Performing Arts Centre (NEPAC).

The event will held in collaboration with Bouncing Daughters Publishing, founded by Ms. Jihan Williams from St. Kitts.

Ms. Latoya Jeffers, Assistant Secretary in the ministry, explained on May 10, 2022, that the decision to host the exercise was borne out of the consequential silent suffering from miscarriages and infertility.

“A lot of persons are affected and it is something that is not easy to talk about and we realised that there is not much support in our community, and we wanted the public to know that we are here for them.

“We want them to understand that there are other persons who have been through this same kind of trauma and they do not have to go through it alone. So we are taking this opportunity to register our support for families, for couples who would have gone through such an issue,” she said.

Ms. Jeffers explained that the objective of the forum for women, couples affected by infertility and who have suffered from pregnancy loss is mainly one of educating the public and to form a support group which, in the end, would provide a safe haven for persons affected to talk about what they are feeling and how they are coping.

The assistant secretary gave insight into the panellists for the event – one who has experienced the trauma of miscarriage, a medical doctor and a counsellor.

“We are hoping to have Ms. Jihan Williams, she is the owner of Bouncing Daughters Publishing, and she wrote a book “Lifting the Weight of Miscarriage” and she is going to be one of the panellists. She is going to talk about her personal experience with miscarriage. We are also going to have Dr. William Stones, an obstetrician/gynaecologist. He has a lot of experience. He is going to give us some insight on miscarriages and infertility: causes and what we can do. We also have Mrs. Stevee Byron; she is a counsellor. She is going to provide information on how you can cope with miscarriage, how you can cope with infertility.

“So we are hoping that you will come out and you will support this event… It is not just for persons who are going through this issue. You might have a daughter, you might have a sister, an aunt. It is something that affects all of us, and however we can support each other we should do that,” she said.

Ms. Jeffers stated that Ms. Williams will also be doing a book signing and her publication will be available for sale.

“If you are interested, please come out with the intention to purchase one of the books and get it signed personally by the author.

“So once again, I want to take this opportunity to welcome all of you to come out and be a part of this event. Refreshments will be served after,” she said.