Nadia Bartel, the former AFL WAG and public figure, has taken a firm stand against online trolls who posted revolting comments following her emotional revelation about suffering a miscarriage. The 40-year-old shared the heartbreaking news of her pregnancy loss, which occurred in July last year, during her ongoing IVF journey with her partner, Peter Dugmore.
Exposing Disgusting Social Media Comments
In response to the cruel backlash, Bartel turned to Instagram to repost a series of screenshots originally shared by feminist advocate Sherele Moody. These screenshots exposed a string of disgusting comments made by men under news articles covering Nadia's personal story. One particularly crude sexual comment, posted on Facebook, attempted to make light of her pregnancy heartbreak, showing a complete lack of empathy.
Alarming Support for Offensive Posts
Even more troubling was the apparent support these offensive posts received from other male commenters. Responses included phrases like 'Comment of the week', 'That’s gold' accompanied by immature laugh emojis, and simple 'LOL' remarks. Another commenter dismissively wrote, 'You get that. Now, what about some real news?' while one cruel individual added, 'Nature doing its work.'
Sherele Moody's Red Heart Movement, an organisation dedicated to highlighting violence against women, also shared the profiles of the men involved in these screenshots, aiming to hold them accountable for their actions.
Outpouring of Support for Nadia Bartel
The post was met with a significant flurry of support for Nadia, with many social media users calling out the commenters for their sheer cruelty. One supporter wrote, 'Not all men yet somehow always a man,' while another chimed in, 'Are men ok? How can anyone think miscarriage is something to turn into vile sexist humour?' A third comment emphasised, 'I'm not a fan of Nadia but nobody NOBODY deserves that kind of vile hatred and horrible comments directed towards them.'
Sharing Her Personal Miscarriage Experience
Nadia Bartel, who shares two sons, Aston, 10, and Henley, seven, with her ex-husband Jimmy Bartel, initially shared the news of her miscarriage with her followers on TikTok last week. She explained that she experienced a 'missed miscarriage' when she was seven weeks pregnant, describing the ordeal as incredibly 'tough' and emotionally draining.
'I think when you are pregnant, even if it's early days, you imagine your life with the baby... you get so attached to your pregnancy and your baby,' she continued. 'When something like that happens it's really disheartening.'
Normalising Conversations About IVF and Miscarriage
Bartel expressed her desire to normalise discussions around IVF, infertility, and miscarriage, aiming to remove the stigma associated with these topics. 'I've gotten to the point that I feel like it is really important for me to really normalise it and just take the stigma out of talking about IVF, infertility, miscarriage,' she added. 'It's something that I know is deeply personal and I totally understand when people wouldn't want to talk about it.'
She acknowledged the difficulty of opening up about such experiences, especially while still struggling emotionally. 'It is really hard opening up that conversation, especially when you are going through it and you're really struggling. It's so consuming and you're so emotional and I see so many people talk about it after they've had success. But I think it's interesting to also share stories and talk about it when you're going through it.'
Finding Solace in Shared Experiences
Nadia revealed that one of the key factors that helped her cope with the pain of losing a baby was connecting with other women who had undergone similar experiences. 'I am sharing this because what I found gave me so much hope and made me feel better was talking to other people about it,' she said. 'Learning more from other people who maybe were a similar age to me and had also gotten pregnant. Or maybe they experienced a miscarriage and then they went on to become pregnant, I just found it helped me a lot.'
She also noted that speaking to more people about miscarriage revealed how common it is, contrasting with the silence she observed a decade ago. 'Also the more people I spoke to about having a miscarriage, so many people had gone through it themselves. I feel like back when I was pregnant 10 years ago with Aston it was something people would never talk about. I'm finding it so helpful to connect with people.'
Leaning on Partner Support During IVF Journey
The Henne founder also discussed leaning on her partner, Peter Dugmore, for support as they navigate the IVF journey together. She highlighted the additional challenges due to her age, stating, 'It is also really tough because I'm almost 41 so at the age of 41 your egg quality and your ovarian reserve declines a lot.'
For those affected by similar losses, organisations like Red Nose provide crucial support. They offer assistance to anyone impacted by the loss of a pregnancy, stillbirth, or the death of a baby or child, available through their 24/7 Grief and Loss Support Line on 1300 308 307 or via their website.
