Nicola Sturgeon Speaks About Her Experience Of Losing A Baby

Nicola Sturgeon has spoken publicly for the first time about her experience of losing a baby. Scotland's First Minister shares her story in a new book by author Mandy Rhodes, Scottish Party Leaders, which is serialised in today's edition of The Sunday Times. Sturgeon, who was Deputy First Minister and 40 years old at the time, was in the early stages of pregnancy when she miscarried in January 2011. Sturgeon said in an accompanying statement that she decided to speak publicly about this "painful experience" for her and husband Peter Murrell "in the hope that it might challenge some of the assumptions and judgements that are still made about women - especially in politics - who don't have children." "There are many reasons why women don't have children," she told The Sunday Times. "Some of us simply don't want to, some of us worry about the impact on our career - and there is still so much to do, through better childcare, more progressive working practices and more enlightened attitudes, to make sure we don't feel we have to choose."

"And sometimes, for whatever reason, having a baby just doesn't happen - no matter how much we might want it to," she added. On Twitter this morning, Sturgeon thanked the public for their "kind messages" on behalf of her and her husband, and said she hoped that sharing her story could help "break [the] 'taboo' of miscarriage."