Guess How Much I Love You - Content Warnings & Audience Care (INCLUDES SPOILERS)

Full Content Guidance and Warnings

• References to and depiction of baby loss, termination due to medical reasons, antenatal death, and stillbirth.
• Depictions of grief, mourning, and emotional collapse.
• Depiction of medical settings and procedures relating to pregnancy, including a 20-week scan.
• Discussion of baby post-mortem and organ donation.
• Discussion of disability and use of ableist language.
• Discussion of depression, self-harm, and suicide/suicidal thoughts.
• Raised voices, high anxiety, and distress.
• Strong language and intense atmospheres.
• Periods of full blackout.

Plot Breakdown (including spoilers)

Guess How Much I Love You? follows a pregnant couple when, at their 20-week scan, their unborn baby is diagnosed with profound open spina bifida. This condition can have significant impacts on a child’s quality of life and life expectancy, and it is common that parents are offered the choice of termination for medical reasons, which is ultimately the decision that this couple makes. The play follows them through the termination and, ultimately, their attempts to rebuild a life and become pregnant again.

Even if you don’t have lived experience of pregnancy complications, termination, baby loss, and the potential impact on mental health and personal relationships, exposure to this material can result in unexpected emotional reactions. This is normal, valid, and something you don’t have to manage alone.
 

Support available today from the Royal Court Theatre team:

• Mental Health First Aiders: Please ask FOH if one of our Mental Health First Aiders is on site to check in if you are struggling or need support.
• Quiet Space: Should you require a quiet space before and during the show, please ask FOH to direct you to these designated areas.
• Post-Show Decompression: The Theatre will remain open for 10 minutes to allow the opportunity to de-compress after watching this performance.
   

Support available following the performance, including specialist charities:

For anonymous, specialist or after-hours support, the following charities, organisations and services are available.

Mental health

• Samaritans: connecting people in crisis to trained volunteers who will always listen – 116 123 – https://www.samaritans.org
• Mind: the leading mental health charity for England & Wales, providing information and support – https://www.mind.org.uk
• CALM: the suicide prevention charity helping anyone struggling with life, and providing the skills to help prevent suicide – 0800 58 58 58 – https://www.thecalmzone.net
• NHS Mental Health Services: reach out via your GP or via NHS 111 - https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services

Grief and bereavement

• Cruse Bereavement Support: helping people through grief and bereavement with support and information – https://www.cruse.org.uk
• Winston’s Wish: offering free, accessible online grief support to children and young people aged 25 and under – https://www.winstonswish.org

Baby loss

• Sands: offering support for anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby - https://www.sands.org.uk/
• Tommy’s: the largest UK charity researching the causes and prevention of pregnancy complications, miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth - https://www.tommys.org
• 4Louis: supporting families through miscarriage, stillbirth and child loss - https://4louis.co.uk
• Miscarriage Association: offering support and information to anyone affected by the loss of a baby in pregnancy - https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/

Pregnancy complications and antenatal medical diagnoses

• Antenatal Results & Choices (ARC): providing independent information and emotional support through antenatal testing and its consequences - https://www.arc-uk.org/
• Shine: providing specialist support from before birth and throughout life for anyone living with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus - https://www.shinecharity.org.uk/