In an emotional post on Instagram, celebrity couple Chrissy Teigen and John Legend wrote that they are currently “shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about” after losing their unborn child due to a miscarriage.
Teigen, who is an American model and television personality, is already halfway through her pregnancy with their third child when she was put on bed rest in early September. Then earlier in October, she was hospitalized for severe complications in her pregnancy which led to the loss of their baby boy, Jack. (Read: 4 Healing Prayers for a Broken Heart)
“We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn’t enough,” Teigen wrote on her Instagram post.
“We never decide on our babies’ names until the last possible moment after they’re born, just before we leave the hospital. But we, for some reason, had started to call this little guy in my belly Jack. So he will always be Jack to us. Jack worked so hard to be a part of our little family, and he will be, forever,” she added.
Breaking the Stigma
Having a miscarriage is more common than many of us believe, and it happens particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. However, the stigma that surrounds the unfortunate circumstances still lingers in modern-day ideals—and it’s causing more issues among women who experience it.
This stigma is also the reason why many fans and health professionals have praised Teigen’s candor toward their experience. According to them, Teigen’s story has ignited an important conversation about miscarriage. (Read: Four times Pope Francis revealed a soft spot for mothers)
“Speaking one’s vulnerabilities and one’s pain publicly, particularly when you have a spotlight on you, is incredibly courageous,” says Dr. Jessica Zucker, a psychologist who specializes in women’s reproductive health and maternal mental health.
“It’s time that we change the antiquated silence that we’ve been living in surrounding this topic because it’s not going anywhere. If 1 in 4 pregnancies result in miscarriage, and 1 in 100 in still births, this is common,” says Dr. Zucker, who started the #IHadAMiscarriage campaign on Instagram.
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are just one of the many couples who opened up about the pain of experiencing a miscarriage. In the Philippines, brave moms like Heart Evangelista-Escudero, Mariel Rodriguez, and Regine Velasquez-Alcasid have also shared their stories of losing their babies due to a miscarriage. Despite the tragic experience, these celebrities remained strong and hopeful throughout the years. (Read: The Gift of Life: Readers share their miracle stories)
With October being Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month, may these stories about miscarriage help other women open up about their own losses and find healing.
