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When it came to pregnancy and the possibility of a miscarriage, Hilaria Baldwin did not want to hide anymore.
Just days ago, the famous yogi, who has given birth to four children with Alec Baldwin, unexpectedly revealed on Instagram that she was “most likely experiencing a miscarriage.” Baldwin explained she wanted to be open about the experience to combat the secrecy and pressure most women face behind closed doors in the first trimester.
“This is something that has not been easy. I understand it and I wanted to come out and speak about it because it’s something that so many people deal with and, as women, we’re trained to deal with it silently,” she told Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie Tuesday on Today.
As she explained in an essay penned for Glamour and in an interview on Today, she had gone for a routine ultrasound when the technician noticed the baby’s heartbeat was not very fast and had not improved at a following appointment. “I’m pretty sure this is not going to stick,” Baldwin candidly told Kotb and Guthrie, noting that she would find out for sure on Tuesday.
“When we agree to be parents, we have to accept the good and the bad,” she said. “We have to open our hearts and realize there are going to be hard moments, too.”
And, as she is trying to demonstrate, mothers don’t have to go through those hardships in silence.
View this post on Instagram
I want to share with you that I am most likely experiencing a miscarriage. I always promised myself that if I were to get pregnant again, I would share the news with you guys pretty early, even if that means suffering a public loss. I have always been so open with you all about my family, fitness, pregnancies…and I don’t want to keep this from you, just because it isn’t as positive and shiny as the rest. I think it’s important to show the truth…because my job is to help people by being real and open. Furthermore, I have no shame or embarrassment with this experience. I want to be a part of the effort to normalize miscarriage and remove the stigma from it. There is so much secrecy during the first trimester. This works for some, but I personally find it to be exhausting. I’m nauseous, tired, my body is changing. And I have to pretend that everything is just fine—and it truly isn’t. I don’t want to have to pretend anymore. I hope you understand. So, this is what is going on now: the embryo has a heartbeat, but it isn’t strong, and the baby isn’t growing very much. So we wait—and this is hard. So much uncertainty…but the chances are very, very small that this is a viable pregnancy. I have complete confidence that my family and I will get through this, even if the journey is difficult. I am so blessed with my amazing doctor, my dear friends, and my loving family…My husband and my four very healthy babies help me keep it together and have the perspective of how truly beautiful life is, even when it occasionally seems ugly. The luck and gratitude I feel that I am my babies’ mommy, is wonderfully overwhelming and comforting. In your comments, please be kind. I’m feeling a bit fragile and I need support. I’m hoping, that by sharing this, I can contribute to raising awareness about this sensitive topic.
A post shared by Hilaria Thomas Baldwin (@hilariabaldwin) on
For Baldwin, speaking up gave others the floor to relate and share their stories, creating a comforting network of social media support.
“Critics say something so personal should stay quiet. But I want women to know if that’s not serving you, if that’s not the way that you’ll feel better, you don’t have to do that. I wanted to lead by example in saying that there’s another option out there,” she continued in Glamour.
“I want women who have gone through this to know: There is nothing wrong with you. You are not alone. I know this didn’t happen because I did something wrong. This is just nature. Sharing allowed me to feel heard and helped me receive support and wisdom from other women who have experienced the same thing.”
While Baldwin noted she is still healing both physically and emotionally, “my hope is that, whether it’s a miscarriage or some other trial in life, women realize that they don’t have to behave a certain way, or share a certain way, or hide a certain way.”
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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