Sadly, pregnancy loss is an all too common thing for many moms-to-be. An estimated 10% to 20% of known pregnancies result in miscarriage — meaning pregnancy loss before 20 weeks. Loss that comes later than that is qualified as a stillbirth, which can happen in one out of every 160 pregnancies. Those numbers are high enough for a significant number of celebrities to have experienced pregnancy loss in their lives.
It just goes to show that even with a lot of money and great health care, miscarriage happens, and it’s no fault of the mom or her status. Because there is such a stigma around pregnancy loss still, we’re so grateful to these celebrities for speaking up about their experiences to let other women know that they’re not alone. Losing a wanted pregnancy can feel so isolating, but those who have dealt with pregnancy loss are most certainly not alone. Stars, they’re just like us, even when it comes to the sad stuff.
Chrissy Teigen
Joy-Anna Duggar
Joy-Anna and her husband, Austin Forsyth, recently gave birth to their rainbow baby, Evelyn, but before that Joy-Anna had a stillbirth at 20 weeks. She remembered her daughter, Annabell Elise, on Instagram ahead of what would have been her due date.
“While we grieve over the loss of our baby girl who would’ve been due in just 8 days, we are grateful for the time we had with her,” she wrote. “We are thankful for the precious hours we were able to hold her in our arms and say our goodbyes. We are thankful that God allowed us to be her parents, and we know that her life — though it was brief — has changed our lives forever.”
Gwyneth Paltrow
In 2013, Gwyneth opened up about having a miscarriage while pregnant with her third child. “I had a really bad experience … and it didn’t work out and I nearly died,” she admitted, then added, “I am missing my third.” At the time, she said she was thinking about getting pregnant again, but she’s since split from her husband, Chris Martin, and hasn’t proceeded with having another baby with new husband Brad Falchuk.
Shay Mitchell
The Pretty Little Liars star shared on YouTube that she’d had a miscarriage in 2018. The experience led her to wait a very long time time into her next pregnancy with daughter Atlas to announce the news. “When it happened, I was just completely blindsided by it,” she said of her 14-week miscarriage, adding that she was looking forward to her second pregnancy. “Of course, I’m, like, super happy, but I still feel for the one that I lost.”
Shawn Johnson
After a miscarriage in 2017, gymnast Shawn Johnson pledged to not give up hope on starting a family with her husband. “The past 48 hours have been some of the happiest, scariest, and saddest times of my life,” she said at the time. “My husband Andrew and I found out that we were unexpectedly pregnant, only to find out hours later some tragic news. I have been crying more than I ever have, but am still optimistic for what is next.”
They welcomed their rainbow child in 2019.
Beyoncé
Before Blue Ivy’s birth, Beyoncé had several miscarriages. In an interview with Elle, she said that the losses helped her look inward. “I learned that all pain and loss is in fact a gift. Having miscarriages taught me that I had to mother myself before I could be a mother to someone else,” she said. Eventually she and Jay-Z went on to have three healthy children, and there’s no doubt she doesn’t take them for granted.
Nick Carter
Nick and his wife, Lauren Kitt, had been hoping to give their son a sibling, but Lauren miscarried in 2018. Nick shared the sad news on Twitter, adding that he would still perform that night, but that it would be a challenge. “God give us peace during this time. I really was looking forward to meeting her after 3 months. I’m heart broken … This will be hard, but for the love of my fans here in Lima I’ll be on the stage tonight.”
Eventually, they got pregnant again and gave birth to their daughter, Saoirse, in 2019.
