Despite the role of social media in openness about parenting and the experience of pregnancy, a taboo still remains when it comes to talking about miscarriage and pregnancy loss. When Hilaria Baldwin posted about her possible miscarriage last week, it served as an important reminder for that it’s okay for women to open up more about this difficult subject.
Baldwin shared a moving post to her Instagram feed explaining that although she is still technically pregnant, she is 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,” the mom of four and wife of Alec Baldwin shared.
“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,” she wrote in the lengthy post, explaining “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.”
Previous research indicates that anywhere from 15 to 20 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage; the March of Dimes estimates that as many as half of all pregnancies end in miscarriage but happen so early, the pregnancy may not yet have been detected. Despite this, miscarriage is a topic many women find too painful to discuss, and understandably so. But as Baldwin’s post shows, being open about the experience can help other women going through the same experience realize they are not alone and miscarriage is a common experience that can happen to any expecting mom.
Baldwin wrote, “I’m hoping, that by sharing this, I can contribute to raising awareness about this sensitive topic.”
—Shahrzad Warkentin
Featured photo: Hilaria Baldwin via Instagram
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