Going through a miscarriage or infant loss is a devastating experience for anyone. But until recently, people weren't talking much about those experiences. You might assume that's because it's too painful to speak of, but there's also been a pretty big stigma surrounding opening up about pregnancy and infant loss. So much that we often tell women they shouldn't reveal their pregnancies until they are out of the first trimester — the time when miscarriage is most common.
In recent years, however, the culture has been changing for the better. People are beginning to realize just how common these experiences are, and because they aren't so rare, that means that women and families don't have to feel so alone if it happens to them. About 1 in every 10 known pregnancies results in miscarriage, so it's time we start talking about it.
Celebrities have been more outspoken than ever about miscarriage and infant loss, as well. Each time a brave human being — whether in the spotlight or not — talks about this kind of loss, it helps others.
Here are 10 celebrities who opened up about miscarriage and infant loss.
Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama recalled her painful experience with miscarriage in a 2018 interview. After the loss, she said she felt "lost and alone." She also felt like there were a lot of public conversations happening about pregnancy loss, which is likely why she spoke out. "I felt like I failed, because I didn't know how common miscarriages were, because we don't talk about them," she said. "We sit in our own pain, thinking that somehow, we're broken." Ultimately, Michelle relied on IVF to get pregnant with both of her daughters.
Chrissy Teigen
The most recent celebrity to go through a miscarriage is Chrissy Teigen. Chrissy and her husband, John Legend, went through a grueling experience, losing their baby about halfway through their third pregnancy. Chrissy had been on bed rest for much of her pregnancy to try to control the bleeding she was having, but ultimately, she lost the baby. People have been praising her for being so incredibly open in how she's shared her grief since the loss.
Beyoncé
Though she didn't share her experience until early this year, Beyoncé actually suffered through multiple miscarriages before the birth of daughter Blue Ivy. Queen Bey talked about her previous losses in an interview with Elle. "I learned that all pain and loss is in fact a gift," she said. "Having miscarriages taught me that I had to mother myself before I could be a mother to someone else," she said. "Then I had Blue, and the quest for my purpose became so much deeper. I died and was reborn in my relationship, and the quest for self became even stronger. It's difficult for me to go backwards."
Shawn Johnson
Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson was utterly devastated by the miscarriage she had in 2017. She opened up about the experience to Today. "It's so traumatic," she said. "I felt really lost. So, I took a leap of faith and shared it with the world. It's a topic that needs to be talked about more." Shawn and husband Andrew East welcomed a baby girl named Drew Hazel in October 2019.
Kimberly Van Der Beek
Kimberly and James Van Der Beek have been extremely open about the pregnancy losses they've experienced, one of which was revealed when James was on Dancing With the Stars. But Kimberly just opened up even more in an Instagram Live video.
"I don't know if my miscarriages would be classified as stillbirths, they were both [at] 17 weeks," she said in response to one viewer's question. "They were so tough. It's so interesting that I was able to deliver four children at home without a problem but miscarries at 17 weeks hospitalized me. One of them almost killed me."
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette is a mom of three little ones. But she recently opened up about the pregnancy losses she suffered, saying the age differences between her kids were not intentional. "Not all of it was the ideal situation," she said. "I had a bunch of miscarriages… had a molar pregnancy," the 46-year-old confided to Dax Shepard on his podcast Armchair Expert when he innocently asked if the age gap was intentional. "We were chasing and just showing up and then surprises and then devastations and all of it."
Hilaria Baldwin
Alec and Hilaria Baldwin recently welcomed a new addition. But the couple has gone through some tough stuff along the way to achieving their dream family. In November 2019, Hilaria took to Instagram to reveal that she had suffered a second miscarriage just after her 20-week ultrasound. "We are very sad to share that today we learned that our baby passed away at 4 months," she wrote. "We also want you to know that even though we are not ok right now, we will be."
Carrie Underwood
After Carrie Underwood gave birth to her son Isaiah, she and her husband knew they wanted him to have a sibling. Though she got pregnant again quickly, she suffered a miscarriage. "It sounds wrong when you say it," she revealed, "but it's one of those bad things that happens to other people. You know what I mean? It's like so many things in the world, it's not something that you ever envision yourself having to deal with." Carrie did eventually go on to have another baby, whom she named Jacob.
Meghan McCain
In 2019, Meghan McCain opened up about her miscarriage. She penned a New York Times piece which she hoped would help other women and help erase the stigma around opening up about these experiences. "I blamed my age, I blamed my personality. I blamed everything and anything a person could think of, and what followed was a deep opening of shame," she wrote. "This, I told myself, is the reason my body is a rock-strewn wasteland in which no child may live. This is my fault. Yet it is not my fault."
Meghan just gave birth to a baby girl named Liberty.
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey recently said she felt pressured to reveal she was pregnant on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In the segment, Ellen pushed Mariah to answer whether or not she was pregnant and even offered her champagne. “I can’t believe you did this to me, Ellen,” Mariah said at the time, after having asked Ellen not to discuss the subject. “This is peer pressure. What Ellen is doing, this is peer pressure.”
“Let’s toast to you not being pregnant,” Ellen replied. When Mariah took only a tiny sip, Ellen said, “You’re pregnant!”
Mariah confirmed that she was expecting, but soon after, she miscarried. The singer now has two children, Moroccan and Monroe.
