“My little Jack would have been born this week.”
Nine words that so many mums have said before, often behind closed doors through an ocean of tears. The due date that never was, the birth day that comes and goes without a cake or a party. This is the reality of miscarriage and infant loss and it’s one that so many families do experience.
Not many are as open about it as Chrissy Teigen, however. This is one of the many reasons we love her so much – she is honest and real, especially when it comes to the ups and downs of parenting.
Losing Jack
She freely shared the exciting news that she was unexpectedly pregnant with her third child, a little boy, along with the devastating news that she lost her son, Jack, around halfway through her pregnancy. He was born still due to placental abruption.
Since then, she has opened up about her grief, her healing, and her post-baby body, admitting that she continues to rock a baby bump even though she’s no longer pregnant, a reminder of what could have been.
Jack’s due date
Now, nearly five months later, Chrissy has taken to Twitter again, this time to share an update on life after Jack. As she writes,
My little Jack would have been born this week so I’m a bit off,” she tweeted. “I truly feel kicks in my belly, but it’s not phantom. I have surgery for endometriosis tomorrow . . . but the period feeling this month is exactly like baby kicks. Sigh.”
Chrissy’s simple Tweet has struck a chord with mums around the world who, like Chrissy, have watched the would-be due date come and go. Some light a candle, others may release a balloon. Many cry in silence, grieving the loss, missing what should have been one of the greatest days of their lives.
It’s a heartbreaking feeling and one no mother should have to go through. But, it’s women like Chrissy who remind us that it’s actually incredibly common. We recently shared another story of a Melbourne mum, Maggie, who lost her son around the same gestational age as Chrissy’s son, also due to placental abruption.
But it’s not just Chrissy and Maggie. Six babies are born still a day. In Australia alone. This doesn’t include the babies we lose due to miscarriage. These babies may not be here, but they are always with us.
As Chrissy shares, she even still feels baby kicks, a very common phenomenon. She even shared a video of her tummy continuing to move, months after she lost her son.
look at this 😩 I’ll pretend it’s him saying hi – it never stops. pic.twitter.com/5FKSE3g8cG
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 3, 2021
For Chrissy, the reason for the phantom kicks is due to endometritis. She is in hospital today having surgery to correct this.
While endometritis is often a cause of infertility, Chrissy has mentioned in the past that she won’t be having any more children. Jack was her third and her last, making this week even harder for the celebrity mum.
Our thoughts are with Chrissy and every other mum who has ever said, “My baby would have been born this week.” Know that you are not alone. Light a candle, open a bottle of wine, bake a cake, cry and scream, do whatever you need to do to remind yourself that this sadness, this grief, this sense of what should have been, all matter.
This week, the week your child should have been born, it matters. It always will.
