Royal mum Zara Tindall opens up about her second miscarriage
The Queen’s granddaughter has spoken out about her experience of miscarriage, revealing for the first time that she lost two babies but had been unable to speak publicly about the most recent loss.
“The worst bit”
Content note: This article discusses miscarriage.
Zara Tindall, who is mum to daughters Lena (born on 18 June) and four-year-old Mia with husband Mike Tindall, spoke to the UK’s Sunday Times about her grief and the challenges the couple have navigated.
She explained that she dealt with her second loss privately at first because it was “too raw”. After she went public with her first miscarriage in 2016, she noted that the feeling of exposure seemed to add to her grief.
“For me, the worst bit was that we had to tell everyone – everyone knew,” she told the Times. “I had to go through having the baby because it was so far along. I then had another miscarriage really early on.”
Read more about miscarriage:
- “There is no rulebook for grief”: Carrie Bickmore on her two miscarriages
- The dos and don’ts of supporting women after a miscarriage
- Practical advice on helping a loved one through a miscarriage
“It’s too raw”
Zara – who is the daughter of Princess Anne – said those nearest and dearest to her supported her through her grief.
“It was a time when my family came to the fore and I needed them. You need to go through a period where you don’t talk about it because it’s too raw, but, as with everything, time’s a great healer.”
“In our case, it was something that was really rare; it was nature saying, ‘This one’s not right.'” Zara said. “I think a lot of the time you’re lucky if it happens a lot earlier.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkNPu7lnGw4/?hl=en&tagged=zaratindall
“A lot of families are affected”
Zara hopes by being open about the losses her family has endured, that it might help other families process their own grief.
“It’s something a lot of families are affected by but then, hopefully, a lot of the stories I’ve heard, they’ve gone on and had more children and they’re very lucky,” she said. “Because it’s so personal to each family and every case is different, you can never compare what’s happened or the feelings that people have gone through or the trauma … I think it’s something that people don’t think you want to talk about.”
Mike and Zara’s new baby Lena Elizabeth – “pronounced like Lay-na” as her dad noted – arrived last month and Mike told Hello Magazine she was a very welcome addition to their brood.
“[Mia] is very happy to a big sister, she is happy about that.”
If you’re struggling with the loss of a baby, please don’t go it alone. SANDS counsellors are there to support you and provide helpful advice about living with loss.
