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The Hills’ Whitney Port reveals she suffered a miscarriage in emotional post
‘These layers of shame and guilt make it so hard to talk about’
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The Hills’ star Whitney Port has revealed she suffered a miscarriage two weeks ago, stating that her “identity has been shaken” as a result.
The 34-year-old star posted a clip to Instagram of her speaking on her podcast With Whit in which she talked about her miscarriage.
In the caption of the clip, Port told her followers that experienced a wide range of emotions since her miscarriage.
"The amount of various emotions I felt in the past couple weeks have been extreme...from shock to sadness to relief, which then led to guilt for feeling that relief,” she wrote.
"My identity has been shaken in regards to who as a mum and human being," the mother-of-one continued.
"I'm currently in the process of learning to accept that my feelings are valid no matter what they are. Whether or not people feel the same way as me or not. They are my personal emotions that are the result from my own journey."
Port gave birth to her first child, Sonny, in 2017 with husband Tim Rosenman.
The NHS defines a miscarriage as the loss of a pregnancy during the first 23 weeks. Among women who know they're pregnant, it is estimated around one in eight pregnancies will end in miscarriage.
There are many reasons why a miscarriage may happen, although the cause isn't usually identified, the health service states. The majority of miscarriages can't be prevented.
During the podcast, the Los Angeles-based star admitted that the prospect of having a second child “really scared” her after having a “hard time” during her pregnancy and first year with her son.
However, Port added that she had recently decided to stop taking contraception, explaining: "If this happens on its own, then amazing, it is meant to be and we will have a second child. And if it doesn't happen, then we'll discuss it when we're both ready to have it."
The reality star and fashion designer said that she learnt she was pregnant during a trip to New York City, adding that she felt “ashamed” and “guilty” to have felt scared by the thought of having another child.
"And so, these layers of shame and guilt make it so hard to talk about,” she said.
"What's weird is that I was having massive pregnancy symptoms for the first six weeks, I was really nauseous and really exhausted," the fashion designer told her listeners.
"And all of the sudden they kind of just stopped, and I was like, 'Oh my God, maybe the second pregnancy is going to be amazing and I'm not going to feel all this crap that I felt.' And I was really thinking glass half full at that moment."
Port continued, explaining that two weeks ago, during a trip to Vermont, she told her husband that she no longer felt pregnant and that she didn’t have “any symptoms” that would indicate that she was in her first trimester.
"And then the next day, I woke up and I saw blood on my underpants," Port added.
"So, when I was pregnant with Sonny, I had the same thing happen at the same exact time. I called my doctor and he said spotting is completely normal and it can be the period of implantation or just your body getting rid of old blood, so it can be a normal thing."
The main sign of a miscarriage is vaginal bleeding, which may be followed by cramping and pain in your lower abdomen, the NHS explains.
If a woman experiences vaginal bleeding, the organisation advises them to visit their GP or midwife.
That said, it also states that that light vaginal bleeding is relatively common during the first three months of pregnancy and isn’t necessarily a sign of a miscarriage.
Following an ultrasound, Port said her doctor told her that it was too early to tell whether she had miscarried and to “wait it out”. However, after her bleeding worsened, the star and her husband went to Accident and Emergency again and were given confirmation that Port had miscarried.
"I can't say I feel relieved," Whitney admitted. "I feel sad because the whole thing is just traumatic, it's traumatic to think about your body going through this and something being in you that could have been someone like a Sonny or something.
“I feel sad but, I do also feel happy that my body is still my own right now and that this isn't an extra thing we didn't plan for.”
Several of Port’s fans have commented on her post sharing their words of support.
“Oh Whit my heart breaks for you. Sending you my love,” wrote one Instagram user.
“This is a topic that so rarely is talked about,” wrote another. “So many women experience miscarriages and we are felt alone because we think we are the only ones who have gone thru it.. thank you for bringing this up and being raw honest about it.”
Another added: “How brave of you to share – all the best.”
Read more about miscarriages on the NHS website here and on the Miscarriage Association here.
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