A year on from suffering the agonising loss of what would have been her third child, Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington admits that the immeasurable heartbreak has made her reluctant to try for another baby.
The much-loved athlete, 34, shared the devastating news last August that she and husband Andy Parsons – with whom she has two-year-old son Albie – had suffered a miscarriage at 12 weeks, with Rebecca later being kept in hospital to battle sepsis, a kidney infection and a high fever.
After what has been one of the most challenging years of her life, the mum-of-two, who also shares eight-year-old daughter Summer with ex-husband Harry Needs, believes that the odds of conceiving again are against her, following an ongoing struggle with polycystic ovary syndrome.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1692080842/articles/QhGzVcQAY1692160377916/2914142406.jpg]
“It’s not easy to get pregnant,” says Rebecca. “I just don’t want to put loads of pressure on it or have any expectations. Especially when people start asking every single month, ‘Are you pregnant?’ I don’t want to deal with that while working full-time and having two kids. If it happens, it happens. If not, it’s not meant to be.”
Rebecca shared the news of her miscarriage with her followers on Instagram at the time, describing their loss as a “devastating time” for her family, which understandably, they found difficult to process.
“Because I’d had two children without any problems, a miscarriage never crossed my mind,” she says. “I realise this might sound naïve, but I expected some signs. However, it was only once we had the 12-week scan that the poor lady had to say, ‘There isn’t a heartbeat.’ It was just sheer emotion from that point onwards.”
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1692080842/articles/QhGzVcQAY1692160377916/6266900242.jpg]
The British champion recalls being taken into emergency surgery the following day, during which she lost two litres of blood – there are only around five litres in an adult body. But it was after she left the medical facility that Rebecca’s own health took a turn for the worse. Doctors later told her she’d contracted sepsis.
“It was really scary because I felt so ill,” Rebecca explains. “Andy was an angel and did absolutely everything. My parents looked after the kids and they all rallied around, but it took some time to come to terms with everything.”
On the more difficult days, where she finds herself reflecting on the past 12 months, the world-record-breaking swimmer says she finds it difficult not to blame herself.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1692080842/articles/QhGzVcQAY1692160377916/1419624812.jpg]
“I keep thinking about the pressure my body has been under to keep this little one, safe and sound and alive,” she explains.
“I felt really responsible for the miscarriage, even though it wasn’t my fault. I remember speaking to the doctors and they said there was nothing I could have done to prevent what happened.
“But you’ve got all this pressure to protect something – this delicate being, this precious, special, incredible bab...
The much-loved athlete, 34, shared the devastating news last August that she and husband Andy Parsons – with whom she has two-year-old son Albie – had suffered a miscarriage at 12 weeks, with Rebecca later being kept in hospital to battle sepsis, a kidney infection and a high fever.
After what has been one of the most challenging years of her life, the mum-of-two, who also shares eight-year-old daughter Summer with ex-husband Harry Needs, believes that the odds of conceiving again are against her, following an ongoing struggle with polycystic ovary syndrome.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1692080842/articles/QhGzVcQAY1692160377916/2914142406.jpg]
“It’s not easy to get pregnant,” says Rebecca. “I just don’t want to put loads of pressure on it or have any expectations. Especially when people start asking every single month, ‘Are you pregnant?’ I don’t want to deal with that while working full-time and having two kids. If it happens, it happens. If not, it’s not meant to be.”
Rebecca shared the news of her miscarriage with her followers on Instagram at the time, describing their loss as a “devastating time” for her family, which understandably, they found difficult to process.
“Because I’d had two children without any problems, a miscarriage never crossed my mind,” she says. “I realise this might sound naïve, but I expected some signs. However, it was only once we had the 12-week scan that the poor lady had to say, ‘There isn’t a heartbeat.’ It was just sheer emotion from that point onwards.”
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1692080842/articles/QhGzVcQAY1692160377916/6266900242.jpg]
The British champion recalls being taken into emergency surgery the following day, during which she lost two litres of blood – there are only around five litres in an adult body. But it was after she left the medical facility that Rebecca’s own health took a turn for the worse. Doctors later told her she’d contracted sepsis.
“It was really scary because I felt so ill,” Rebecca explains. “Andy was an angel and did absolutely everything. My parents looked after the kids and they all rallied around, but it took some time to come to terms with everything.”
On the more difficult days, where she finds herself reflecting on the past 12 months, the world-record-breaking swimmer says she finds it difficult not to blame herself.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1692080842/articles/QhGzVcQAY1692160377916/1419624812.jpg]
“I keep thinking about the pressure my body has been under to keep this little one, safe and sound and alive,” she explains.
“I felt really responsible for the miscarriage, even though it wasn’t my fault. I remember speaking to the doctors and they said there was nothing I could have done to prevent what happened.
“But you’ve got all this pressure to protect something – this delicate being, this precious, special, incredible bab...
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New UK (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 21, 2023