Olympian Rebecca Adlington bravely opened up about the loss of her baby girl today (September 16), during an appearance on BBC Breakfast.
In the interview, the double Olympic gold medallist, who was recently diagnosed with coeliac disease, shared how she had lost two babies. She discovered one baby had died during a routine scan at 12 weeks in 2022.
Rebecca experienced her second loss in 2023, when she was five months pregnant. She gave birth to the baby, who she named Harper, two days after discovering she didn’t have a heartbeat.
Rebecca Adlington praises ‘fantastic’ hospital staff after baby loss
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Rebecca said: “Normally, you go through the birth and you get this wonderful, incredible child.
“So to not have that and to be giving birth to your baby and you’re not going to see them open their eyes, you’re not going to hear them cry, you’re not going to do these things, it’s really hard.”
She went on to praise the “fantastic” hospital staff for their role in preparing her for the loss of Harper.
“They explained what she was going to look like, because their colouring is a little bit different, and what to expect. They really do prepare you, and that does put your mind at ease.
“They put a little hat on her, gave her a little blanket and then came through.”
She added: “And then I did want to see her. My gut told me in that moment, I was like: ‘I absolutely do want to see her.’ And it’s, honestly, I say all the time now, I’m like, I’m so glad I did. I’m really, really glad I did. Just to be able to actually see how she was developed and see her little nose and her little hands.
“And even though it was really difficult, I think I would have regretted that decision if I hadn’t seen her,” she concluded.
The trauma still lingers
Prior to her baby loss, Rebecca shared how she had experienced two “very normal pregnancies” and that she “didn’t even consider the kind of danger aspect, or that it wasn’t going to go as planned”.
“It does change you,” she explained. “It definitely eats away at you. It’s definitely hard to process. You feel guilt that something… Is it something I did? You ask all these questions of yourself.
“That trauma, it just lives with you and it eats away at you and it’s something that doesn’t get easier with time if you just bottle it up and don’t talk about it.”
During this time, she described Petals — a charity that offers counselling and support for grieving parents — as a “lifeline”.
BBC Breakfast airs weekdays from 6am on BBC One.
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