Country superstar Carrie Underwood has just announced she is expecting her second child with hockey player husband, Mike Fisher. Though we can only imagine how ecstatic the happy couple are about adding an addition to their family, it hasn’t been an easy road for the Fisher’s. Underwood came out in an interview with CBS News, saying that she has had three miscarriages. She told reporter, Tracy Smith, that she became pregnant twice in 2017 and once at the beginning of 2018, with each pregnancy resulting in a miscarriage. Underwood is quoted saying, “I had always been afraid to be angry. Because we are so blessed, and my son, Isaiah, is the sweetest thing, he’s the best thing in the world…I’m like if we can never have any other kids, that’s okay, because [ Isaiah’s] amazing and I have this amazing life. Like really, what can I complain about? I can’t.” Underwood said since her first miscarriage, she has been throwing herself into her work and not giving herself time to truly grieve. We are beyond excited for their little family to grow by one, but miscarriage is something that we need to talk about.
Miscarriage is so much more common than we think it is, but as a society we think of it as uncommon because so many women don’t feel comfortable talking about something so personal. Many women consider themselves “defective” or “not women enough” after having a miscarriage and that is so far from the truth!
Also, another major part of miscarriages that is often stigmatized is postpartum depression. The Mayo Clinic explains postpartum depression as a condition that “Most new moms experience…[that] commonly includes mood swings, crying spells, anxiety and difficulty sleeping.” Personally, I think that definition is totally wrong. A mother does not need to physically have the child to endure postpartum depression. Carrying the child, even for a little while is more than enough. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, there is a “significant risk of depression in women” who miscarry.
Carrie Underwood is a female icon in the music world and for her to come out and talk about her fertility struggles is such a big move toward ending the stigma around miscarriage. I only hope that her coming forward will empower more women to talk about their struggles openly and without judgment.