Broadway star shares she had a miscarriage while performing on stage in heartbreaking post
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"On Monday April 3rd, I performed on stage for 2000 people while having a miscarriage."
Broadway legend Laura Benanti revealed she suffered pregnancy loss while on stage in front of thousands of people earlier this week. The actress shared the news of her miscarriage via Instagram, in a lengthy and heartbreaking post.
Benanti was taking part in the Broadway Cruise’s voyage from New York to Bermuda. In the photo she shared, she’s seen performing in front of a crowd of passengers.
“On Monday April 3rd, I performed on stage for 2000 people while having a miscarriage.”
Benanti shares that she was aware of what was happening while on stage.
“It started slowly the night before. If it had been our first loss, or even our second, I likely wouldn’t have been able to go on,” she writes in the post’s caption. “But unfortunately, I am not a stranger to the pain and emptiness of losing a pregnancy. It is a path I have walked before, hand in hand with my husband.”
She says that during this particular pregnancy loss, she felt fully supported by not only the band, her fellow performers, and the crew on the cruise, but the audience as well. Benanti’s six-year-old daughter, Ella, was also on board along with her grandparents—who kept the little girl distracted and entertained so Benanti could rest.
Related: Chrissy Teigen shares that her miscarriage was actually a life-saving abortion
“Thank you to everyone in that audience for the grace your presence allowed. For lifting me out of my grief for that Holy hour,” she continues. “Thank you to the extraordinary producers and their teams who could give a masterclass on how to handle a personal emergency with empathy and compassion. Thank you to my remarkable Mother-in-law and Father-in-law for shielding Ella from the reality of this experience and giving her the time of her life while ‘Mama’s back hurt.'”
While on stage, Benanti performed alongside Ella—a bittersweet moment to watch, given everything going on at that particular time.
While it may seem unimaginable to endure the physical and emotional pain of a miscarriage while on stage and taking part in a cruise, many women know all too well what it’s like to suffer a loss like this while having to carry on with life at the same time.
According to research published in the National Library of Medicine, recurrent miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of three or more consecutive pregnancies with the same biological father in the first trimester. Recurrent pregnancy loss affects 1% to 2% of women, half of whom have no identifiable cause. Overall, 75% of affected women will have a successful subsequent pregnancy, but this rate falls for older mothers and with an increasing number of miscarriages.
Related: Sharon Stone reveals she experienced nine miscarriages: ‘It is no small thing’
“Thank you to that little soul for choosing me as your home, even for a short time,” Benanti writes. “Patrick and I are so grateful for the family that we have, and the miracle of our two little girls. One carried by me and one carried by an angel-on-earth.”
She and her husband welcomed a second daughter, Louisa, via surrogate last summer.
“My husband and I are heartbroken but we will move through this together as we, and so many others, have done before,” Benanti ends her post. “I share all of this, not to garner sympathy or attention, but to remind the many people and families who have and will suffer in this way that there is no shame in this kind of loss. That you are not alone. And to remind myself as well.”
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