Last week, Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall attended the Queen’s Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, just like everybody else. It was supposed to be a happy time with Mike and Zara – they had announced they were expecting their second child back in November, and everyone was so happy for them. But then on Christmas Eve, their spokesperson made a simple announcement: Zara has miscarried.
Zara Tindall, Queen Elizabeth II‘s granddaughter and the daughter of Princess Anne, has suffered a miscarriage, her spokeswoman confirms to PEOPLE. She was pregnant with her second child with husband and rugby star Mike Tindall.
“Very sadly, Zara and Mike Tindall have lost their baby,” the spokesperson said a statement on Saturday. “At this difficult time, we ask that everyone respects their privacy.”
In late November, the couple announced through a spokesperson that they were expecting their second child and that they were “thrilled.” The couple was last spotted attending the royal family’s annual pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, where Zara and Mike joined Zara’s cousins, including Prince Harry, Princess Kate and Prince William.
This is so sad. Sending good thoughts and love to Zara and Mike. From what I can tell, Zara and Mike did go to Sandringham to spend time with the royal family (Zara is said to be very close to her mother, the Princess Royal), but Zara and Mike were not part of the royal group photo-op outside of the Sandringham church. I feel so sorry for Zara and Mike, Zara in particular. She’s such a strong athlete (she’s a competitive equestrian and an Olympic medalist) and I always got the feeling that she thought pregnancy and labor would be easy for her because she’s so strong and such an athlete. But she reportedly had a difficult first pregnancy and she was open about how she felt like hell for months after giving birth to Mia in 2014. Zara and Mike are still young and they’ll probably try again.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
How awful, especially since they had just announced it (most likely after the first trimester when you’re out of the most common “danger zone” for a miscarriage). My heart aches for them.
How awful for them. I can’t imagine going through that, let alone having to announce it to the world :/
My losses have been so ridiculously early that they weren’t difficult and usually only I knew (as in I hadn’t even told my husband yet). I cannot imagine the pain and then having to share it with the world.
She should not try for 2 years, her chances for a successful next pregnancy are better if she waits 24 to 30 months after a miscarriage.
Especialy if she already is known to have difficult pregnancies.
I feel Sad for her, miscarriages are hard on body and mind, no matter how much help the woman get.
Best wishes to her and her family.
Really? Do you know why it’s better to wait? Curious because two co-workers are in the same situation.
Generally 2 to 3 periods are enough physically to start trying although I will tell you that the emotional toll this takes has some women scared to try again immediately.
As a birthworker, I can’t even begin to tell you how emotionally devastating it is for these women to lose their babies when in all reality they felt incredibly attached the moment they heard that heartbeat. my next client had a stillbirth relatively late in pregnancy and she’s due now in January, but refuses to set the nursery up until her baby is in her arms. I’m lucky enough to be able to support her through this journey with her second baby.
Miscarriages and stillbirth are still not something that are widely talked about in society, there still seems to be a stigma around it for these women to feel like they can’t share it or they won’t share it, and that’s a shame as well, because what women need when they go through this is to hear the experiences of other women. So many people suffer in silence or don’t share their pain and it’s hard.
Little Darling, for this very reason, in the Jewish tradition, the nursery isn’t set up until the baby is born (the only thing we did was paint the room the color they chose, so there wouldn’t be any fumes). While I helped my sister pick out everything she wanted beforehand, I wasn’t to call and have everything delivered until she gave birth. She, like a lot of moms, kept the baby(ies) in a bassinet in their room the first few weeks, so that gave me and my brother-in-law plenty of time to set things up to her satisfaction 😊
Link please? This contradicts most of what I’ve read/heard on the subject.
My daughter and daughter-in-law were both told by different doctors to wait 2 Menstrual cycles before trying again. Each now have baby boys.
In my experience as a birthworker women who miscarry prior to month 4 usually try faster than those who lose after month 4.
Physically, doctors recommend just 2-3 periods if no uterine testing is done, to allow the uterus to prepare for a healthy child.
http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-loss/after-miscarriage-getting-pregnant-again/
http://time.com/4177190/conceive-after-miscarriage/
After my miscarriage I started trying after a month, 3 months later I was pregnant with my now 11 month old daughter, I’m also 19 weeks pregnant with my 3rd. There’s no need to wait that long unless there’s complications.
My heart hurts for Zara, best wishes
i don’t think they need to wait that long. I knew several women that got pregnant a few months after a miscarriage and went on to have healthy babies (my brother is living proof)
That is completely contrary to what my doctor told me. He told me to wait one month for my cycle to regulate and then get right back to trying. I was pregnant again 2 months later and have a healthy 12 year old to show for it. Same for my sister-in-law, she got pregnant 3 months after miscarrying. I have never heard anyone say you have to wait over 2 years to try and get pregnant again.
You are supposed to wait one whole cycle, that is all, and sometimes you have a fertility boost right after a miscarriage. Trying for my second it took over 2 years to get pregnant. I had a miscarriage, waited a month, and then got pregnant this first month trying again. Of course, this probably varies depending on how far along you are. Mine was at about 9 weeks, so if you are farther along you might need to wait longer.
Huh? Waiting that long goes against everything I’ve ever read. Source?
This is not true at all. Research shows that fertility increases after miscarriage & the odds of having multiple are very slim. I had 3 miscarriages before my children, & have done lots of research (medical journals, specialists) on the topic.
One of my best friends lost her second child while she was in the middle of her fifth month, her first pregnancy was really hard on her already and she had to stay of her feet and spent 2/3 of her first pregnancy laying down.
It drove her nuts.
She is very involved in different kinds of Sport, doing nothing for so long just to not risk a miscarriage, was very hard on her.
It turned out good for her and she always said her Child was worth it, of course but she really hated to be so tied down.
When she got pregnant again for a second time, after about 16 months after the birth of her first child, it started okay but she also was afraid of what might happen, if her pregnancy will be like her first one, and so on.
This was on Her mind all the time.
When she lost her child, even though she was as careful as in her first pregnancy, by doctors order, her Gynelocogyst and two others ones in a University linked Hospital, whom all she asked said to her, that some women who are normaly more active than most women and who have too much problems with their pregnancies, should take a time out and not worry about pregnancy problems for at least 2 years.
To get their Stress level really down, they said.
They asked her and her Partner to reflect if they tried to hard for their ideal picture of family, with the pressed trying for a second child.
That sometimes, these self pressuring makes a successful pregnancy hard to come by, for certain woman, the ones that set their Perfect Goals to reach.
I am not saying, of course, that the same is true for Zara, i just remembered the struggles my friend had.
She waited nearly 3 years, she and her Partner were discussing if they wanted to try it again, and if they would maybe adopt if Nature would say no to her Body, then she got pregnant without hard trying for it and her Stress level never really rised, she had a good pregnancy and a healthy child.
Huh, my doctor had me wait 3 months after my miscarriage. I didn’t know about the fertility boost. That would explain why I now have twins. LOL There was a third sac but it wasn’t viable.
I had a December miscarriage, and unexpectedly got pregnant right away (bearing a healthy baby). I was later told many women are more fertile after a miscarriage, so I would never advise anyone to wait 2 years!!
This is absolutely not true and no reputable Ob/Gyn recommends this. Women are avalanched with so much misinformation and guilt about every aspect of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood—please do not add to it.
I said i remember the struggles of my friend, who was also quite active in different Sports, including competetive riding, not on Zara ‘s level, but still always searching for being the best in everything she does, was going through.
The doctors were telling her this not because of a the high hormone level, or a low one, but because the Stress she worked herself up.
Wait, what? Are you a medical professional?
I began my miscarriage one year ago today, lost twins, and at the urging/blessing of my doctor – immediately tried to get pregnant again after completing one cycle for dating purposes. I just nursed and laid down my 6 week old baby girl. This after years of trying to get pregnant with my now three year old and the babies we lost.
The main reasons women who have losses are told to wait are when they have had a procedure (d&c, d&e) or they were given a high dose of methotrexate. When neitherhas occurred, the only reason for waiting is to date the pregnancy.
Please don’t perpetuate clear misinformation.
My loss was incredibly difficult due to the timing and the fact that we had been trying for so long. I didn’t tell our family (we found out on 12/23/15, spotting began 12/27/15 and it was finally confirmed and over on Jan 15, 2016). I hosted Christmas a New Years with a smile on my face and hugs from my daughter – and cried alone when no one was around.
It’s a horrible thing to experience at any stage.
Her doctors told my friend to do it, they would like not tell the same to every woman.
Some women are better off when they take some time out from getting pregnant.
@ria OK but your original post was NOT just that it was a friend’s experience and not applicable to every woman who has a miscarriage. The original post was “She [I assume meaning Zara] should not try for two years”.
That is misinformation, and what I personally was responding to with my reaction.
I understand doctors may advise some women to wait “x” amount of time before trying to get pregnant again– but the idea that a woman will have a bad outcome if she does not wait 2 or 3 years was objectionable.
Tourmaline i am sorry for that, i should have told the Story of my friend first, the
Way i had done it here was wrong to many of you Posters here.
PLEASE excuse me for not explaining good enough, what i meant when i wrote down my first Post.
I miscarried twice this year. It’s stressful anyway. Making yourself wait two years will likely only increase stress. Not to mention egg count decreases each year. I was also told by obstetrician that specializes in fertility issues to just wait one cycle.
@sticks I’m sorry. It’s awful. I had 3 miscarriages & now have twins, it’s very possible to have healthy children after multiple miscarriages. Good luck to you & hugs to you, this is a hard time of year.
I’m 19 weeks pregnant right now, and I just can’t imagine having to deal with something like this so publicly. I’ve been thinking of her since I read this news a few days ago.
I’m 19 weeks as of today. I saw this post right after I found out the sex of my baby. I was disappointed to be having a boy, but seeing post put everything in perspective.
So sad. So sorry for them.
I’m with everyone else feeling so badly for them. I hope that little Mia was able to bring a little bit of joy to them at Christmas.
Commiserations to them. A horrible thing to happen.
It is very sad, and so difficult to have to face as public people. I’m hoping Edward and Sophie can bring comfort and understanding, as they experienced something similar during the same festive time of year.
My mother was in her fourth month when she lost her third pregnancy. Even though she went on to have three more healthy babies,
the pain and sorrow of that miscarriage has stayed with her all of these years. Wishing healing and good luck to Zara in the future.
What a terrible thing to happen on Christmas. I hope they’ll be okay.
This is heartbreaking. In 1990, I lost my son when I was 5 months pregnant. We tried again and experienced an early miscarriage. Finally at 40, I had our beloved daughter, now 24. I regret every day I did not have more, but what a blessing our little girl has been.
Horrible news, especially after a public announcement in November. I wish them well.
I truly feel for her. I lost my twin sons exactly 2 months ago at 15 weeks, less than two weeks after making it official. Hoping for a rainbow baby in 2017.
Many good wishes for you.
I am so very sorry for your loss. We spent 19 months trying hearing the phrase unexplained infertility often. We finally got a positive pregnancy test in early November 2015 only for me to be told mid December, right before my husband’s birthday, that I had had a silent miscarriage. They make you wait and do more tests and I ended up in the hospital having a D and C 3 days before Christmas last year. The entire holiday season I felt like a zombie. My heart goes out to Zara and Mike as well. Wishing everyone suffering with fertility issues strength.
Thank you for the kind words and I’m sorry for your loss as well. We’ve struggled with infertility for 11 years and it was our 4th IVF attempt and our first pregnancy. I was so relieved to be in my second trimester and was finally feeling like this was really going to happen. I ended up losing them to an incompetent cervix, a diagnosis you usually don’t get until you lose a baby. This has been the most painful experience of our lives.
Jackie, I’m so truly sorry for your loss. I’m going to pray you get your wish in 2017.
I’m so sorry.
This is such horrible news. I have suffered a miscarriage before. I couldn’t imagine having to go though it so publicly.
Exactly. I had a miscarriage at 12 weeks and it was eso painful emotionally it surprised me. About 30% of women with diagnosed pregnancies suffer miscarriages, yet it is still a dirty little secret. You’re right, LO, to have to go through this publicly is heartbreaking.
Prayers to her and Mike.
Oh goodness how sad. I had a miscarriage at 4 months about 4 years ago. I’m now 8 weeks pregnant. My dad told the whole extended family over Xmas without consulting me. I got very upset with him for that exact reason. Now if something happened all of those people would then be asking me about my pregnancy, and I’d have to tell them I lost it. To be fair to my dad he didn’t realize I wasn’t very far along. My extreme and unusually early morning sickness gave it away long before I would have ever told anyone. He was just being a proud Pop. Still, having gone through the heartache of that loss before, I feel for Zara, and every woman that has dealt with that blow
That is upsetting @Beckysuz. Best wishes for you in your pregnancy now. I know from personal experience that once you have a miscarriage you never take anything about subsequent pregnancies for granted….
My thoughts and prayers to them and extra hugs to Zara. My daughter would be getting ready to have her second child in a couple of weeks, but in late June, she found out she’d lost the baby. It’s so heartbreaking when you’re already so attached to the soon-to-be little one.
That’s terrible. So very sorry for their loss.
Sad to hear this!
Pregnancy and child birth are so common place these days that I think most people forget how dangerous both can be even with all of our advancements.
My condolences go out to Zara and Mike.
I had a miscarriage at 11 wees. Waited one cycle and got pregnant the next month. I have a healthy 16 month old.
I’m + 12 weeks pregnant right now. My heart is aching for everyone on here sharing their stories of sorrow and loss. I’m so sorry. I pray everyone gets their rainbow babies, if you haven’t already. A loss like this is terrifying. Every mother to he’s worst nightmare.
Just a few days ago, I was feeling so much sympathy. I still do, but as I am fairly certain I just started miscarrying, I am just feeling general frustration with the state of the world. Hopefully my husband will be home soon.
There are no words to adequately express the grief, feelings of profound loss and devastation from miscarriage. I’ve gone through several myself. The first was at 15 weeks and we had just started telling friends and family, thinking we were “safe” having past the 12 week mark. I remember finishing up a meeting at work, stood up feeling as if I’d peed my pants. Or pantyhose as it were. I hadn’t (unfortunately) I could tell it had to be amniotic fluid. As if what little water I had at that time had broken. Doctor sent me straight to the ER. Was told I had been carrying a blighted ovum. Essentially a mass of cells and tissue that had stopped developing at 8 weeks. Had a D&C. It was a week before Christmas and I have almost no memory of that time. Our wedding went as planned at the end of January. Also a blur. I became pregnant again in March but miscarried again. Opted to stop trying, had an IUD implanted and after incessant bleeding and nausea for nearly 7 weeks, I convinced my OB that it was NOT my body “adjusting” as I was told each time I consulted him and was begrudgingly given a trans-vaginal ultrasound. I had a tubal pregnancy. Argh! Another hospital stay with shots of Methotrexate… I never had a problem getting pregnant, just never a viable pregnancy. It’s been years now and I have 2 lovely step children. My sister has been through similar experiences but did give birth 6 times. Unfortunately, her 3rd daughter only lived 9 hours. My heart breaks for her and my brother in law… They tried and got pregnant within 2 months of baby girl passing away and did give birth to another daughter. As my sister said at the time, she and her husband just couldn’t “leave it this way” – it’s amazing to me that such shame and secrecy is attached to miscarriage… Almost always the suffering is mourning is internalized and sort of shoved down or away. Leaving years of lingering feelings of shame or emptiness. Shame for “failing” even when you know it’s not your fault… Loss is loss. My heart goes out to every woman, every family, who has/have experienced these tragedies.
I’m in London for the holidays so this was widely covered. I feel horrible for them. I’ve lost three and having to tell everyone after an announcement about the pregnancy is horrible. At least they could just put it out there in one statement and it seems they are being left in peace. Plus being at Sandringham would afford you some seclusion. She was apparently at 4 mos and made her announcement when she was out of the first trimester. So it would be good to wait if only physically. I tried as soon as possible after two but i waited a few years after the last because I needed the emotional time. Everyone is different.