Chrissy Teigen, John Legend's pregnancy loss hits close to home for SoCal families
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's heartbreaking loss hits close to home for many Southern California families.
TUSTIN, Calif. (KABC) -- Support for Chrissy Teigen and John Legend continues to pour in. The couple announced they lost their child following pregnancy complications.
Losing an unborn child or infant happens more than you might imagine. One local organization understands this loss and is helping parents grieve and remember.
At a newly-built memorial wall at The District in Tustin, parents in the throes of pregnancy loss come here to remember.
Cynthia and Aditya Swaminathan's infant girl died shortly after birth.
"We lost our baby girl Nina at 40 weeks and one day," Cynthia said.
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News of Chrissy Teigen losing her son hit this couple especially hard.
"You feel the same pain that they feel because we should all have our babies," Cynthia said.
A month ago, Teigen shared an ultrasound video of her son she named Jack. Not long after, she posted personal photos from her hospital room along with the news that she and her husband John Legend lost their son.
"On this darkest of days we will grieve, we will cry our eyes out. But we will hug and love each other harder and get through it," Teigen tweeted.
The response on social media has flooded the couple with support. Many are talking about their own grief and loss.
Doctors say pregnancy loss may occur in as many as one in every four pregnancies.
"Miscarriage actually is the loss of a pregnancy and technically when we think of the weeks or the trimester, usually before 20 weeks, that's when we consider it a miscarriage," OB-GYN Dr. Jessica Shepherd said.
Shepherd said after 20 weeks, the term used is stillborn. For moms, the deep feeling of loss is indescribable.
Krystin Von Rotz co- founded Forever Footprints. Their mission is to provide support and comfort to families.
"My son would be 16-years-old. And it really just takes me back that moment when I held him for the last time. You say hello to your baby and you say goodbye all at the same time," she said.
One service the group provides that holds great meaning for parents is a memory box.
"You leave the hospital with empty arms. And so we really want parents to have something to hold onto when they leave," Von Rotz said.
"A lock of hair, a hat, a blanket, some pictures which helped in being able to leave the hospital holding something. Knowing we weren't able to hold Nina," Aditya Swaminathan said.
Instead of their annual remembrance walk, Forever Footprints will hold a virtual remembrance ceremony.
"Many families never hear their babies' name again. No one says it. No one remembers. But, we always remember," Von Rotz said. "We will always be there for these families. We will always say that their babies matter. And they will never ever be alone."
