Emily Atack reveals she haemorrhaged during pregnancy and thought 'biggest fear' had come true
Actress and comedian Emily Atack has shared a health scare during her pregnancy that made her fear she was going to lose her baby and calls for narrative around miscarriages to change
by Mia O'Hare · The MirrorEmily Atack has revealed she suffered a haemorrhage while pregnant with her first child, leaving her to fear losing her baby.
The former Inbetweeners star, 34, welcomed her little boy named Barney back in June with her scientist boyfriend Alistair Garner. She had decided to keep her pregnancy secret from fans for as along as she could. Emily revealed her exciting news over Christmas last year and showed off her growing bump.
However, the TV star has since opened up on a scare during her pregnancy were she lost blood. Emily was diagnosed with a haemorrhage. Recalling the scary time, Emily said: "I saw blood in the toilet and I was like, 'oh my god, I'm miscarrying' - it was just coming out of me and I thought that's it, biggest fear realised, I'm having a miscarriage."
Emily's sister was with her at the time and took her to seek medical help. Speaking to Jamie Laing on his Great Company podcast, the actress shared: "I had a scan and he [the doctor] said 'the baby's fine, you've had a haemorrhage, a hematoma but the baby's ok'. I couldn't believe it, I thought there's no way - I thought it was all over and I thought having to tell everybody, you feel like you're letting them all down, it's really awful."
She continued: "I don't want to upset anyone who's been through baby loss, miscarriage but it's the most horrific thing ever. And a lot of that pain comes from feeling like you're going to have to let everybody down, because you've told them you're going to have this baby and it's going to be wonderful and then you're having to take that away. The pressure is ridiculous."
Emily also shared her dislike for how miscarriages are "dismissed as a casual thing". She said: "It's so like 'I know this girl who had a miscarriage...' because it's technically seen as common. But what is so awful, I get really angry even when doctors say it in the early days of your pregnancy, they talk about miscarriage like it is such a common thing.
"That it's so flippant and so throwaway. But to that person who has just lost that baby it is the most devastating thing you could ever imagine. You have lost your child. But for some reason there's this really casual narrative, like it's so common that it's something you just sometimes have to go through. I can't even imagine the agony and it's just as women something that we are told to get on with.
"Same with having a caesarean or complications with birth." Emily previously shared details of her birth as she said: "It was a very difficult birth and after 12 hours of labour, I ended up having an emergency caesarean, but he was so calm." When baby Barney was born, Emily took to Instagram to share the happy news with her fans. The new mum penned: "We have a beautiful son. Barney James Garner. All my dreams have come true."
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at the Miscarriage Association. You can call them on 01924 200799 or email info@miscarriageassociation.org.uk
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