Actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish shared that she has experienced eight miscarriages, reflecting the experiences of many Black women.
In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Tiffany Haddish shed light on her fertility journey. During the wide-spanning discussion, the 43-year-old actress revealed she had recently experienced one of several miscarriages.
“Well, I’m going to be honest with you, this would be my eighth [miscarriage],” Haddish told the outlet, explaining, “I’ve got a uterus shaped like a heart. It just won’t keep anything in.”
Haddish, unfortunately, is among many Black women who regularly experience miscarriages in the United States. With approximately 20% of pregnancies ending in miscarriages, studies have shown Black women are 43% more likely than white women to experience pregnancy loss.
“I had a lot of miscarriages,” Haddish also revealed on Rachel Bilson’s “Broad Ideas” podcast, per E! News. “That has a lot to do with the endometriosis and misdiagnosis and all that stuff,” she added.
While miscarriages often have a harsh impact on the body, they can also trigger a complex grieving process that impacts women’s mental health. In an episode of the “Therapy for Black Girls” podcast, TBG founder Dr. Joy Harden Bradford explained how, in the aftermath of a pregnancy loss, women could experience myriad emotions, including anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more.
“People also say horrible things to people who have lost children. I don’t think that they always mean to say, not so great things, but everyone’s always trying to figure out the why,” said Dr. Harden Bradford. “And, a lot, some of the time, you don’t actually have a clear reason for what occurred.”
As Haddish explained, those potential responses were part of the reason she decided to keep her pregnancy losses private. With the exception of one close friend, the actress had not previously disclosed her miscarriages.
“I didn’t want people saying: ‘Are you OK? Are you alright?’” said Haddish. “Like a wounded animal, I just rather go in a cave by myself. Lick my wounds.”
However, the “Girls Trip” star has since expressed how difficult those losses have been.
“Those miscarriages were as painful as a mother***ker,” said Haddish, per E! News. “I feel like a piece of my soul died every time. I don’t know if I am capable, and I feel like that was God’s birth control telling me, ‘He is not the one. That is not who you are supposed to be having a baby with.’”
Despite a 2013 divorce, followed by a very public breakup with former boyfriend Common in 2021 and her busy career, the star is still contemplating motherhood. As previously reported by theGrio, Haddish has explored adopting and has taken parenting classes in preparation for welcoming a child.
“I’m looking at, you know, [age] five and up — really like seven,” said Haddish, later adding, “I want them to know that I put in the work and I wanted them.”
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