Claire Holt has shared a message on Instagram that no woman ever wants to share.
But it’s one the actress deemed too important to keep to herself.
In a heartbreaking caption, the former Vampire Diaries and Originals star tells followers that she recently suffered a miscarriage.
“I took this photo 10 days ago, as I waited for surgery after my sweet little baby lost its heartbeat,” Holt says to open her post, which is included alongside a picture of herself in a hospital gown and bed.
She then adds of Matt Kaplan and the basis for the selfie:
“I sent it to my fiancé in the waiting room to show him that I was ok. I wasn’t. I’ve never felt more broken in my life.”
Why did Holt decide to make this personal pain into a public statement?
“I debated sharing this so soon and I’m still frightened about making such a private struggle public, but I’m doing it anyway because it’s important,” she explains, prior to delving into a lot more detail.
Out of respect for what Holt went through, we’re just going to post the rest of her caption word-for-word, letting her powerful words speak for themselves…
(Editor’s note: D&C stands for “dilation and curettage procedure.”)
After my D & C, I spent hours on the internet searching for women who had been through it.
I was desperate to find someone, anyone, who could relate to what I was feeling. Someone to tell me that the depression and hopelessness were normal. That it wasn’t my fault. That I wasn’t broken forever.
I found a community of women who shared my exact experience. Who were open and vulnerable about miscarriage, something that isn’t often or openly discussed.
It breaks my heart to think that losing a baby feels like something we have to keep to ourselves. Why is it any different than the death of a loved one? How is it any less meaningful?
Here is what I have learned as I begin to crawl out of the dark hole: support is everything. I could not have survived this without the unconditional love of my partner.
Despite his pain, he was my rock and my safety net. I will never know how to thank him. I also found that opening up to people is crucial.
As soon as I told my story, almost everyone I spoke to told me theirs – their own, their wife’s, their sister’s. So many people go through it and understand the breadth of pain, yet so few people talk about it.
Finally, I want to share a blog post that resonated with every part of me.
You can find the link in my bio, @leandramcohen of @manrepeller articulates the emotional rollercoaster with an eloquence that I could never possess.
To anyone out there who has been through a miscarriage, I understand you. I share every bit of your pain and you are not alone. Please be kind to yourself and I hope that you will be comfortable sharing your story too.
The link Holt is referring to takes on to THIS POST.
It’s most definitely worth reading if you’ve been through anything like Holt has, or even if you just know someone who has suffered this kind of tragedy.
It’s devastating.
We send our thought to Claire Holt and to all the other women who have suffered a miscarriage.
At least Holt can take solace in knowing she isn’t alone.
