Kylie Kelce Shares Heartfelt Insights on Her Miscarriage: ‘Everything Slowed Down’
Kylie Kelce is courageously opening up about a deeply personal and emotional experience that many can relate to within the realm of pregnancy. The host of the “Not Gonna Lie” podcast recently recounted the heartbreaking tale of her miscarriage, which occurred before she and her husband, Jason Kelce, celebrated the arrival of their first child.
This poignant narrative was shared during an episode of her podcast that aired on Thursday, a particularly significant time as October is recognized as Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month.
Kylie vividly recalled visiting the doctor following a positive pregnancy test and how excited she was to share the news with close family at around 12 weeks along. "We intentionally surprised Jason’s parents by pretending to take a family photo, and then we broke the news that we were expecting," she shared, pausing momentarily to collect herself as emotions overwhelmed her. As tears welled in her eyes, she continued to recount her experience.
"We even shared the surprise with Jason’s Aunt Judy and his grandmother, Grandma Mary," Kylie said, her voice beginning to tremble. "While we were in Cleveland, we delighted Jason's brother, Travis, with baby booties. All of these precious moments were documented to cherish the memories."
However, during her 12-week ultrasound, which actually took place when she was 13 weeks pregnant, Kylie received the harrowing update that something was amiss.
"It felt like everything just entered slow motion; they couldn’t detect the baby’s heartbeat on the Doppler, and at around 13 weeks, that should be easily detectable," she explained, describing the heartbreaking moment.
"I don’t know if it was the weight of an impending sense of doom or what, but my mind was racing. I thought, ‘Oh, no heartbeat? That’s because there isn’t one,’" she recounted, fighting back the tears as she narrated the painful incident.
The doctors informed her that the baby had ceased development sometime between nine and ten weeks, a situation medically classified as a missed miscarriage.
"That day was incredibly tough," Kylie admitted, taking a few moments to regain her composure. "It was especially difficult because it fell on Jason’s birthday."
Afterward, she remembered sitting in her car and calling her mom, a decision she now acknowledges might not have been the wisest while she was sobbing uncontrollably. "I told her that I couldn’t bring myself to tell Jason the devastating news right then because it was his birthday. That seemed quite foolish in retrospect, right? Naturally, I had to share it with him, and believe me, it was hard on both of us."
Kylie emphasized that even after welcoming four children into their family—Wyatt, 6, Elliotte, 4, Bennett, 2, and Finn, born this past March—the memory of that loss still haunts her.
"I highlight this because it still affects me even now; it’s perfectly alright to acknowledge that," she said. "Having gone through that experience has lingered in my mind during every subsequent pregnancy."
When she was pregnant with Wyatt, she and Jason chose to keep the news from family until she passed the 20-week mark. For her following pregnancies, they decided to wait until at least 16 weeks before sharing the hopeful news.
"I even found myself Googling the statistical likelihood of the baby’s survival week after week—yes, it’s as bleak as it sounds," Kylie shared, specifically mentioning her fourth daughter, Finn.
"It leaves a lasting impact on you, a sort of invisible scar that shapes your own unique journey," she remarked. "Whether a loss happens at six weeks or 13 weeks—or any time—it’s a genuine loss that must be acknowledged."
According to the Mayo Clinic, a miscarriage is characterized as "the abrupt loss of a pregnancy before the 20-week mark." After that point, the term stillbirth is used.
Approximately 10 to 20% of known pregnancies are estimated to end in miscarriage. In reality, the number may be even higher, as numerous women may be unaware of their pregnancies before experiencing a loss.
Kylie’s story resonates with many women, adding her voice to numerous public figures such as Michelle Obama, Meghan Markle, and Chrissy Teigen, who have bravely shared their own fertility experiences.
This brings up a significant conversation: why is it that so many people remain silent on such a profound topic? What are your thoughts on sharing these experiences, whether in public or private? We’d love to hear from you—do you agree or disagree with the importance of such discussions?
