Ben Foden’s wife Jackie has revealed she is pregnant.
The lovely news comes after the American businesswoman, 38, tragically suffered three miscarriages, leaving the couple thinking they had ‘lost hope’ of having another child.
Jackie told OK! magazine: ‘I became more and more enthusiastic about the pregnancies, but nothing stuck. After the third one we kept thinking, “We’ll see if it happens; if it happens, it happens and if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.” It’s hard not to have hope when you really want another baby.’
She revealed that her mother urged her to check her progesterone levels and doctors confirmed that hormone levels – which play an important role in the reproductive system – had dropped, after which Jackie was given supplements.
Jackie explained that the levels are still off ‘because I have something called marginal umbilical cord insertion, which means the umbilical cord is implanted in the wrong area and puts the pregnancy at greater risk. So in the future we must especially ensure that the baby grows at the right pace.’
Great news: Ben Foden’s wife Jackie, 38, reveals she is pregnant after three tragic miscarriages left her ‘losing hope’ of having another child
Ben, 38, and Jackie are already parents to daughter Farrah, three, while the rugby player shares children Aoife Belle, 11, and Tadhg, eight, with his ex-wife Una Healy.
Speaking about the Popular on DM podcast last September, Jackie said: ‘We were pregnant last month and lost it a few days ago on Monday. It was a bummer.
‘It was super weird being pregnant and waking up the next day and not being pregnant. Your breasts immediately feel different, you constantly stop peeing.’
Jackie talked about how many of her friends had trouble getting pregnant and she feels lucky that she and Ben got pregnant during their first visit with Farrah.
She said: ‘We got pregnant on our first try, Farrah was our first time. Many of my friends have problems getting pregnant. I talk to them and they feel hopeless.
‘I’m 37, I fully expected this to happen. Realistically, I’ll be pregnant again next month.’
Jackie added that she thinks it’s important for women to talk about their miscarriages because it’s “so normal.”
She said: ‘A few people said, ‘I had a miscarriage too. I thought, let’s talk about it! It’s so normal. My mother came to me: “Your body knows what to do in that scenario.” ‘
It comes after Jackie spoke out about her sad news as she hit back at a cruel online troll who directed harsh words at her.
Jackie’s response was: ‘I’ve been pregnant for a while so I haven’t had Botox in a while, I just had a miscarriage last week and my two year old has sleep regression so I haven’t slept in a million years. I apologize if my old, haggard appearance bothers you.
“I notice you don’t have any pictures of yourself though… but you probably just look too ridiculously good for people to even have the privilege of witnessing.”
Ben and Jackie married in 2020 – a year and a half after his marriage to 40-year-old Una ended due to his cheating, and just two days after his divorce was finalized.
If you have been affected by this story, please contact The Miscarriage Association on 01924 200799 Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm or email info@miscarriageassociation.org.uk