Jessica Brown Findlay opened up about her heartbreaking journey to motherhood, revealing that she suffered four tragic miscarriages during her IVF process, including one just two months ago.
The Downton Abbey star, 35, is a proud mother of twin sons, whom she welcomed via IVF with her husband, Ziggy Heath, in November 2022.
In a candid conversation with Giovanna Fletcher Happy mother, happy baby podcast, Jessica shared her struggles on the road to growing her family.
When asked about her losses, Jessica revealed, “Before the boys were born, I had three.
‘I’ve had two where I got pregnant without help and one chemical miscarriage that happened with IVF and we knew it was going to happen because the blood values had come back with very low numbers.
‘They do a blood test and want to see this number double, but that just didn’t happen. And then one happened about three, no, two and a half months ago.
Jessica Brown Findlay opened up about her heartbreaking journey to motherhood, revealing that she suffered four tragic miscarriages during her IVF process, including one just two months ago
The Downton Abbey star, 35, is a proud mother of twin sons, whom she welcomed via IVF with her husband, Ziggy Heath, in November 2022.
“So we… Maybe a little more than that now. Yes. I mean, we were a little terrified, but also excited. And you know, we went for a scan, we went back to our doctor, our wonderful doctor who had helped us have our twins.
“And she was so funny. She scanned me. There was one. And she said, okay, great. Cool, cool.
‘And she said, “Oh, you’re much cheaper than your brothers.” She is very true. And it felt like a joyful, just, you know, gift from the universe.”
Jessica then explained how she went to a friend’s wedding and had a strange feeling in her stomach that she was going to lose her unborn child.
She continued, “This kind of intuition. We are talking in positive circumstances, but there is also something […] This feeling of fear, just something real that you just know.
“And I thought, okay, instead of me going to this wedding at three in the morning and Googling wild theories and signs when I should be celebrating with our friends, I’m going to book myself into […]And I went the next morning and I went for a scan, and there was no heartbeat anymore.
“And, and I had only gone because I was like, ‘Look, no, no, no, I’m fine. Because you know you’re working. We have the boys.
“I’ll just go and if everything is fine, I’ll just come home.” And if that’s not the case, we always say: we’ll just cross the bridge, we’ll just cross the bridge when we get there. Let’s see what happens.
In a candid conversation on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, Jessica shared her struggles on the road to expanding her family
When asked about her losses, Jessica revealed: ‘Well, before the boys were born, I had three’
“And I kind of made sure that I was obviously devastated, but I said very clearly, you know, that the woman told me what to do and to take myself to a hospital.
“And I just headed to the hospital where the boys were born because I wanted to be known somewhere.”
Jessica gave birth to her twins on Bonfire Night in 2022 after IVF treatment.
Reflecting on her pregnancy with the twins after three miscarriages, she explained: ‘Every day I was pregnant I just wanted to enjoy that day for what it was. And that day they were.
“And at the end of this they come – amazingly. But right now I am. And it made me really be present and really try to enjoy what it is.”
Giovanna replied, “That makes me feel very emotional, Jessica. That’s such a beautiful way to look at it.
“You know, because I think pregnancy after loss is so hard. And you know, I’ve had three babies after a loss, but even with the third one, I still looked back on the… you know, boys came, but still, you can’t really do anything about it Go: ‘Will I get caught?”
Jessica said, “Yes, is it today that I smile and think that I am doing well? Or the day I didn’t think about it?
The actress married actor husband Ziggy in September 2020, after they met while filming the Hulu series Harlots in 2017 (pictured in September 2022)
“So obviously it will happen that day. And all this kind of mental stuff. And I was like… you can’t do anything. And so the idea of just being. But I can allow myself to try today.”
Announcing the news of her twins’ arrival, Jessica shared a photo on Instagram of herself cradling her newborns with the caption: ‘5.11.22. Our boys! Remember Remember.
The star confirmed her pregnancy during a red carpet appearance at the closing ceremony of the Venice International Film Festival in September 2022.
The actress previously revealed that she had undergone four rounds of IVF treatment in the hope of having a child, and spoke candidly about her fertility issues in a post earlier this year in honor of International Women’s Day, along with a video of herself injecting hormones.
In post, she injected the hormones into her stomach, which typically increases the number of eggs produced by the ovaries.
The star posted a caption reminding her followers that “their bodies are not the enemy,” adding, “Happy International Women’s Day! We do difficult things and then we dance.
‘IVF has made me even more aware of what women are capable of and what we can achieve while going through pain and heartache.
‘Your body is not the enemy. I love it. No matter what happens. Sending love and support to every woman I’ve ever met and everyone I don’t know but knows what this is.”
The star’s acting career began when she played the role of rebellious aristocrat Lady Sybil Crawley in Downton Abbey between 2010 and 2012 (pictured)
Jessica married Heath in a low-key 2020 wedding with just 30 guests due to Covid restrictions, three years after meeting on the Hulu drama Harlots.
During her pregnancy, she revealed that she struggled to find work after becoming pregnant.
Her acting career began when she played the role of the rebellious aristocrat Lady Sybil Crawley in Downton Abbey.
The actress said the incident would have been handled differently if it had occurred after the #MeToo movement in 2017.
She added: “Women wouldn’t have lost jobs and been trafficked on the dark web for a month before being leaked to the public because bodies are a commodity.”
Jessica currently stars opposite Anthony Welsh in Paramount+’s romantic comedy series The Flatshare, an adaptation of Beth O’Leary’s global bestseller.
The series follows Leon (Welsh) and Jessica (Findlay) as they share a one-bed flat, but without having met due to their conflicting work schedules.
But when the Post-it notes start flying between them and they are both unexpectedly drawn into the other’s messy life, an attraction arises.