A mother-of-four who suffered six heartbreaking miscarriages has candidly revealed how all 10 of her pregnancies pregnancies affected her body.
Bravely showing off her post-baby body in a very open Instagram post, Emily Frigo, a 26-year-old birth photographer and Doula from Cincinnati, Ohio, shared with her followers that, despite her hardships and body hang ups, she has ‘never loved myself more’.
In the caption accompanying the honest and heartfelt picture, she wrote: ‘In my womb, I’ve grown 10 babies. Only four were born alive, but how f**king miraculous nonetheless.’
Brave: Emily Frigo, a mother of four from Cincinnati, Ohio,has shared her touching miscarriage story on Instagram by posting a picture of her post-baby body
Happy family: The mother-of-four who works as a birth photographer, Doula and bereavement support, has suffered six miscarriages
Self love: Emily says she loves her ‘stretch mark stomach’ and ‘deflated breasts’ and has never felt more feminine, sparking huge support on social media
She added: ‘And I’ve never loved myself more. I’ve never felt more feminine. Shaved head. Stretch mark stomach. Deflated breasts. Thighs that touch. Society does not defy me. My inner self does.’
Her children, all boys, are aged seven, three, two and one.
Hundreds of women have responded to the post, thanking Emily for sharing her story, with many deciding to share their own miscarriage and fertility issues.
Instagram user venusandthelunarchild wrote: ‘You are absolutely beautiful! You have been inspiring me every single day as a mother and as a woman! Thank you for all of this wonderful heart medicine!!’
A sentiment shared by maxinabird: ‘This is amazing Emily I️ should be brave enough to show mine and how I️ have taken on adjusting to my body! Thank you!!’
And alephantstudio wrote: ‘You are so beautiful. You are so inspiring. You are so strong. It’s refreshing! Thank you for inspiring me every day’.
The picture went viral after Jessica Zucker, the creator of the #IHadaMiscarriage campaign, posted it on her account.
Hands full: Emily’s four boys are seven, three, two and one
Support: Emily provides support to pregnant women or those who have just suffered a miscarriage on her website
Happy ever after: The mom-of-four shares candid pictures of her children online and also blogs about family life
There, erinsingalong wrote: ‘I don’t know you, but your words, beauty and power go straight to my heart. I have two boys.
‘One is my rainbow baby after two losses. Even after having a successful pregnancy after loss, it terrifies me still to ever try again. But I’m meant for more babies, I know it. Thank you for sharing.’
Another Instagram user wtf_lins agreed: ‘You are amazing. Growing a life is not an easy task. What we do as women is a beautiful blessing. I see beauty and raw strength.’
Frigo who also works in bereavement support, has shared more details of her journey on her website Wise + Wild.
There she wrote: ‘I am so, so sorry you have found yourself on this journey. Please know that you are not alone. I am here to honor you. I honor your baby. I honor your birth.’
She added: ‘In my own personal journey, I have experienced a stillbirth and five late term miscarriages.
‘Through these, I have learned so much about these difficult stories.’
On her blog, she has also shared how in March 2014, she gave birth to her son, Clayton, now aged three, after five miscarriages.
When Clayton was nearly six weeks old, Emily revealed he nearly died after falling unconscious at home.
However, because she is trained in neonatal resuscitation, she was able to save her baby boy’s life before an ambulance arrived and transported him to hospital.