OLIVIA Bowen admitted she felt “completely alone” before she spoke about her heartbreaking baby loss.
The TV star, 31, opened up to The Sun’s Fabulous magazine yesterday about finding out she was expecting twins before Christmas, but then learning she had lost one of the babies at eight weeks.
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Olivia has now taken to social media to thank her followers for their support – saying “thank you for trusting me with your stories”.
She posted a clip from her interview with Fabulous and captioned it: “I am quite literally blown away by the amount of messages from you guys going through the same or very similar situations as me.
“Vanishing twin syndrome is something I had never heard of, and it felt like I was completely alone.
“Thank you for trusting me with your stories and making me realise I am very much in a community of strong women.”
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In an incredibly emotional interview, Olivia shared her ordeal in order to help other women in a similar situation.
The star also took to social media yesterday, explaining to fans that she wanted to share her story to help others and to remember her baby.
In a lengthy captioned, she penned: “I’ve tried to write this in my head a thousand times & now it’s come to the time to actually write it, it’s so hard to put everything I’m feeling into one.
“There isn’t many words I can find to explain the emotions we’ve been carrying – but all I knew from the moment I found the strength to say it out loud was that I wanted to share our story to connect with parents out there, like us, who have been through the same heartbreak & pain.”
Olivia continued: “You’re not alone, even when it feels like you are the loneliest person in the world. And if by telling our story, it helps just one person to feel they can get through it too, that’s what matters.
“I couldn’t wrap my head around the happiness & joy I felt for having one safe healthy baby – I know how fortunate we are for that – but at the exact same time feeling the excruciating pain & trauma of losing their twin. It’s like the two couldn’t co exist.
“But I want anyone who is going through this to know that it is ok to feel every single emotion you need to feel, as that’s how you will start to heal. There are some incredible charities who are there to help too like @tommys & @sandscharity.
“The other reason we are sharing this is because we never want our sunset baby to be forgotten.
“You existed, you were loved & you were part of our family for a short while. And you are forever now a part of our story & we will never forget you. This is all in your honour baby.”
Olivia had experienced vanishing twin syndrome, which studies suggest happens in around 36% of twin pregnancies, and which doctors say is becoming more common due to the increase in IVF pregnancies, though theirs was a natural conception.
Olivia and Alex met on series two of Love Island in 2016 and have now been married for six years.
They welcomed their first child – a little boy called Abel – in June 2022.
What is vanishing twin syndrome?
VANISHING twin syndrome is a type of miscarriage that affects twin, triplet and multiple pregnancies.
It occurs in the early stages, when one of the foetuses stops developing and is absorbed by the mother’s body, or the surviving twin(s).
Because it happens so early on – typically within the first 12 weeks of gestation – many women don’t realise they are carrying more than one baby.
Symptoms can be very subtle, or non-existent, but can include: cramping, bleeding and pelvic pain.
It is usually detected through routine ultrasound examinations.
The exact cause is unknown. But vanishing twin syndrome is thought to affect around 30 per cent of twin or multiple pregnancies.
Women over the age of 30 are more likely to experience it, and experts say IVF has led to an increase in multiple pregnancies, and consequently, instances of vanishing twin syndrome.
If a twin is lost, the surviving foetus or foetuses typically continue to develop normally.
Source: London Pregnancy Clinic
