Carrie Underwood, who rose to stardom after winning the fourth season of American Idol, recently shared about her devastating experience of three consecutive miscarriages. Underwood married National Hockey League player Mike Fisher in 2010, and the couple welcomed son Isaiah in 2015.
Last month, Underwood announced in an Instagram video that she was expecting her second baby. Her latest album, “Cry Pretty,” was released in September, and Underwood said in the video that having a new album and a baby on the way was “a dream come true.”
Recently, Underwood shared more of the story and opened up to CBS Sunday Morning about the struggles behind her seemingly perfect life. Underwood told interviewer Tracy Smith, “I’d kind of planned that 2017 was, you know, going to be the year that I work on new music, and I have a baby. We got pregnant early 2017, and didn’t work out.” Underwood continued,
And that was the thing, in the beginning it was like, ‘Okay, God, we know this is, just wasn’t Your timing. And that is all right. We will bounce back and figure our way through it.’ And got pregnant again in the spring, and it didn’t work out.
Got pregnant again, early 2018. Didn’t work out. So, at that point, it was just kind of like, ‘Okay, like, what’s the deal? What is all of this?’
Three consecutive miscarriages and the loss of three preborn babies left Underwood devastated. Writing for Live Action, Nany Flanders notes, “Many women who suffer recurrent miscarriages believe they will never carry a baby to term again.” Miscarriages are much more common than most people realize, with the tragedy affecting about 10-20% of pregnant mothers. Flanders explains, “About five percent of women suffer from two miscarriages, and only one percent suffer three or more. While each is a significant loss, multiple miscarriages can cause depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.”
The agonizing experience of so many tragedies took place while Underwood continued to work, making public appearances and interviews while hiding her pain. This difficulty of that time inspired Underwood’s writing and appears in lyrics to the title track of her new album.
Later in 2018, Underwood became pregnant again and assumed she would suffer yet another tragic loss. But, Underwood says, God answered her prayers. In an interview, she said,
And for the first time, I feel like I actually I told God how I felt. And I feel, like, we’re supposed to do that. That was like a Saturday – and the Monday I went to the doctor to, like, confirm, another miscarriage. And they told me everything was great!
And I was like, ‘You heard me.’ Not that He hasn’t in the past. But maybe, I don’t know, He heard me.
Underwood’s courageous sharing of her painful journey has inspired others. Fellow-American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson praised Underwood for sharing her story, saying that talking about miscarriage “makes women that feel inferior, or feel like something’s wrong with them, it makes them feel comfortable, and that that people go through it.”
Fans have greeted news of Underwood’s current pregnancy with joy. An appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon took a surprisingly Pro-Life turn. Fallon announced after discussing Underwood’s upcoming album, “I think even bigger, cooler news — there’s a new baby on the way!” Fallon then talked to Underwood’s pregnant belly, saying, “Hi baby, it’s Jimmy. How are you?” excitedly to audience cheers.
When women share their stories of miscarriage and pregnancy, there is no denying the humanity of the preborn. Mothers deserve support in grieving children they have lost and deserve support in their joy when expecting a baby. Congratulations to Underwood on her growing family. Sharing her story so vulnerably is a testament to the sanctity of human Life.