Rebecca Adlington said she is “truly heartbroken” after suffering a late-stage miscarriage. The double Olympic gold medal swimmer found out about the devastating loss at a routine 20-week scan, sharing the news in a post on Instagram yesterday evening. “I don’t really have the words right now but unfortunately we went for our 20 week scan this week and they found no heartbeat. I gave birth to our angel, Harper on Friday at 7pm. We held her, and had time with her. We will forever love her and remember her always,” Adlington, 34, said. After thanking staff at Wythenshawe Hospital for their “kindness and care”, she added: “I don’t have the strength or words right now and don’t feel ready to share this news. However, I can’t pretend to be ok or fake a smile. I can’t have people ask me how pregnancy is or when I am due as I still look pregnant. I don’t have the strength to tell this news individually. “We are so truly heartbroken. Our beautiful girl. Rest in peace.” Adlington – who shares son Albie, two, with her husband Andy Parsons and has an eight-year-old daughter, Summer, from her previous marriage with Harry Needs – previously revealed she’d had a miscarriage 12 weeks into her pregnancy last August, resulting in emergency surgery. And as her Instagram post this week highlights, one of the many difficult things about losing a baby is telling other people. So, how can people respond supportively when a friend, relative or colleague shares news of a baby loss? Showing empathy “It’s about showing empathy as much as you possibly can, showing some form of understanding, and really just being there to listen to them,” Rochelle Love, a midwife working with baby loss charity Tommy’s, told the PA news agency. A late miscarriage is one which happens between 14-24 weeks of pregnancy, and is less common than early-stage miscarriage, occurring in an estimated 1-2% of pregnancies, Love explained. “We don’t always know why these miscarriages happen. They can be for a multitude of reasons, and the sad thing for expectant parents is that we may not always find a definite cause,” she added. “It may not necessarily be related to previous miscarriage.” Take care with ‘helpful’ comments Friends and family may try to comfort someone who’s lost a baby with well-meaning but sometimes way off-the-mark ‘helpful’ comments. Love said it’s crucial to be very careful about what you say. “I don’t think it’s ever up to us to make assumptions, and especially do not make comments like: ‘Don’t worry, you can have another baby’, ‘Don’t worry, you can try again’, or, ‘You were only 20 weeks pregnant’,” Love advised. “I think sometimes people just don’t know what else to say, so they make these throwaway comments, which are not necessarily the best things to say when someone’s grieving. It’s not up to us to say [these things] – how do you know, for example, that they can have another baby? Think about what you’re going to say before you speak to someone who’s had a loss.” Be mindful of terminology Remember this isn’t just a foetus to the grieving parents – it’s their child, and it can be very important to talk about it as such. Love said: “Address the baby as their baby, and if the baby has a name, then use it. Be very careful of the words you use.” Be there for them Instead of offering up platitudes, Love said it’s often better to just let people know you’re there if they need you. “Just let them know you’re there for them – you’re there if they want to speak, or if they just want to sit in silence – you’re available to be their support if and when they should need it,” she explained. Don’t forget their partner Love stresses that any kind of support needs to be extended to the partner as well. “Sometimes the partner is ignored and we just focus on the pregnant person, but the partner is the pregnant person’s closest support and they’ve also lost their baby and are also grieving,” she said. “I always advise anyone who’s had an unfortunate loss that if they decide to go for grief counselling, they should make their partner a part of that process as well, so they can go on that grief and healing journey together.” Remember everyone will grieve differently Loss and grief is experienced differently by everyone. “How I may grieve a pregnancy loss may be very different from how somebody else might grieve,” said Love – so it’s important to let people do things their way and at their own pace. Think about offering them helpIf you are close with them, offer practical help if you feel they may welcome it. Love said this could mean “getting someone’s groceries for them because they don’t feel they can face getting dressed and going out, or cleaning the house – anything at all could be very well received.” Tommy’s helpline is on 0800 014 7800 Read More What you need to know about new research into treating cervical cancer How to do Halloween make up and still take care of your skin Which houseplants best suit your star sign? 5 of the hottest new perfume launches for autumn/winter Consistent lack of sleep may increase risk of future depressive symptoms – study World Osteoporosis Day: The risk factors and early warning signs everyone needs to know about

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A mother who was diagnosed with skin cancer while pregnant during the first summer of the Covid-19 pandemic has urged Scots to “enjoy the warm weather safely”. Andrea Lambrou, of Newlands, Glasgow, was 36 weeks pregnant in July 2020 when doctors informed her she had malignant melanoma – the most serious form of skin cancer. Her diagnosis transformed what was previously one of the happiest and exciting times in her and husband Nicos’s lives into a nightmare. The remaining days of her pregnancy were spent in and out of hospital for appointments and treatment. After a 24-hour induction, 17 hours in the labour room and an emergency C-section, her son Leo was born prematurely on July 24. Lambrou, 39, first became alarmed when she noticed a dark freckle on her leg which appeared to have grown in size, and she was referred to the dermatology department at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. The mole was removed the same day, but a week later she was told she had cancer. She said: “I’ll never forget hearing those words – not ‘I’m sorry, you have cancer’, but what came next: ‘We have to get that baby out now.’ “I had no choice. It was just as well I didn’t have a birth plan as there was no time to get my head around anything.” Around four people in Scotland are diagnosed with malignant melanoma every day, which is about 1,400 people a year. UK-wide, the figure has reached a record high of 17,500 cases a year and the numbers are projected to increase by 50% over the next 20 years, according to cancer research. Lambrou’s cancer is now in remission and, alongside Cancer Research and Nivea Skin, she is encouraging people to take precautions to minimise the risk of getting skin cancer. She said: “I hope by sharing my story I can raise awareness about sun safety and about early detection. “After three major surgeries in the first six months of motherhood and a year-and-a-half of immunotherapy treatment, I showed clear scans and I continue to do so. “The positivity just shines from our little Leo. I couldn’t have asked for a happier, funnier, more beautiful smiley wee boy. “But there was trauma and tears when I was first given the news that I had skin cancer. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. “I hope I can encourage people to think about their sun habits and take precautions. “It’s so important, because almost nine in 10 melanoma cases each year in the UK could be prevented by being safe in the sun and using a combination of shade, clothing and sunscreen to avoid burning.” She recommends seeking shade between 11am and 3pm in the UK, when the sun’s UV rays are at their most harmful. She also suggests wearing clothes that cover the skin properly, such as long-sleeved tops, sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats. Sunscreen over SPF 15 is also recommended. The month after Leo’s birth, a large area of skin across Lambrou’s leg and knee was removed and she had a lymph node biopsy, which confirmed her cancer had spread. After starting immunotherapy, she noticed a marble-sized lump near her groin around Christmas 2020. In January 2021 she went through another operation to remove the lymph nodes in her groin area. She was also kept in hospital after developing cellulitis, a series skin infection. The mother said: “It hit me like a ton of bricks. I genuinely thought I was going to die.” But by Easter 2021, she was told she was cancer free. She said: “If you spot something on your skin that’s not right for you, get it checked out.” Beth Vincent, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “Melanoma skin cancer is the UK’s fifth most common cancer, so we’re grateful to Andrea for lending her voice to our campaign with Nivea Sun. “It’s important to remember the sun isn’t only strong abroad. Even on a cloudy day, it can be strong enough in Scotland – and across the UK – to burn between mid-March and mid-October.” Read More Woman exits plane after tirade about passenger who is ‘not real’: ‘Final Destination vibes’ Kevin Costner’s estranged wife slams ‘inappropriate’ $52k child support payment Florence Pugh makes return to Paris Fashion Week in transparent dress following last year’s uproar Warning as skin cancer cases reach record high Best sunscreen for your face 2023: Daily SPF protection, from sensitive to non-greasy formulas

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