Why Libby Trickett can now feel 'grateful' for her miscarriage.

It’s one of the most devastating sentences a woman can hear.

“Your baby has no heartbeat.”

But for Libby Trickett, it wasn’t all sorrow and grief (although that certainly consumed her for a long time.)

Instead of letting the miscarriage of her first baby break her, the Olympic swimmer learned a valuable lesson from her loss. And she says she is grateful for that.

Listen: Libby talks about the experience on the I Don’t Know How She Does It podcast.

Libby lost her baby two years ago in the eighth week of her pregnancy.

“It was a very early miscarriage but you still feel sadness,” she says.

Suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, the 32-year-old always knew she might have trouble getting pregnant, but the miscarriage itself came as a shock.

Fortunately, she had joy in her future, with the birth of her now eight-month-old daughter Poppy just a year away. But first, she had to make it through the sadness.

It’s sometimes hard to put into words what motherhood is. Yes, it’s joyful. Yes, it’s a blessing. Yes, it is without a doubt an absolute miracle. But it’s also hard and lonely. It can be isolating and bone achingly tiring. I found the transition to motherhood tough. Hell, I still can find it bloody tough at times 19 months in but I wanted to share my story in case it helps another mother out there that might be finding things hard right now. Check out the @mamamiaaus podcast by @alissawarren. Link in bio. And mum’s, out there, just remember you are not alone!! If you’re having a tough time, reach out for help. We are all just trying to do our best xx

A post shared by Libby (@libby_trickett) on Apr 17, 2017 at 4:46am PDT

“Motherhood really does start with pregnancy,” Libby says.

“You immediately feel that protection over that little being, even though they’re a little seed at that point, they’re no more than a little heartbeat.

“We saw that heartbeat and I immediately starting fantasising and imagining what they might become. I didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl. I didn’t know whether they would have blonde hair or be a brunette like Poppy is. But you start to dream and to imagine what this person, this little being, might become.

“I think that really shocked me, how attached I became,” she tells Alissa Warren.

A post shared by Libby (@libby_trickett) on Dec 11, 2016 at 2:23am PST

Looking back on the experience, Libby says once she had enough time to heal, she was grateful for it.

“Because I am so grateful that I have Poppy now and for any future babies that we might have all we want is a healthy, happy baby.

“So many women go through it and we feel like it’s our fault and we feel like it’s our bodies failing on some level but in reality it’s not. That little being just wasn’t meant to be for some reason,” she said.

It’s a beautiful sentiment from a beautiful mother.

You can download Never Forgotten: Stories of love, loss and healing after miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death for free here.

Join the community of women, men and families who have lost a child in our private Facebook group.

Listen to the full episode of I Don't Know How She Does It with Libby Trickett here:

You can buy any book mentioned on our podcasts from iBooks at apple.co/mamamia, where you can also subscribe to all our other shows in one place.