During a segment about baby loss on Loose Women, Nadia Sawalha joined co-hosts Andrea McLean, Coleen Nolan and Jane Moore for a discussion about the heartbreaking topic of baby organ donation.
Revealing that she had suffered three tragic miscarriages before giving birth to her eldest daughter Maddy, the 51-year-old admitted that she didn’t know whether or not she would be able to continue carrying a baby if she knew it wouldn't survive when born.
The former EastEnders star, who played Annie Palmer in the BBC One soap, added; “I remember when I had my third miscarriage and I actually had it at home and delivered it, and all of that.
“I was not right in my head. I don't know what would have happened if somebody had come and asked me at that point.”
She continued: “And you know I actually kept the foetus in the freezer.”
Despite gasps from the audience, Nadia explained her mindset at the time, saying: “I didn't want it to go anywhere, there's this connection and I wasn't ready to let go.
“It was four and a half months, only this big, but it's that connection. That lioness thing comes out.”
Nadia, who has daughters Maddy, 13, and Kiki-Bee, 8, with her husband Mark, has previously spoken up about her pregnancy struggles on Loose Women.
Revealing that she wants to break the taboo around baby loss, Nadia said: “If we actually think about it, what is the reason that we don't tell people?
“A lot of the time it is superstition, if we tell people something will happen.”
She added: “It's really difficult to have that conversation, I got enormous support after I had my second one and my third one which was the hardest of all because it was much later on and I had to go through a birth.”
Miscarriage is most likely to happen during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, while a 'late' miscarriage, which is much less common, may occur between weeks 13 to 24 of pregnancy. After 24 weeks, the delivery of a baby who has died in the womb is referred to as a stillbirth.
The majority of miscarriages happen during the first few weeks of pregnancy, which means that women often haven’t told anyone that they are pregnant yet - and can force them into feeling as if they cannot speak about their loss.
However, as Nadia pointed out on Loose Women, the taboo surrounding baby loss needs to be lifted - and women need to be given the chance to speak about their loss, as well as the information they need to identify miscarriage or stillbirth symptoms.
Miscarriage symptoms that pregnant women should never ignore
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Cramps - particularly heavy cramping around the pelvic region
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Bleeding
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Pain in the abdomen, lower back or pelvic region
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Blood clots
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Changed movement from the foetus
Contact your doctor immediately if you begin to suffer any of the above symptoms.
Visit Count The Kicks for more information on monitoring your unborn baby’s movements.
Visit Tommy’s for more information on miscarriage or stillbirth symptoms.