One mum's journey: 'For those that thought I was weirdly quiet about my pregnancy, now you know why'
If you know someone who has done something inspirational or you have your own story that you would like to see featured in our Mums Who Inspire series, email mary.byrne@sheologydigital.com and we'll be in touch.
As part of our series this week, we have mum-of-two Sara Walsh, who endured three miscarriages before opting for IVF.
Sara, who is now mum to gorgeous twins, took to Instagram to share her story, to explain why she was "weirdly quiet" about her pregnancy.
The road down a dark path began while hosting Sportscenter on the road from Alabama.
I arrived in Tuscaloosa almost three months pregnant. I wouldn't return the same way. The juxtaposition of college kids going nuts behind our set, while I was losing a baby on it, was surreal.
I was scared, nobody knew I was pregnant, so I did the show while having a miscarriage. On television. My husband had to watch this unfold from more than a thousand miles away, texting me hospital options during commercial breaks.
It would get worse. Two more failed pregnancies. More than once, I'd have surgery one day and be on SportsCenter the next so as not to draw attention to my situation. We then went down the IVF road of endless shots and procedures.
After several rounds, we could only salvage two eggs. I refused to even use them for a long time because I couldn't bear the idea of all hope being gone. I blew off pregnancy tests, scared to know if it worked.
It had. Times two.
It was exciting news, but we knew better than to celebrate. So I spent a third straight football season pregnant, strategically picking out clothes and standing at certain angles, using scripts to hide my stomach.
There would be no baby announcement, no shower, we didn't buy a single thing in preparation for the babies because I wasn't sure they'd show up.
We told very few people we were pregnant, and almost no one there were two. For those that thought I was weirdly quiet about my pregnancy, now you know why.
For as long as I can remember I hosted Sportscenter on Mother's Day, and the last couple years doing that have been personally brutal.
An hour-long reminder of everything that had gone wrong.
I wasn't on TV today, and I'm not sure when I will be again, but instead, I got to hang with these two good eggs. My ONLY good eggs.
And I know how lucky I really am.
Our Mums Who Inspire series celebrates all mamas who are doing/ have done something truly remarkable; whether it’s caring for a sick child, showing resilience during tough times, helping people in their community or simply making a difference in the life of someone else, we want to give them the recognition they deserve.