Chrissy Teigen opens up about why she shared baby loss photos

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend lost their son at 20 weeks. Credit: AP

Chrissy Teigen has opened up about the loss of her baby and explained why she wanted pictures from her devastating time in hospital.

The TV personality and cookbook author announced she and husband John Legend had lost their son, a boy named Jack, late last month.

Ms Teigen was praised for sharing heart-rending photographs from the hospital, including one showing her and Legend saying goodbye to the baby.

In a candid new blog post, Ms Teigen, 34, said Jack was delivered at 20 weeks and addressed critics who questioned why she took photographs at such a painful moment.

Ms Teigen wrote: “I cannot express how little I care that you hate the photos. How little I care that it’s something you wouldn’t have done.

“I lived it, I chose to do it, and more than anything, these photos aren’t for anyone but the people who have lived this or are curious enough to wonder what something like this is like.

"These photos are only for the people who need them.

"The thoughts of others do not matter to me.”

She went into detail about why she felt she needed to take images of the miscarriage

She said: “I had asked my mom and John to take pictures, no matter how uncomfortable it was.

"I explained to a very hesitant John that I needed them, and that I did NOT want to have to ever ask.

"That he just had to do it. He hated it. I could tell. It didn’t make sense to him at the time.”

Ms Teigen, who has a four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son with Mr Legend, added: “But I knew I needed to know of this moment forever, the same way I needed to remember us kissing at the end of the aisle, the same way I needed to remember our tears of joy after Luna and Miles. And I absolutely knew I needed to share this story.”

Ms Teigen had suffered heavy bleeding during her pregnancy and had been put on bed rest by doctors.

She said she spent a “couple nights” at the hospital when doctors told her it was time to say goodbye to Jack, warning she may not survive the pregnancy if it continued.

She said she realised then it was “time to let go.”

Ms Teigen said: “I cried a little at first, then went into full blown convulsions of snot and tears, my breath not able to catch up with my own incredibly deep sadness.

"Even as I write this now, I can feel the pain all over again. Oxygen was placed over my nose and mouth, and that was the first picture you saw. Utter and complete sadness.”

Recalling the moments following Jack’s delivery, Ms Teigen wrote: “I asked the nurses to show me his hands and feet and I kissed them over and over and over again. I have no idea when I stopped. It could have been 10 minutes or an hour.

“I dunno how long he had been waiting to be delivered for. That will probably always haunt me. Just writing it makes my nose and eyes tingle with tears.

"All I know now is his ashes are in a small box, waiting to be put into the soil of a tree in our new home, the one we got with his room in mind.”

Ms Teigen, who tied the knot with multi-award-winning singer Mr Legend in 2013, thanked fans for their outpouring of support, saying the “moments of kindness have been nothing short of beautiful”.

She also asked others to share their stories of similar experiences and called for people to “be kind to those pouring their hearts out”.

Ms Teigen said: “I went to a store where the checkout lady quietly added flowers to my cart. Sometimes people will approach me with a note.

"The worst part is knowing there are so many women that won’t get these quiet moments of joy from strangers.

"I beg you to please share your stories and to please be kind to those pouring their hearts out. Be kind in general, as some won’t pour them out at all.”