Former ‘Home And Away’ actor Mark Furze and wife Laural have told their social media followers of the “incredibly difficult” period in their lives after recently learning of Laural’s miscarriage.
In an Instagram post shared on Monday morning, Mark shared a photo of the couple at hospital and acknowledged his wife’s “courageous” decision to speak about their heartache.
“Been riding a rough wave recently. My courageous wife Laural says it beautifully below. I love you Lollie, I’m so proud of you,” he wrote.
The caption below that was copied over from Laural’s Instagram account, in which she said the couple had planned to announce their pregnancy this week at the 10-week mark, however an ultrasound last week indicated a “missed miscarriage”.
“It’s difficult to open up and post the hard stuff on social media but it doesn’t feel right only posting the good,” she wrote.
“At my ultrasound we found out the sad news the pregnancy isn’t viable and I’ve had what’s called a missed miscarriage where my body still thinks it’s pregnant but the fetus hasn’t progressed.
“I’m currently at the hospital waiting to have a D&C procedure to help my body along with the process,” she added, referring to a dilation and curettage procedure involving tissue removal from inside the uterus.
Laural said she wanted to share this as “pregnancy loss isn’t talked about much” despite how common it is. In Australia 1 in 4 pregnancies end before 10 weeks in miscarriage.
“I wanted to share this because it doesn’t feel right just pretending this huge life event hasn’t happened to us. I want to respect it and be open about it,” she wrote.
“Women should feel more comfortable to talk about pregnancy loss and that’s another reason I felt compelled to share my story.”
Mark, who was known for playing Ric Dalby on ‘Home And Away’ from 2004 to 2008, married Laural in 2007.
He was most recently on ‘The Voice Australia’ earlier this year.
If you or someone you know is showing symptoms of bleeding early into their pregnancy, see a doctor or visit your nearest emergency hospital.
If you are affected by the loss of a baby, SANDS Australia offers support through local support groups and a 24/7 phone line on 1300 072 367.