Former First Lady Michelle Obama has shared her harrowing experience of miscarriage and how she had to turn to IVF to conceive her two daughters during an emotional television interview.
Speaking on American talk show Good Morning America, the 54-year-old explained she felt like a failure after suffering a miscarriage 20 years ago.
Barack Obama’s wife expressed concern that miscarriage is not a commonly talked about issue and that young mothers need to know they are not alone.
“I felt like I failed because I didn’t know how common miscarriages were because we don’t talk about them,” she told the host. “We sit in our pain, thinking that somehow we’re broken.”
The mother-of-two went on how they had to turn to IVF to conceive the now 17-year-old Sasha and 20-year-old Malia as “egg production is limited”.
The stories are just some of those shared in the former lawyer’s tell-all memoir on motherhood, titled Becoming.
Michelle and her husband are one of the most famous couples in the world, having been catapulted into the limelight when Barack was elected as the 44th president of the United States in 2008.
But despite their high profile lifestyles, the Obamas have proved time after time that they are just like any other couple.
Last month the former president, 57, shared a heartwarming tribute to his wife in honour of their 26th wedding anniversary.
“Happy anniversary Michelle Obama,” he wrote on Twitter. “For 26 years, you’ve been an extraordinary partner, someone who can always make me laugh, and my favorite person to see the world with.” [sic]
The sweet message delighted fans of the pair, who tied the knot in 1992 and share daughters Malia and Sasha together, as it received more than 200,000 likes within the first hour.
Michelle, nee Robinson, then responded with her own love-filled message for Barack, praising her husband for his love and trust throughout their relationship.
The former First Lady wrote: “Thank you @barackobama for 26+ years of love, trust, and respect – for being a man who always lifts up and honors me and our wonderful girls. Each day I’m with you, I’m reminded of what a treasure you truly are to us all.”
Barack and Michelle met, aged 28 and 25 respectively, met at law firm Sidley Austin LLP after Michelle was assigned to mentor her future husband, and the pair began dating in 1989. They said ‘I do’ on October 3, 1992.