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Kellie Gerardi is opening up about experiencing pregnancy loss.
The astronaut, 36, who has been documenting her in vitro fertilization journey on social media, received unexpected news during her last ultrasound checkup. In a TikTok, she recorded herself before the appointment, as she fiddled with her chain and crossed her fingers in front of the camera. When she returned after an hour, she was in tears as she delivered the difficult news that she lost her baby.
“This is not the update that I wanted to give. I was supposed to graduate from my IVF clinic today, but during that final ultrasound, there was no heartbeat,” she said, holding back her tears. “So, I must have lost the pregnancy over the last two days, but my body doesn’t know it yet.”
“I have to get a D&C [dilation and curettage] at the beginning of the week,” she continued, acknowledging that she committed to giving her followers real-time updates during this journey and admitting that she wanted to continue to be transparent. “I don’t have anything else to say. This is me un-announcing the pregnancy.”
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“Completely shocked and horrified and sorry to have to share this update after the miraculous joy of the past 8 weeks,” she wrote in the caption. “My heart is shattered. 
. ”
Gerardi first shared that she was expecting another baby with her husband Steven Baumruk on Instagram on Feb. 1, smiling as she held up a picture of her sonogram. The next day, the astronaut posted a TikTok showing clips throughout her seven years dealing with secondary infertility. In the videos, she showed herself before, during and after her IVF journey, concluding with her finding out she was expecting.
“But here we are, somewhat miraculously, after seven years of secondary infertility, filled with hope that this one single healthy embryo continues to defy the odds. ” she wrote in the caption.
Gerardi tied the knot with her husband in 2015. The two share one daughter Delta V., 7, who they welcomed in November 2017. The mom has spoken openly about balancing her career with motherhood. In an interview with Disrupshion Magazine in January, she shared that she “didn’t lose my identity with pregnancy.”
“Becoming Delta’s mom only made my dreams bolder and my sense of purpose deeper,” she shared with the outlet. “I want to reassure young women that they don’t have to choose between career and family. You can have both.”
The astronaut is preparing to head into space again in 2026. The upcoming flight, which is led by Virgin Galactic, will expand on the research mission from her November 2023 flight. Dr. Shawna Pandya and Dr. Norah Patten will be joining Gerardi, making the expedition have an all-female science team.
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