Kimberly Van Der Beek’s life-threatening miscarriage understandably took a toll on her both emotionally and physically.
The mother-of-four – who is married to Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek – recently revealed that she’s gained 35lbs since the devastating loss she suffered last November. On January 8th, Kimberly opened up to her Instagram, followers about how her body has changed since then. “With all the health effects of SO MUCH that has happened to my body in the last few months and the pregnancy (for clarification on the congrats I’m getting, the pregnancy ended in Nov[ember]), I am now 35 lbs more than my normal range of what’s heavy to me,” she wrote.
However, the celebrity mother used it as an opportunity to promote body positivity. “Guess what?! Love all your shapes en route to your best health!” she continued in the caption. “And love all of you en route to who you want to become, which is most certainly ever changing anyhow. #2020yeartoshine #bethebreath #loveitall.”
Kimberly and James married in 2010 and have five kids together – Olivia, 9, Joshua, 7, Annabel, 5, Emilia, 3, and Gwendolyn, 18 months. They initially announced they were expecting baby no. 6 in October of 2019 only to lose the pregnancy the following month. James addressed the heartbreaking news via Instagram, writing, “My wife, Kimberly, went through every expectant parent’s worst nightmare.”
This past December, BabyGaga reported that James gave his fans an update about how their family was processing the loss, explaining how it still felt raw. “Still in repair,” he captioned a selfie uploaded to Instagram. “Discovering that healing happens at its own pace. Not the pace you’d like, and definitely not the pace at which the world keeps on moving … But it happens. And there’s beauty in allowing yourself to be exactly where you’re at. (Plus, it’s not like you really have a choice, anyway.)”
According to Hello Motherhood, while many women lose weight following a miscarriage (especially if they were far along), it is also normal for women to struggle to lose weight. Similarly, some women gain weight. It’s important to take care of your emotional and physical well-being following the loss of a pregnancy. If your weight is fluctuating at an unhealthy weight or you want to begin losing weight, consult your doctor beforehand.