Hilarie Burton has opened up about the fertility struggle she faced before welcoming her rainbow baby, in a bid to help other struggling couples.
Her husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan - who played Denny Duquette in the hit TV show Grey's Anatomy - revealed last week that they had welcomed their second child.
Now, a few weeks after becoming a mum for the second time, the One Tree Hill star shared the first picture of her baby girl - who they named George Virginia - alongside an honest account of her fertility heartbreak.
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Dedicating the post to all 'the women out there who are trying' for a baby, the mum opened up about the miscarriages she suffered before welcoming her daughter. 'It took a long time for Jeffrey and I to have this baby. The first time I got pregnant, it took a year and a half. I surprised him on Christmas with baby Seahawk booties. We cried. We celebrated. We picked out names. And we lost that baby', she wrote.
'More losses followed, and as so many couples know, it was heartbreaking. It still is heartbreaking.
'And every morning of the five years it took us, I'd open my computer at the kitchen table and see the news and I'd grow bitter over the endless parade of celebrities showing off their bumps and babies. I'd weep out of jealousy for how easy it was for them.
'Didn't they know something could go wrong? Didn't they know that there were other women out there struggling?'
Hilarie went on to say that after getting pregnant with George, they were 'cautious' and didn't want to celebrate because they were afraid of 'jinxing' it.
'So when this pregnancy started, we were cautious. I didn't want to celebrate for fear of jinxing it. I didn't want a baby shower. I checked her heartbeat every day, up until the day she was born. And now that she is here, I just stare at her in wonder all day.'
The mum-of-two also explained that doesn't want her birth to make other women feel like she did, which is why she shared her story and hopes it will 'restore hope' for anyone struggling to conceive.
'So now that folks know she's here, I don't want her birth to cause any other woman to weep at her kitchen table. If anything, my wish is that she would restore hope for others. Fertility is a fickle thing. And for the other couples out there who have had dark days, we want to introduce our miracle baby to you and send you our love and support in finding yours.'
