baby

Rory and Belinda Sloane have welcomed a baby boy. His name is a tribute to the son they lost.

If you have experienced pregnancy loss, support is available 24/7 through Sands. Call 1300 072 637.

AFL player Rory Sloane and his wife, Belinda, have welcomed a baby boy.

On Thursday, the Adelaide Crows captain shared the news to his Instagram, alongside some beautiful family photos.

"Welcome little man. Bodhi Leo Sloane. We are all going to have some fun together!" he wrote.

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Belinda shared some snaps of her own.

"Welcome to the world Bodhi Leo Sloane. The perfect third addition to our little boys club," she captioned her photos.

Bodhi Leo Sloane is the couple's third son together after they welcomed Sonny Leo Sloane in September 2019. Both children share the same middle name.

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In August 2018, their older brother Leo Rory Sloane was born sleeping, so both boys share Leo as their middle name in remembrance.

After Sonny was born, Rory explained the significance of his name on Triple M.

"We’ve loved Sonny as a name for a long time… we actually had that penned in for Leo if things were different," Rory said.

"It was really fitting for him coming out a year later… his middle name couldn’t be anything other than Leo," he continued. "Sonny will definitely know about his big brother."

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When Belinda was pregnant with Leo, she had a sense that something wasn't right at 34 weeks. 

"We got home, had dinner, got into bed, I said to Rory 'I don’t think this is right… I haven’t felt movement today'," she said.

Then they went to the hospital for an ultrasound.

"I said to her (the midwife) 'there’s not a heartbeat is there' and she just said 'no, unfortunately there’s no heartbeat'," she said. 

"And I can’t even really remember the moments that followed to be honest. I couldn’t cry, I was just in complete shock."

Leo was stillborn on Friday, 24 August 2018. 

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"I certainly never thought I could feel so much love. I just wanted to change the outcome so badly," Rory said. "He was perfect… He looked like a perfectly healthy baby, but he’s not breathing.

"I remember looking across and Belinda holding her little son in her arms, and him obviously being lifeless. It’s so hard to explain, but the joy on Belinda’s face but also matched with the sorrow was… it was heartbreaking."

"It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that he’s there,” Belinda added, “and everyone is telling you everything was perfect with him, but we still can’t take him home."

In 2019, a year after losing Leo, the couple partnered with Red Nose to start Lion Warrior, a campaign that aims to raise funds for vital research into stillbirth.

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"If we can help families and prevent stillbirth from happening, or if they are unfortunate enough to go through a stillbirth, and we can provide them with a little bit of comfort and guidance, then that would be an unbelievable legacy for Leo," Rory said in the campaign video.

To donate to Lion Warrior and help fund vital and potentially life-saving research, visit the Red Nose website.

SANDS support line: 1300 072 637

Feature image: Instagram/@bel_sloane @rorysloane