pregnancy

Travel blogger Tuula Vintage announces pregnancy in emotional and honest post.

Popular travel blogger Jessica Stein has today announced she is seven months pregnant, sharing an emotional and honest post with her 2.5 million Instagram followers.

Stein, better known for her Instagram name @tuulavintage, posted a black and white photo with her partner, writing about the struggles she’s faced in the last few months.

“I’ve always dreamed of being a mother, but never knew if I could be,” she wrote. “I experienced multiple pelvic and internal injuries after being hit by a car at 16 with ongoing pain and limitations, and was warned of what might never come to be.”

A post shared by Jessica Stein (@tuulavintage) on

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“I’ve always wanted to adopt… and my partner and I had been talking about it again just before this unexpected miracle happened,” she said. “With my personal history and high value of privacy I hope everyone can understand that I would not have shared this online if I didn’t feel the need to talk about the highs and lows that so many experience with challenging pregnancies.”

The Instagram star then opened up about her battle with antenatal depression, hoping that “speaking out might just help heal myself, and someone else too.”

But Stein’s mental health hasn’t been the only problem for the couple. “At our 20 week scan they noticed the lack of amniotic fluid that I had unknowingly been leaking due to my old bladder injury and was diagnosed with PPROM (broken waters),” she wrote. “With pre-labour symptoms and anticipating a very, very early arrival I was admitted to hospital in Sydney on bed rest once viable at 24 weeks.”

There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going. ????????????✨

A post shared by Jessica Stein (@tuulavintage) on

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The notoriously private blogger then said, “I don’t know the words to describe how hopeless I felt… not being able to control my own body, provide for my baby or see hope that we would make it through.”

“Despite my partner being a rock of support and positivity, I have found these last few months to be some of the loneliest of my life.”

Listen to the latest episode of This Glorious Mess, Mamamia’s parenting podcast. Post continues after audio. 

Now, Stein has been allowed home and her anxiety is easing. The couple are hoping to have a few more weeks to prepare until they meet their baby.

Stein’s fans have responded with thousands of messages of shock and support. Indeed, the blogger hid her pregnancy remarkably well. It’s unclear whether she’s been posting old photos in recent months, or whether she’s just been very clever with taking photos from behind, so as not to show her growing bump.

Either way, we’re hoping Stein’s struggles are behind her.

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