Chrissy Teigen opens up about her high risk pregnancy: ‘I am devastated’

In an early-morning tweet, Chrissy Teigen shared that she is postponing the release of her next cookbook indefinitely, due to complications from her high-risk pregnancy.

Teigen’s first books, Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat: A Cookbook and Cravings: Hungry for More: A Cookbook, are cult favorites. Everyone was looking forward to the next in the series, so disappointment abounds—but no one feels it more than Teigen. She wrote simply, “Baby cannot do it. I am devastated.”

Teigen has been vocal about the difficulties of her current pregnancy. Concerns with her placenta (the organ responsible for providing the baby with nutrients and oxygen) have led to her diagnosis of a high-risk pregnancy, and the subsequent recommendation for bed rest.

She wrote, “Lord it’s kind of crappier than it sounds. On punishment for saying the first two pregnancies were easy peasy.”

Teigen is not the only celebrity who has had to derail plans due to high-risk pregnancies. Ayesha Curry, Kate Middleton and Amy Shumer suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition involving severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Kim Kardashian West had placenta accreta, a condition where the placenta grows into the uterine wall. Beyoncé had preeclampsia, a condition of dangerously high blood pressures and accompanied by liver or kidney illness.

These amazing women help us remember that high-risk pregnancies can happen to anyone; and that they are really hard to deal with. High-risk pregnancies often mean more medical visits and testing, which can be stressful and time-consuming. The toll of the worry is also significant.

And, as these celebrity mamas have shown us, many women with high risk have to make significant lifestyle changes to try to stay as healthy as possible, including changes that may affect or even derail their careers, as Teigen’s case illustrates.

Not surprisingly, women with high-risk pregnancies are at a higher risk of experiencing prenatal depression. That is, in part, because these pregnancies are so stressful. Mamas at high risk are worried about every little thing they do (or don’t do) and sometimes the best advice medical providers have is to scratch some things off the to-do list. It can be devastating for women and pregnant people who are used to doing a lot, like Teigen (who hosts multiple TV shows, homeschools her kids and has a line of cookware in addition to her cookbook gig) but it can help.

If your provider asks you to slow things down during a high-risk pregnancy and you’re feeling as devastated as Tiegen is, don’t be afraid to ask for a mental health referral as well. It can be tough to take it easy in a society that values hustle culture above all else, but you can do this, mama. You just might need some emotional support while you slow down.