Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook and his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan are expecting their first child. Zuckerberg shared the news in a Facebook post on Friday, July 31. Zuckerberg also shared their personal experience of struggling through three miscarriages over the past few years.
"You feel so hopeful when you learn you're going to have a child. You start imagining who they'll become and dreaming of hopes for their future. You start making plans, and then they're gone. It's a lonely experience," wrote 31-year-old Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg said that when he and Chan began talking about the miscarriages with their friends, they realized "how frequently this happened" and that many people went through the same struggles before having healthy children later on.
"Most people don't discuss miscarriages because you worry your problems will distance you or reflect upon you -- as if you're defective or did something to cause this. So you struggle on your own," continued Zuckerberg.
The CEO shared that discussing problems "doesn't distance us; it brings us together. It creates understanding and tolerance, and it gives us hope." Zuckerberg and Chan hope to give other parents the same hope they felt and hope to "help more people feel comfortable sharing their stories as well."
Zuckerberg and Chan are far enough along that the risk of a miscarriage is very low. They remain hopeful that Chan will give birth to a healthy daughter. Zuckerberg shared that he is very excited to meet their child and that in their ultrasound, their daughter gave him a "thumbs up "like" with her hand."
