Gretel Bueta announces birth of second son following a miscarriage last year

Diamonds and Firebirds star Gretel Bueta has welcomed a second child into the world, following the heartache of her miscarriage last year.

The heartache that Gretel Bueta experienced less than a year ago could not be more different to the joy the netball star is facing today after giving birth to a second son, Toby.

Bueta, who suffered a miscarriage last year before bravely revealing the loss publicly – in part to help battle the stigma that still surrounds talking about losing a baby – posted about the birth to her social media accounts on Sunday night, welcoming Toby Anthony into the world.

The “precious little boy” is a second son for Bueta and husband Niko, and a younger brother for Bobby, now two-and-a-half.

The post brought congratulations flooding in from her Firebirds and Diamonds family as well as netball and sporting stars keen to share their love for one of the sport‘s most popular players.

Queensland Firebirds and Aussie Diamonds netball star Bueta stepped down from national duties last year after becoming pregnant before announcing last November she had suffered a miscarriage.

Bueta shared the news to her Instagram page, with a video of Bobby with a butterfly on his rash shirt: “carried for only a short time but loved for a lifetime. #miscarriage”

She revealed to Code Insight earlier this year that dealing with her own loss had opened her eyes to how common miscarriage was and hoped that by sharing her own story, she would be able to help others.

“The stories that I got back were really incredible,” she said.

“Little things, where you go: ‘I actually had no idea what you went through until we were discussing this topic’.

“That made it special for me to hear that it's being discussed more and women don’t feel as alone in that time.”

Bueta stepped down from the 2023 Super Netball season after falling pregnant again and gave birth to Toby just days after her former Diamonds teammates won the World Cup in South Africa.

Bueta had been a key member of the Diamonds’ gold medal-winning campaign at the Commonwealth Games last year and her World Cup absence was thought by some to be an impediment to success in South Africa.

However, the Diamonds showed their depth and class, with goaler Sophie Garbin stepping up to the plate to fill Bueta’s shoes in Cape Town with a stunning performance in the final.

The biggest question the question that remains now is whether Bueta, who returned from maternity leave to play for the Firebirds when her first son was just four months old, will play again, take a sabbatical from the game, or even decide to retire.

Just turned 30, the woman widely regarded as the best goal attack in the world after the Commonwealth Games last year has plenty left to give the sport but family remains a key priority and it would not surprise if she decided to walk away.

Originally published as Gretel Bueta announces birth of second son following a miscarriage last year