Studio 10’s Sarah Harris on pregnancy complications: ‘I nearly lost him’

SARAH Harris has opened up on air about complications she faced early on in her pregnancy, revealing she nearly lost her baby.

SARAH Harris opened up on air this morning about complications she faced early on in her pregnancy, revealing that she nearly lost her baby boy.

The Studio 10 host, who is expecting her first child in just two weeks, took a moment to thank her co-hosts, the Channel 10 team and Studio 10 viewers for their support throughout her pregnancy, admitting the first 14 weeks were “really, really scary”.

“The past nine months have been such an incredible and amazing ride for me, there have been heaps and heaps of highs but also a lot of lows and what many of you don’t know is that early on I nearly lost my little man,” the 34-year-old said on air this morning, explaining her absence from the TV Week Logie Awards in May.

“I had some complications that made those first 14 weeks, really, really scary.

“But what helped me get through it was the enormous support and love that I received, not just from my wonderful, wonderful panel and my team around me but from the extended Studio 10 family.

“And to everyone who has sent me letters and cards and knitted cardigans and handmade blankets and booties, I just want to say ‘thank you, you have made things so beautiful for me and I feel so really and truly blessed’.”

After the show, the popular TV personality spoke about why she decided to be so open with Aussie viewers throughout her pregnancy.

“I had a pretty rough start at the start of the pregnancy,” she told news.com.au. “I had a few complications and I almost lost him and, for me, I felt like I wanted to share that today because I’ve had such a beautiful response from people … and they’ve got me through it.

“I wanted to explain why that meant so much to me.”

Sarah Harris is due to give birth in just two weeks.

Harris and her husband Tom Ward announced they were expecting their first bub together in July, with the TV host revealing the exciting news on air. Since then, she’s divulged the baby’s sex, shared an ultrasound, and even issued a resounding “get stuffed” to the body shammers — all live on air. And we’ve loved every minute of it.

“Back in the day, pregnant women had to hide away; they had to hide their bumps and their bodies under big billowing tents and it’s almost like these women were treated as though they were sick, like there was something wrong with them,” Harris said.

“And I think now, it has just become so normalised. We’ve had so many women before me that just get on and do their jobs. I think it’s been a really good thing, especially women in media.

“Just to talk about it like it’s a normal thing. Our show is about talking about our daily lives and what’s important to us or what’s driving us insane at that particular time or what’s driving us insane on that particular day.”

Admitting she did, at times, question how much of her personal life she was sharing with the world, Harris added: “I’ve just found that being honest about it and showing my vulnerabilities at times has been really positive. I’ve had a really good response from other women because I think … by sharing it, it normalises it. People go, ‘Oh it’s not just me that feels like a big frump or has swollen ankles, or is not having the most perfect pregnancy around’.

“I don’t feel so bad about myself because it’s normal, other people have problems as well, so that’s been really good.”

Sarah was treated to a surprised baby shower on Studio 10.

While she loves her day job, Harris said she doesn’t feel the pressure to return to her role behind the desk on Ten’s morning show within a specific time frame in 2016.

“I’m going to play it by ear a little bit; I’m going to take a few months for sure,” she said.

“I don’t know how I’m going to react. I love my job, I love my work, I imagine that I’ll be itching to get back [to work], but who knows, I’ve got no idea. I’m going to wing it.”

Acknowledging that she’s lucky to be in such a child-friendly job, Harris added: “I look at [pregnant] women who are on their feet all day in their roles and working 10- to 12-hour days and I think they deserve a friggin medal. I don’t know how they do it.”

Studio 10 hosted a baby shower for Harris today, surprising the mum-to-be with an audience full of pregnant women from the Raise Foundation. More than $60,000 worth of prizes were given out to thank everyone for their support throughout her pregnancy.

Best of luck to Sarah in the coming weeks. With just one day left on air before going on maternity leave (next Friday), she’s got her fingers and toes crossed that she doesn’t go into labour on live television on her very last day.

Sarah Harris says she’s been overwhelmed by all of the support from Studio 10 viewers.