Michelle Battersby opens up about two abortions and why she’s now ready for a baby

Michelle Battersby, the woman who helped launch Bumble in Australia, was terrified of what having children would do to her career — so she had two abortions. Listen to her story.

Michelle Battersby admits she put her “blood, sweat and tears” into Bumble when she helped launch the dating app in Australia from 2016.

She said her career at Bumble essentially became her identity at the time and when she fell pregnant twice, she made the difficult decision to have abortions.

The now 32-year-old — who moved on from Bumble in 2019 and has since co-founded a tech start-up Sunroom — is now pregnant and says she finally feels ready to have a baby.

“I’d actually fallen pregnant twice, probably at 27 and 28, both with Bill (her partner, rugby union player Bill Meakes). I’d been so sure of myself in those moments that I just couldn’t do this, that I couldn’t have both these things at once,” Battersby tells Phoebe Burgess in her Vogue Australia podcast called Under the Gloss.

She said even looking back on it now, she doesn’t feel regret and even when she discovered she was pregnant again, she was terrified.

Michelle Battersby talks about her pregnancy journey. Picture: Jeremy Piper

She decided to voice her fears and concerns in a baby announcement like no other — she publicly announced her pregnancy with a video diary that documented her terror at falling pregnant, and also wrote about her past two abortions.

“I don’t think women need to feel shameful for putting themselves and something that they’re really focused on at that time, ahead of something else,” Battersby said.

Listen to the full podcast here:

Listen to the full interview with Michelle Battersby on Under the Gloss with Phoebe Burgess with Apple Podcasts.

Under The Gloss with Phoebe Burgess

Under The Gloss doesn’t just scratch the surface, we go deep into conversations you didn’t know you needed to hear.

Phoebe Burgess unpacks everything from sex, relationships, cancel culture and social media through the lens of honest and compelling conversations with experts, celebs and brave people with a story to share. No topic is off limits: if you’re Googling it or sharing it in your DM’s, Under The Gloss is talking about it.

Originally published as Michelle Battersby opens up about two abortions and why she’s now ready for a baby