Beyonce learned to 'mother herself' after suffering multiple miscarriages

Beyoncé has spoken about suffering multiple miscarriages – and how it “taught [her] lessons”.

The 38-year-old singer and entrepreneur is married to American rapper Jay-Z, 50, and is mother to the couple’s three children: daughter Blue Ivy, seven, and boy-girl twins Sir and Rumi, two.

She opened up about experiencing miscarriage in an interview with Elle UK for the publication’s January 2020 issue.

She said: "I began to search for deeper meaning when life began to teach me lessons I didn't know I needed. I learned that all pain and loss is in fact a gift.

READ MORE: James Van Der Beek and wife Kimberly open up about heartbreaking miscarriage

“Having miscarriages taught me that I had to mother myself before I could be a mother to someone else.

She added: "Then I had Blue, and the quest for my purpose became so much deeper.

"Being 'number one' was no longer my priority. My true win is creating art and a legacy that will live far beyond me. That's fulfilling."

This isn’t the first time Beyoncé has spoken about her experience of miscarriage.

Beyoncé has previously spoken about experiencing a miscarriage two years before giving birth to her oldest child, daughter Blue Ivy, in 2012.

She described it as “the saddest thing I’ve ever been through” in her 2013 HBO documentary Life Is But A Dream. “Literally the week before I went to the doctor, everything was fine, but there was no heartbeat," she said.

Jay-Z addressed the couple’s previous baby losses in his 2017 song ‘4:44’, in which he raps: "I apologise for all the stillborns/'Cause I wasn't present, your body wouldn't accept it”.

READ MORE: Alanis Morissette talks 'challenges and miscarriages' ahead of baby No. 3

If a baby dies before 24 completed weeks, it's known as a miscarriage or late foetal loss, while a stillbirth is when a baby is born dead after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy, according to the NHS website.

One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage, according to Tommy’s, a charitable organisation that funds research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. You can donate to its Big Give Christmas challenge campaign here.

While pregnancy loss remains a taboo subject for some, a number of high-profile figures have also spoken out about this issue including Lily Allen, who said she suffered a stillbirth in 2010 and a miscarriage two years earlier.

Singer P!nk has also spoken about suffering a miscarriage. She revealed this during a 2010 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, saying she’d put off making the announcement because of her miscarriage experience.

“I didn’t want to talk about it because I was just really nervous, and I have had a miscarriage before,” she said.

Tommys offers a free helpline for those who need help and support after a miscarriage. Call them on 0800 0147 800. Open 9.5, Monday to Friday.