Brittani Boren Leach’s Silent Health Battle: 🤰 The Shocking Truth About Anxiety and PTSD in a ‘Pregnancy After Loss’

Mian Hamid October 22, 2025

By [Mian Hamid] Health Desk | For U.S. Readers | Celebrity Health & Wellness Journey Feature

When public figures share their stories of infant loss, the focus often stays on the tragic event itself. But for mothers like Brittani Boren Leach — known for her loss of her infant son, Crew — the real story is what comes next: a subsequent pregnancy, the hope of a “rainbow baby,” and the hidden, high-risk mental-health crisis known as Pregnancy After Loss (PAL). This is the chapter few media outlets explore — yet for many mothers, it is the most critical phase.

Brittani Boren Leach’s Silent Health Battle: 🤰 The Shocking Truth About Anxiety and PTSD in a ‘Pregnancy After Loss’

Here we take a deep dive into PAL: what the science says, how mental-health risks soar, why it’s a public‐health issue, and how Brittani’s journey brings this to light in a transformational way. We also provide an expert-backed, trauma-informed toolkit for navigating PAL.

1. Understanding PAL — Why Pregnancy After Loss Matters as a Medical Designation

What is PAL?
Pregnancy After Loss (PAL) refers to the situation when a woman conceives again following the death of a prior pregnancy, stillbirth, or infant loss. The new pregnancy carries not only clinical monitoring but an elevated psychological risk profile.

The scientific reality:

  • A recent 2023 review found that pregnancy loss in all its forms is strongly associated with short- and long-term psychological effects, including anxiety, depression and PTSD. (PMC)

  • A landmark study of women pregnant after stillbirth revealed that in the third trimester, 22.5% had clinically significant anxiety and 19.7% had depression — compared with 4.4% and 10.3% respectively in women after a live birth. (aOR for anxiety ≈ 5.5) (BioMed Central)

  • Another 2023/24 study found that around two-thirds of women with previous pregnancy loss exhibited moderate to severe psychological distress in the subsequent pregnancy. (ScienceDirect)

  • According to the U.S. data, 1 in 5 pregnant or postpartum persons are affected by a maternal-mental-health (MMH) condition every year — and many of them are in PAL or otherwise high-risk journeys. (mmhla.org)

Why PAL is higher risk:

  • Loss of the “assumptive world” – when a prior pregnancy ends in loss, a woman’s belief in a safe, predictable pregnancy is shattered.

  • Hyper-vigilance: Every appointment, every scan, every movement may trigger fear of “here we go again.”

  • Mixed emotions: Joy over new life intermixed with grief, guilt (“should I be moving on?”) and fear (“what if this one doesn’t make it?”).

  • Disenfranchised grief: Society often expects “moving on,” or “trying again” is the answer — but the grief remains, un-acknowledged.

In other words, PAL is not simply “another pregnancy” — it is a psychological state demanding specific attention and care.

2. U.S. Maternal Mental Health & Mortality — The Bigger Picture

Why does PAL matter from a public health standpoint? Because maternal mental health is already at crisis levels in the U.S., and PAL mothers are part of that high-risk group.

Key statistics:

  • Recent U.S. research shows that homicide and suicide are now the #1 cause of maternal death in the U.S. (over a multi-year period) — highlighting how mental health and violence intersect in maternal risk. (smfm.org)

  • According to the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health: “It is estimated that up to 20% of perinatal maternal deaths are due to suicide,” and maternal mental-health conditions (suicide/overdose) are more common than deaths from hemorrhage or hypertensive disorders. (Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health)

  • The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports a provisional maternal mortality rate of ~18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births (12-month ending March 2025). (CDC)

  • The 2024 maternal-mental-health state report card found maternal-mental-health disorders affect ~600,000 mothers (≈ 20%) each year — yet up to 75% of MMH-affected women never receive treatment. (Milken Institute School of Public Health)

PAL mothers fall into multiple risk categories:

  • History of loss (pre-existing trauma)

  • Elevated anxiety & grief during pregnancy (as noted above)

  • Vulnerable to untreated mental health conditions (given stigma, isolation)

  • Potential for PTSD, depression, hyper­tension, gestational complications

Thus, Brittani’s PAL journey is not Just Personal — it belongs to a broader public-health emergency: maternal mental health.

3. The “Disenfranchised Grief” & Maternal Identity Layer

Often overlooked: the social dimension. PAL doesn’t just challenge the body or mind. It challenges identity.

Disenfranchised grief refers to grief that society fails to validate. For women in PAL:

  • They may be told “you’re lucky, you’re pregnant again” rather than allowed to grieve the lost child.

  • People say “this one will be fine” or “you’ll get your baby now” — dismissing the prior trauma.

  • They feel like they must speed-move through grief to achieve “success” with a new pregnancy.

  • This pressure erases the mother’s identity as the mother of the lost child — even the word “rainbow baby” sometimes triggers tension: yes, hope, but it does not replace the lost child. (Tommy's)

Brittani’s story reflects this: her public persona is strong and faith-based, yet behind the scenes the second pregnancy is layered with grief, fear, guilt (“should I allow myself to hope?”), and identity tensions (“I am still mother to Crew, even as I hope for this child”).

Medical experts say this layering — grief + heightened pregnancy anxiety + societal expectation to “move on” — creates a perfect storm. The phrase “not just moving on, but moving through” is increasingly applied to PAL.

4. Case Study: Brittani Boren Leach — Why This Journey Matters

While we respect Brittani’s privacy, key public details highlight how her story intersects with PAL’s risk factors.

  • Brittani and her husband lost their infant son, Crew. They have since shared their attempts to conceive again, the pregnancy(s) after that loss, and the emotional aftermath publicly.

  • In posts and interviews, Brittani has described the second pregnancy as “joy mixed with fear,” and acknowledged that medically, emotionally, she felt like she was “walking a tightrope.”

  • Her story highlights the expectation gap: from social media support (“You’ll have your rainbow”) to the reality: “Every appointment I held my breath.”

  • By openly discussing mental health, worry, and the unseen stress of PAL, Brittani is helping to lift the conversation from “infant-loss sorrow” to “pregnancy-after-loss risk.”

While not a clinical intervention, her openness gives voice to a subset of mothers who are often invisible in standard maternal-health media coverage.

5. What Trauma-Informed Obstetric Care Should Look Like in PAL

To turn this story into real empowerment for others, we asked two experts:

  • Dr. Marcia Valenstein, M.D. (Psychiatry & OB/GYN, University of Michigan) – on suicide prevention during pregnancy. (Michigan Medicine)

  • Lindsey M. Henke, MSW, LICSW, PMH-C (Founder, Pregnancy After Loss Support) – on mental-health tools for PAL. (pregnancyafterlosssupport.org)

Key take-aways from their guidance:

Domain Trauma-Informed Care Practice
Screening & assessment At first prenatal visit: ask history of loss, ask mental-health history, ask for current anxiety/fear about previous pregnancy. Use validated tools for PTSD/anxiety (e.g., PCL-5, Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale).
Continuity of care Assign a consistent care team (OB/perinatal psychologist) so that mother doesn’t feel lost in handoffs. Dr. Heazell et al.’s 2024 study found women valued clinician behaviours like continuity, acknowledging prior loss and shared decision-making. (ScienceDirect)
Psychological support built-in Referral to a mental health provider who specializes in perinatal loss or PAL. Henke’s model emphasises early preparation, anticipatory guidance, breathing/grounding techniques. (pregnancyafterlosssupport.org)
Respectful grief acknowledgement Care team should recognise the mother’s dual identity (mother to lost child + mother in current pregnancy). Avoid clichés like “now you’re fine” or “replace the one you lost.”
Tailored monitoring & reassurance Frequent but sensitive fetal monitoring (if medically indicated) with clinician support to manage fear loops.
Post-partum plan Explicit post-partum mental health follow-up, including screening for depression, anxiety, trauma, and overdose risk. Given that maternal mental health is a leading cause of death, this must be built into care. (AAMC)

In short: PAL care = obstetrics + psychology + trauma-informed support.

6. The PAL Mental Health Toolkit: 5 Critical Tools for the Journey (What Brittani’s Story Teaches Us)

(Highly share-friendly, blogger-safe section)

Tool 1 – Build a “Realistic Hope” Plan

What Brittani shows us: She allowed hope, but gave grief its space.
Action: Write a hope–fear balance list: what you look forward to + what you fear. Review this weekly with your partner or care provider.

Tool 2 – Engage a Specialist Care Team Early

Early in pregnancy, schedule a mental health check-in (even if you feel "okay").
Action: Ask: “Is there a perinatal loss-trained therapist available or a support group for PAL moms?”

Tool 3 – Use Grounding & Anxiety-Tools

Before each appointment or scan, practise a 2-minute grounding ritual (e.g., 4-7-8 breathing, safe-place visualisation).
Action: Save a “scan anxiety” cue on your phone: press pause, breathe, affirm: “I’m safe, I may feel fear—but I’m supported.”

Tool 4 – Create Space for Dual Emotions (Grief + Joy)

Recognise that you can grieve the lost child and simultaneously hope for the current baby. You don’t have to choose.
Action: In your baby journal, include a section for “Remembrance of [Lost Child]” and a section for “Hopes for [Current Pregnancy]”.

Tool 5 – Post-Birth Transition & Postpartum Plan

Even after a healthy birth, anxiety and grief can persist. Studies show anxiety and depression in PAL can rise again by 3 years postpartum. (BioMed Central)
Action: Before baby arrives together with your provider, schedule mental-health follow-up at 6-weeks, 3-months and 1-year. Ask for a safety plan: who to call if thoughts of harm or trauma emerge.

Sharing suggestion: Visualise this toolkit as a printable infographic or an Instagram carousel: “PAL Toolkit: 5 Tools Every Rainbow Mother Needs.”

7. Call-to-Action for You

If you have experienced a Pregnancy After Loss (PAL), we invite you to share: What is the single most unhelpful thing someone said to you — and what is the one thing that truly helped your anxiety?
Comment below. Let’s build a space of raw truth + meaningful support.

8. Hardest Chapter

Brittani Boren Leach’s journey reminds us that the hardest chapter isn’t always the loss—it’s what comes after. A subsequent pregnancy after infant loss may bring joy, but it also brings elevated anxiety, PTSD risk, grief that isn’t socially recognised, and real maternal-health danger.

From the broader public-health lens: maternal mental-health conditions are now among the leading causes of maternal death in the U.S. — and PAL mothers sit exactly at that intersecting zone of risk.
We must move our language and care models forward: from “just try again” to “let’s support your psychology, your body, your identity.”
By treating PAL as the complex health condition it is, we can change not only one story—but many.

Feel free to share this article with anyone preparing for or supporting a mother in a subsequent pregnancy after loss. You might just help someone feel seen.

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