‘Siesta Key’s Madisson Reveals How Losing Son Elliot ‘Strengthened’ Her Marriage To Ish
We caught up with ‘Siesta Key’ star Madisson Hausburg about how she’s coping after her devastating pregnancy loss. Plus, her plans for future babies, how her co-stars have supported her and more.
Madisson Hausburg and her husband, Ish Soto, were married for just two months when their relationship was severely put to the test. In December 2021, Madisson and Ish’s son, Elliot, was delivered stillborn. The devastation took a toll on the Siesta Key stars, but Madisson said it made her relationship with Ish stronger. “He has been the most incredible partner,” she told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “He’s also the only other person who got to meet Elliot, so we get to share that with each other. If anything, it really has made us stronger. I wish we didn’t have to go through it, but the one thing I can say is that our marriage has been incredibly strong because of it.”
After losing Elliot, Ish got a tattoo of the infant’s hand on his own hand, so that Madisson could hold her son’s hand forever. “I thought that was the greatest,” she admitted. “There’s nothing you can do or say in this situation that makes it better, but it was the most amazing gift that he could give me.”
Despite everything they went through, Madisson and Ish are currently trying to have a second baby. In fact, Madisson said being able to try again “couldn’t have come sooner” for her. “Of course, no baby will ever replace Elliot, but when I left that hospital, I didn’t just lose Elliot,” she explained. “I lost this version of me that was a mother, that was actively mothering. I had to go home and my breasts were filled with milk. My body was like…I need a baby. So it definitely is part of my healing process to have a living baby in my arms and to hopefully create new love. I know I’ll always have this void for Elliot, but at least, hopefully, someday, I will have a living baby to be able to talk to about their big brother.”
Read the rest of our powerful interview with Madisson below:
How did you decide to be so open with your fans and followers about your pregnancy lost? I actually wasn’t planning on it. I just wanted to talk about my son. That was my instinct. I just birthed a baby and I want to talk about him. He’s my everything. So it just felt natural. Then I realized, oh, so many other women have gone through this. I was really connecting with a whole new community, so it was just a secondary thing that happened. I was using my platform, but really, all I wanted to do was talk about Elliot.
On telling her ‘Siesta Key’ co-stars about what happened on-camera in the season 4 finale: I don’t really remember that scene. I was kind of in shock. It was only two months out from giving birth and it seemed like it was instinct. It seemed like the right thing to do. I had my whole pregnancy journey on camera, and I didn’t want to stop telling my story. In fact, if anything, it drove me to speak more. The producers asked if I wanted more time, but I was like, ‘You know what, let’s just do it now. These feelings are very real. I want to speak up and I want to talk about him.’ I just honestly did what felt right for me.
On watching recent episodes of the show about her pregnancy journey: If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that everyone’s experience is different. I could’ve went through the exact same thing as someone else, but our grieving experience will be vastly different. For me, it’s been really healing to have these moments caught on camera and to be able to watch them back. I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s really wonderful to be able to look back on it and have those moments [recorded].
What else do you want people to know about pregnancy loss? Close to one in three women will experience baby loss at some point in their life, but most of them won’t talk about it because there’s so much shame surrounding it. It’s so unfortunate. I just hope people realize it’s okay to talk about your babies. Or not, if you don’t want to. That’s okay, too. But you should never feel silenced. I think it’s so important to just voice your feelings and have a community because there is a community out there waiting to welcome you. And there are so many resources. There’s Return to Zero, which is an incredible support group for pregnancy and infant loss. There’s Push Pregnancy, which pushes to end preventable stillbirth. There’s so many resources out there. If you happen to find yourself going through baby loss, just please, please know that you are not alone.
If you or someone you know is in need of support for pregnancy or infant loss, you’re not alone. Please visit MTV.com/Siesta-Key for helpful resources. Siesta Key’s fourth season will conclude on May 26, with a fifth season airing later this year.