Starting family life in the glare of the Downing Street spotlight while carrying the burden of the highest office in the land was never going to be easy.
But the Johnsons had more troubles to contend with than even they could have foreseen.
For as Carrie prepared to give birth to their first child in April last year, her husband-to-be was fighting for his life after being struck down by Covid.
Not able to visit Boris as he spent several days in intensive care, she was left waiting anxiously for updates from the doctors treating him as she prepared to give birth for the first time.
Starting family life in the glare of the Downing Street spotlight while carrying the burden of the highest office in the land was never going to be easy. But the Johnsons had more troubles to contend with than even they could have foreseen
As if that wasn't difficult enough, she, too, was struck down with the virus in the ninth month of her pregnancy, a frightening prospect that she was forced to confront alone as she remained in self-isolation.
All the while, Boris had to navigate the nation's response to the pandemic, just months after arriving in Downing Street.
Their joy at Boris's stunning 80-seat General Election victory the previous December, and at getting engaged, had quickly been consumed by crisis.
But on April 29, 2020, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson was born – premature but healthy – with the Prime Minister 'present throughout'.
Yesterday Carrie revealed a different sort of anguish from that she had overcome with her first child, speaking honestly about how she had been left heartbroken after suffering a miscarriage at the beginning of the year.
For as she broke the surprise news that she and Boris were expecting a second child this Christmas, she also disclosed that it would be a 'rainbow' baby – a term used to describe a child born after losing a previous one.
The pain of that loss must have devastated her, especially as, more than anything, she adores being a mum.
Yet however excruciating that pain, the Prime Minister and his wife dealt with their private heartbreak with such poise and dignity that no one would have been aware of it.
For as Carrie prepared to give birth to their first child in April last year, her husband-to-be was fighting for his life after being struck down by Covid
Carrie broke the news that she was expecting a second child to followers on Instagram Saturday
The post announcing the pregnancy to social media followers was accompanied by a picture of a small blue pram
Yet while yesterday's announcement of a sibling for Wilfred was unexpected by all but the couple's increasingly small circle, there may have been clues about Carrie's pregnancy as long ago as June.
You don't have to look hard to see a little bump as Carrie wowed other leaders' partners at the G7 summit at Carbis Bay in Cornwall.
Two weeks after they wed in a small, secret but romantic secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral, the couple beamed joyfully for the cameras. Now we know they knew something the rest of the world did not.
While in Cornwall, Carrie also showed off her joy at being a mum in a set of beautiful pictures on the beach with Wilfred and America's First Lady, Dr Jill Biden.
As she played in the sand with him and carried him along the shores, it was obvious that mother and son share a close and happy bond.
Motherhood certainly gave a respite from the often febrile world of Downing Street, where Carrie – and even her beloved Jack Russell Dilyn – were the subject of hostile
