The ’19 Kids and Counting’ alum posted a beautiful tribute on what would have been a big first for her daughter. Former 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On star Jill Duggar shared a powerful message via her Instagram page on a difficult family day. She explained that the daughter she and her husband had been expecting last year would have just celebrated her first birthday.
Sadly, in April 2024, Duggar and her husband, Derick Dillard, announced that their baby girl had been stillborn. In an Instagram post shared at the time, the couple explained, “Jill was 4 months pregnant (due in August) when we found out that our baby died in utero.” The couple named the baby girl Isla Marie. They already have three sons, Israel, Samuel, and Frederick. In her new Instagram post, Duggar shared a video showing her with Dillard and their sons at the cemetery. “We were due last August with our first girl…this year, we should have been celebrating her 1st birthday with a smash cake and all the fun milestones,” she wrote.
The video showed Duggar approaching the gravestone for Isla and the family placed fresh pink flowers there. “This August marks what should have been a time of celebration…We should have been celebrating her 1st birthday in style,” text on the video read. Duggar explained that she envisioned a smash cake and “all things pink” for Isla’s first birthday party. “But instead, we changed out her pink grave flowers for some new ones,” she wrote.
The family also fed some ducks and walked through the cemetery with their sons, while they “thought about how she would be toddling along with the big bros and be so loved (and picked on too, of course),” Duggar shared. In the caption, Duggar noted, “We don’t know exactly what caused the loss.” They did have testing done, however.
She explained, “they concluded that the most likely cause was a fluke subchorionic hematoma/hemorrhage that wasn’t detected until later, so nothing likely would have changed things.” According to the Cleveland Clinic, a subchorionic hematoma happens when “blood collects under the chorion membrane during pregnancy.” The clinic noted, “Most subchorionic membranes go away on their own without causing pregnancy complications.”
Duggar also wrote about how frequently families experience pregnancy losses. She provided some suggestions on how people can help loved ones experiencing similar losses and linked to a couple of organizations she found helpful during her pregnancy loss.
Jill Duggar’s Fans Flooded Her With Love on the Difficult Day
The comment section of Duggar’s post was filled with notes of support. Quite a few people added stories of their own similar losses.
- “The pain we all wish we didn’t know. My daughter was born at 18 weeks. She’ll be 15 this coming December,” one fan wrote.
- “Prayers and hugs from one Momma with an angel baby to another,” another shared.
- “The weight of what could’ve been is so heavy. So sorry you’re a part of this awful club Jill. Happy heavenly birthday Isla. She won’t be forgotten,” someone else added.
