By Eva Hartman, Los Angeles Times

Jill Duggar Dillard and her family are mourning a tragic loss.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the stillbirth of our beautiful baby girl, Isla Marie Dillard,” the couple announced on Instagram.

The “19 Kids and Counting” alum and her husband, Derick Dillard, learned their daughter had died in utero when Jill was four months pregnant. Jill previously suffered a miscarriage in 2021.

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The couple are parents to three sons: Israel David, 9, Samuel Scott, 6, and Frederick Michael, 21 months.

“Her 3 big brothers were so excited to introduce her to their world,” the couple wrote. “Isla was much loved from the start.”

Thousands of fans offered their prayers and condolences on social media, in addition to many of the couple’s family members.

“Love you so much, sis,” Jill’s sister Jinger Vuolo commented. “Continuing to uphold you all in prayer. Sweet little Isla will be missed.”

“We love you all. We are continuing to pray. Isla Marie is so loved. Forever our first girl,” wrote Deena Dillard, Derick’s sister.

Jill and Derick’s vulnerability inspired others to share their experiences with child loss and grief.

“I had a stillbirth with our 4th baby 3 years ago at 35 weeks,” one woman commented. “Hardest thing I’ve ever been through. But the grief gets easier to bear even though it never goes away. It will come in waves especially the first year as you grieve all the milestones without her.”

“My GemmaGrace was a stillborn as well, she went to go be with Jesus one week before due,” another responded. “She was my miracle as I struggled with infertility for 7 years before getting pregnant with her… Our girls are in heaven waiting for us in perfection.”

The Dillards closed their Instagram post by saying, “We appreciate your prayers as we continue to grieve and heal from the loss of our little Isla Marie.”

Jill and Derick, who were married in 2014 after a courtship, released their memoir “Counting the Cost” in September 2023. The book described life behind the cameras on the Duggar family’s hit TLC shows “19 Kids and Counting” and “Counting On.”

The couple also participated in the 2023 Amazon Prime documentary “Shiny Happy People” to discuss Jill’s childhood and growing up in fundamentalist Christian minister Bill Gothard’s Institute in Basic Life Principles, a belief system that Jinger described as “harmful” and having “cult-like tendencies.”

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