Jill Duggar Dillard Suffers Heartbreaking Loss Of Daughter Isla
This article contains discussion of child loss.
In an unexpected — and heartbreaking — new social media post, Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband, Derick Dillard, announced a terrible personal loss on their Instagram accounts. "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the stillbirth of our beautiful baby girl, Isla Marie Dillard," they wrote. Accompanying the announcement was a poignant photo of the couple cradling their tiny daughter, who was wrapped in a crocheted pink blanket.
Jill, a former star of "19 Kids & Counting," is the mother of three boys: Israel, who recently turned 9; Samuel, and Frederick, who will turn 7 and 2 in July. The new baby had been due in August 2024, indicating Jill was already in her second trimester at the time of the stillbirth; the post explained the baby had died in the womb. "From the moment we found out we were pregnant, we couldn't wait to meet our baby," the Dillards wrote. "Isla was much loved from the start, and her 3 big brothers were so excited to introduce her to their world."
The Dillards had not yet revealed Jill's pregnancy on social media, perhaps waiting for a special moment. However, the post Jill wrote just two weeks prior may have given a hint something was wrong. It featured a photo of a bird's nest with eggs, and Jill reflected on its message of springtime hope. Then she added, "When the storms of life come, and we feel forsaken, or things just don't make sense, we can remind ourselves of what God reminds his children...that he sees, he hears & he cares."
Jill and Derick Dillard suffered a previous loss
Sadly, this isn't the first heartbreaking loss Jill Duggar Dillard has suffered. In October 2021, she miscarried just days after learning she was pregnant. As she wrote in the family blog, the loss happened too early in the trimester to determine the baby's gender, so she and husband Derick gave their child the gender-neutral name River Bliss. "One meaning for River is 'tranquil'...and here in Arkansas, rivers are often a serene, beautiful escape in nature," she wrote, adding the name was also reminiscent of "the river of life" referenced in the Bible. As it also says in the Good Book, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" — and the Dillards discovered that joy just a few weeks later when Jill became pregnant with Frederick.
Jill's announcement of the stillbirth was met with thousands of supportive likes, plus messages of sympathy from family and friends. Among them was a sweet note from sister Jinger Duggar Vuolo, who has also known the pain of pregnancy loss: "Love you so much, sis. Continuing to uphold you all in prayer. Sweet little Isla will be missed." Also sending love and prayers was the Duggars' cousin, Amy Duggar King. "Isla Marie such a beautiful name and meaning," she wrote. "Praying continuously.. God has a plan through all the heartbreak. You've been on my mind and in our prayers and will continue to be. Love y'all so much."