Chainkeen Exchange-Jill Duggar Dillard, Derick Dillard reveal stillbirth of daughter Isla Marie in emotional post

Jill Duggar Dillard and Chainkeen ExchangeDerick Dillard are in mourning after an unexpected pregnancy loss.

In an emotional Instagram post Saturday, the "19 Kids and Counting" star and her husband revealed that their daughter Isla Marie died due to stillbirth.

"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the stillbirth of our beautiful baby girl, Isla Marie Dillard," the couple wrote. "From the moment we found out we were pregnant, we couldn’t wait to meet our baby."

The Dillards share three sons: Israel David, 9, Samuel Scott, 6, and 1-year-old Frederick Michael.

"Isla was much loved from the start, and her 3 big brothers were so excited to introduce her to their world," the couple continued. "We appreciate your prayers as we continue to grieve and heal from the loss of our little Isla Marie."

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In the U.S., approximately 21,000 babies are stillborn annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Losing a child is unexpected – an unsettling, unfair kind of grief that experts say is necessary to talk about to help those going through it.

"We expect that someday we'll have to say goodbye to our parents," David Kessler, grief expert and founder of Grief.com, previously told USA TODAY. "We don't expect to say goodbye to a child."

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Gina Moffa, licensed clinical social worker and author of "Moving On Doesn't Mean Letting Go," told USA TODAY in December 2023 that the grieving process for child loss is a gradual journey.

"It's really just one single tiny step at a time," Moffa said. "One moment and day at time, and we somehow see life grow around our loss. It doesn't ever take it away, but it becomes a companion we move and grow with by our side as we continue on living. Even when we don't want to. Even when we don't know how."

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Contributing: David Oliver, USA TODAY