Jill Duggar Dillard continues to share her grief with her social media followers. The 32-year-old former reality star shared photos of her growing baby bump on Instagram, which she did not post before she and her husband Derik Dillard announced that their late child, a baby girl named Isla Marie Dillard, was stillborn at four months old.
In the photo carousel, Jill can be seen cradling her bump in a white T-shirt and a colorful skirt. “The baby bump photos we so wanted to share but didn’t get to see before she was gone,” Jill captioned the post.
In the final photo of the gallery, Jill shared a photo of her and Derik holding Isla’s hand-embroidered baby blanket with her full name on it, as well as a small bundle of knitted blankets and what resembles a small infant wearing a knitted pink hat.
Jill and Derick announced their fourth child was stillborn earlier this month. The couple has three sons together: Israel (9), Samuel (6) and Freddy (1).
“Jill was four months pregnant (due in August) when we found out our baby had died in the womb. From the moment we found out we were pregnant, we couldn’t wait to see our baby,” they wrote. “Isla was loved from the start and her three big brothers were so excited to introduce her into their world. We appreciate your prayers as we continue to mourn and heal from the loss of our little Isla Marie.”
On April 19, the family held an intimate memorial service for Isla, which was also attended by Jill’s family, including her estranged father Jim Bob Duggar. Jill and Derick shared photos from the Isla Marie memorial service, next to which they wrote: “We will love you forever and keep you in our hearts until we hold you in heaven.”
“We love and miss you, little girl! Isla Marie Dillard. Laid to rest on April 19, 2024,” they captioned the post. “Isla (pronounced ‘eye-la’) is a surname meaning ‘devoted to God’. Marie is also a family name and means “dream child and beloved”.
The couple’s post also includes a video of the mourners singing at the service. In the caption, Jill and Derick shared, “The song we sang at Isla’s funeral service is the song we sang to each of our children in the womb.”
After sharing the lyrics, the couple explained, “‘Jesus Loves Me’ was written around 1860 by Anna Bartlett Warner and is said to have been spoken as a comfort to dying children.”
In 2023 Jill spoke to ET before the publication of her memoirs, The costs count. At the time, she opened up about her broken relationship with her family, with whom she starred on the TLC series 19 kids and counting And Count on.
Amid some tension, Jill told ET at the time that she still loves her family.
“I think it might be helpful for some of my siblings to read and hear our perhaps filtered view of our history. I think it might be helpful for them to hear our story, but I also think it might be helpful.” “It’s a release for some of my siblings,” she said. “…I think if that helps them, liberates them, gives them their voice and empowers them, then I think that’s great. I would love for them all to read it.”
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