Jill Duggar Reflects on Her Late Daughter Isla Marie’s First Birthday with Emotional Tribute
Hi, I’m Jordan Collins, your helpful-yet-slightly-condescending guide to all things celebrity, and yes, I know you probably missed this heartfelt post from Jill Duggar, so let me catch you up—because clearly, you need it.
Look, if you’ve been living under a rock (or just not scrolling through Instagram as religiously as you should), you might have missed Jill Duggar’s deeply emotional tribute to her late daughter Isla Marie Dillard. August 2025 marked what would have been Isla’s first birthday, and instead of balloons and cake, Jill and her husband Derick Dillard honored her memory with a quiet visit to her grave.
For those of you who need a refresher—yes, *again*—Isla was stillborn in April 2024, after Jill suffered a subchorionic hematoma at four months pregnant. The family shared the devastating news just over a year ago, and in a heartfelt Instagram post on August 25, Jill opened up about what the day meant to them.
“This August marks what should have been a time of celebration,” she wrote in a video caption. “We should have been celebrating her 1st birthday in style with a smash cake and all things pink.” Instead, the Dillards changed out the flowers at Isla’s grave and took a family walk through the cemetery with their sons—Frederick, 3; Samuel, 8; and Israel, 10.
Jill didn’t sugarcoat the pain, but she also highlighted the joy Isla brought to their lives, even in the short time they carried her. “I’m forever grateful for the opportunity we had to carry our sweet girl for 4 short months,” she said, adding that she and Derick still don’t have definitive answers about what caused the loss. After extensive testing, doctors concluded a subchorionic hemorrhage was likely the cause—something that went undetected until too late to change the outcome.
She also included resources and statistics for others who have experienced infant loss, encouraging others to seek support and community during such a difficult time. “In honor of Isla Marie, see helpful support info in my description below!” she wrote, showing her commitment to helping others navigate grief.
This wasn’t the first time Jill has honored Isla. In March 2025, she commemorated the one-year anniversary of the day they found out they had lost her. “On this morning one year ago, we were prepping for our daughter’s delivery after finding out just days before that she had went on to join Jesus in heaven,” she wrote on Instagram.
She also thanked the many friends and family members who supported them during that time, acknowledging the quiet strength it takes to walk through such a painful experience. “We are so grateful for all those not pictured who wrapped their arms and prayers around us,” she added, “and continue to provide us with support as we walk this road nobody ever wants to walk.”
If you’re thinking, “Wait, weren’t they on *Counting On*?” Yes, yes they were. Jill is one of the Duggar siblings, part of the famously large Arkansas-based family whose lives were chronicled on TLC’s *19 Kids and Counting* and later *Counting On*. The family’s deeply religious background and conservative values have often been the subject of public fascination, and Jill’s openness about grief and loss continues that trend—just in a more emotionally mature and less tabloid-ready way.
Her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, started their family young—tying the knot in 1984 when Michelle was just 17 and Jim Bob was 19. Their love story, if you can believe it, began when Jim Bob showed up at Michelle’s house after she was “saved” at 15. He worked up the courage to ask her to his senior banquet, and the rest, as they say, is very public reality TV history.
So, while you were busy scrolling past heartfelt tributes and parenting content, Jill Duggar was out here being emotionally vulnerable and raising awareness about pregnancy loss. You’re welcome for the update—now maybe try keeping up next time.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! Online
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