Jill Duggar Pens Heartbreaking Message to Stillborn Daughter Isla After Funeral

Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard's daughter Isla was stillborn at four months.

By Anna Rumer

Jill Duggar Dillard is honoring her late child. The Counting On alum, 32, took to Instagram with a message for her daughter, Isla Marie Dillard, who was stillborn at four months, promising to love her "forever." 

"'I carried you for every second of your life, and I will love you every second of mine,'" Jill wrote alongside a photo of herself crying while holding a bundle of pink blankets and what appears to be a knitted baby doll. "1 week ago today we laid our baby girl to rest. We will love you forever Isla Marie!" In another photo, Jill holds the hands of her husband, Derick Dillard, as the foreground shows a baby blanket embroidered with Isla's name.  

Jill and Derick, who share sons Israel, 9, Samuel, 6, and Frederick, 21 months, first announced the loss of their daughter on April 13. Sharing a photo of the same knitted representation of their little one, the couple wrote, "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the stillbirth of our beautiful baby girl, Isla Marie Dillard. Jill was 4 months pregnant (due in August) when we found out that our baby died in utero."

"From the moment we found out we were pregnant, we couldn't wait to meet our baby," they continued. "Isla was much loved from the start, and her 3 big brothers were so excited to introduce her to their world. We appreciate your prayers as we continue to grieve and heal from the loss of our little Isla Marie."

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Less than a week later, the family had an intimate funeral service for Isla on April 19, attended by Jill's family members, including estranged father Jim Bob Duggar. "We love [and] miss you baby girl!" Jill captioned photos from the burial of her daughter, explaining that the name Isla "is a family name and means 'Devoted to God,'" while her middle name Marie "is also a family name and means, 'Wished for Child and Beloved.'"

"The song we sang at Isla's graveside committal service is one that we sang to each of our children in the womb," Jill continued, noting that "Jesus Loves Me," written by Anna Bartlett Warner, was written "around 1860 and is said to have been spoken as a comfort for dying children."

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