‘Selling Sunset’ star heartbreakingly reveals she had a stillbirth at 38 weeks

In a heartbreaking Instagram post, Selling Sunset star Maya Vander revealed she had a stillbirth.

“Yesterday was the hardest day of my life,” she writes. “I had a still birth at 38 weeks. I always heard of it but never imagined I’ll be part of the statistics. Instead of delivering a baby, I get to go home with a memory box… I do not wish this on anyone.”

In the Instagram post, Vander shared an image of the memory box full of newborn baby clothes and a touching heart-shaped memento with her baby’s footprint on it.

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A post shared by Maya Vander (SELLING SUNSET) (@themayavander)

Vander says she was at her regular weekly check-up at her doctor’s office when she learned the baby had passed.

“Given I share my pregnancies in the show I knew I’ll have to post about this and avoid the ‘when is your due date’ question,” she said. “You will always be in our heart baby Mason.”

Vander is already mom to Aiden, 2, and Elle, 19 months. She revealed she was pregnant with her third child over the summer, and the moment was featured on the current season of Selling Sunset.

Just days ago, in a Dec. 7 interview on the Domenick Nati Show, Maya talked about what her future holds as a cast member of the hit Netflix show. (Vander had been commuting between her home in Miami and her work in L.A. during the past four seasons.)

“I’m probably not going to be a full-time cast member because it’s going to be difficult for me logistically to do the back-and-forth again, especially with a third child,” she said. “Realistically speaking, I’m probably going to stay more focused on Miami, my family and my business here, if we get renewed for another season.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the term “stillbirth” is used when a fetus dies after the 20th week of pregnancy. Stillbirths can occur in-utero or hours after labor—very rarely does a baby die during labor.

Stillbirths occur in approximately one in 160 births—about 24,000 babies per year in the U.S. Stillbirths are typically unpredictable, and nearly 1/3 of all cases go unexplained. Possible medical reasons for the loss of a fetus after the 20-week mark include problems with the placenta or umbilical cord, preeclampsia, and birth defects.

The Cleveland Clinic also has many valuable resources for those who have endured a stillbirth, like how to talk to your other children about the loss of their new sibling and all the ways to honor your baby as you grieve.

Our hearts are with Maya Vander, her husband, and her entire family.