TIKTOK stars have shared heartbreaking news with fans, revealing the “devastating” loss of their baby girl, who was “born far too soon.”
Matt Howard and Abby Howard announced that they were expecting their third baby together earlier this year.
TikTok stars Matt and Abby Howard announced the loss of their baby girl
The couple were overjoyed when they learned they were expecting their third child
The high school sweethearts are already parents to son Griffin, 3, and daughter August, 2 – and they were thrilled to share that their family was growing even bigger.
They wrote: “Baby no. 3 is on the way! It somehow almost feels more exciting this third time around because now we truly know just how wonderful it is.”
However, the married couple, who are very open about and to their 5 million followers, announced their very sad news about their unborn daughter.
Taking to in a joint post, they wrote: “It is with very heavy hearts that we share about the loss of our baby girl born far too soon.
“At a routine appointment, our doctor could not find a heartbeat. Shortly after they sent us in for an ultrasound where the technician said words we will never forget, ‘I am so sorry I do not have good news.’
“That is when we got the gender reveal we never hoped for and also the news that our baby had a genetic condition that took her life around 17 weeks gestation.
“The news felt unimaginable. The grief is absolutely devastating. But we feel so much gratitude for the time that we did get to have with her.
“And we still have hope. Hope has continued to show up for us in so many ways.
“For now we will grieve and continue to think of ways to honor her life offline. Thoughts and prayers are more than welcome.
“Thank you everyone for celebrating this precious life with us for the past 17 weeks.❤️.”
Fans flooded the comments section with love and support.
One wrote: “This is so sad. My heart breaks for you both. Prayers being sent your way. Take care of each other in this difficult time. 🙏🏽✨🤍 Your little angel babe will forever be with you.”
Another added: “So very sorry, it is gut wrenching. please take care of yourselves in the coming days! 🙏❤️🩹.”
A third penned: “Abby & Matt — my heart breaks for you guys. I am so tremendously sorry for your loss ☹️💜 sending so many hugs and big big love to you and your little family.”
Abby posted a video showing off her growing baby bump three days ago online.
She beamed at the camera and was dressed in gym gear as she cradled her baby bump.
The couple previously told People : “Going for our third baby is almost more exciting than ever because now we truly know just how good it is.”
And while they added that they “genuinely have no preference” when it comes to the baby’s sex, their eldest has been “really hoping for a sister!”
This comes after the couple decided to stop showing their little ones’ faces online out of “an abundance of protection” for their privacy and safety.
What is miscarriage and why do pregnancies fail?
MISCARRIAGE is generally the death of an unborn baby in the first 24 weeks – approximately six months – of pregnancy.
Miscarriages may not be spoken about a lot but they are very common. Baby loss charity Tommy’s estimates there are at least 250,000 per year in the UK and that one in every five pregnancies ends in miscarriage.
It may not be clear why a miscarriage happens but they are rarely caused by anything done by the mother or father. Usually the embryo has a random genetic defect that means it cannot develop properly.
Most women can go on to successfully have healthy babies in the future.
The NHS says most miscarriages cannot be prevented but avoiding smoking, alcohol and drugs while pregnant can reduce the risk.
Some of the other most common reasons for a pregnancy to fail in the first 24 weeks are ectopic pregnancy and molar pregnancy.
Ectopic pregnancy is where a fertilised egg implants somewhere outside of the womb, usually in a fallopian tube. It cannot survive and grow there so either dies naturally or must be terminated.
Molar pregnancy is rarer but happens when a fertilised egg and/or placenta does not develop properly at the start of a pregnancy. There is no single reason why it happens and cannot be prevented, though it may be more common in very young or old mothers.
A baby who dies after 24 weeks is considered a stillbirth.
Source: NHS
“Initially, we did have our firstborn’s face online because we were like, ‘We’re going to continue doing everything we’ve been doing,’” Matt said during a July episode of Two Parents & A .
“’We’ve been our life, we have a kid now, we’re still vlogging our life.’”
“Then we were thinking, ‘Okay, there’s digital footprints here,’” he added, “and all these things that we’re still learning.”
Matt and Abby Howard boast millions of followers on , and .
They live near Phoenix, Arizona and have been working on their YouTube and TikTok careers for several years now.
Their love story is one of the cutest, as they first met at a St. Louis Missouri camp when they were just 13.
They long-distance during high school, and then reunited for college at Missouri State University.
They got engaged at and got married during their sophomore year in 2019 – when Matt was 20 and Abby was 19.
They previously shared that their family and friends thought they were getting married too young.
During lockdown, and the rise of TikTok, they went viral for their dance videos and vlogs.
Now, they have a podcast together called Two Parents & A Podcast and have over 8 million subscribers.
Last year, the stars received backlash over seemingly leaving their kids alone in a ship cabin while they went to dinner.
Matt said at the time: “We usually would not be making a video like this, but there is information circulating about us that is completely untrue.”
He went on to explain that he and Abby “take our role as parents extremely seriously, and we love our children more than anything in the entire world, and we’re very protective of our kids.”
The parents have a son Griffin, 3, and daughter August, 2
They got married when Matt was 20 and Abby was 19
During lockdown, and the rise of TikTok, they went viral for their dance videos and vlogs
Now, they have a podcast together called Two Parents & A Podcast Where to get support for bereavement
There is lots of help and available if you are experiencing grief after the death of a loved one.
NHS therapy and counselling service s – NHS talking therapies services are for people in England aged 18 or over. You can speak to your GP about talking therapies or get in touch with the talking therapies service directly without going to your GP.
At a loss – Find bereavement services and counselling across the UK
Child Bereavement UK – Offers support if you are bereaved after losing a child. Or if you’re a child or young person who is grieving after losing someone.
The Good Grief Trust – a charity run by bereaved people, helping all those experiencing grief in the UK.
Samaritans – if you’re struggling you can call Samaritans any time on 116 123 to talk about anything.
