Matt Howard and Abby Howard are in mourning.
The TikTok couple—who are known for documenting their family life on the platform—revealed that they lost their third baby, a little girl, at 17 weeks.
“It is with very heavy hearts that we share about the loss of our baby girl born far too soon,” the duo wrote on their Sept. 28 Instagram post, which featured a photo of them holding hands while in the hospital. “At a routine pregnancy 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.’”
Matt and Abby, 27, shared that their daughter “had a genetic condition that took her life around 17 weeks gestation,” a tragic revelation they “never hoped” to hear.
“The news felt unimaginable,” the Unplanned podcast hosts continued. “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,” they concluded their post. “Thoughts and prayers are more than welcome. Thank you everyone for celebrating this precious life with us for the past 17 weeks.”
Abby—who shares kids Griffin, 3, and August, 2, with Matt—first revealed she was expecting in August, posting several photos of her caressing her baby bump while holding an ultrasound.
“Baby No. 3 is on the way!” she captioned her Instagram post at the time. “It somehow almost feels more exciting this third time around because now we truly know just how wonderful it is.”
The couple also echoed that sentiment to People after the announcement, noting their experience with their other two kids made this new milestone “more exciting than ever.”
“This pregnancy has felt different from my other two,” Abby explained. “Lots of days I have to remind myself that I’m even pregnant and that this is really happening!”