'A scenario I could never have imagined': Star's pain as one-year-old daughter dies weeks after announcing pregnancy
A pregnant mum influencer has told how her family has changed forever after her one-year-old daughter died suddenly.
Lizzie Kieffer’s daughter Lilian 'Lily' Louise Kieffer died suddenly in April, just days after her first birthday. A short time later, the star told her fans she was in “deep pain” after the untimely loss of her daughter.
Over the weeknd Lizzie, who is due to give birth to her third child in the coming weeks, shared a black-and-white video of her holding her three-year-old daughter Mia over her growing baby bump. In the caption, she wrote: “1 baby earth side, 1 baby heaven side, 1 baby in between.
“Closest to heaven that I’ll ever be on this side of life. A unique position to be in. A scenario I could never have imagined would be ours.”
She continued to say that her contrasting emotions have “ebbed and flowed” over the last few months. “My third pregnancy, I know what to expect, I’ve been here before. But all of a sudden it’s all new,” she said.
“And no way you could ever prepare. Navigating emotions of so much joy and excitement to meet this new soul who has been chosen for us. But then also the drastic dichotomy of the deepest sadness, grief, ache, right alongside it. My family dynamic forever changed.”
She concluded: “Things process at different times and some days it feels like it was yesterday, but also too long… how have I not held you in 4 months? . . . From the miracle of growing new life, to raising babies, to cherishing how precious and short life really is…heaven is near.”
The social media star first shared the news of her daughter’s death with her 327,000 fans on Instagram on Saturday, April 26, in a lengthy statement - days after she found her daughter had unexpectedly passed away overnight.
Kieffer, a physical therapist and social media star who focuses on pregnancy and postpartum exercises, said that she and her husband Matt Kieffer woke up to a ‘nightmare’ on Wednesday, April 23, when they found their daughter Lily had died.
Later in the statement, she said that her youngest child had been suffering from a 'large mass on her brain' that had previously been undetected. Kieffer also shares an older daughter named Mia with her husband.
The statement read: “We are shattered. Wednesday we woke up to a nightmare that we never could have ever imagined becoming our reality. Our Lily passed away. Our hearts, our bodies, our souls ache for her as she was the purist [sic] of beings and brought light to every single space she filled. Our days are written before we were even formed, and in Lily's 374 days of life, she taught us more than I think many could in their lifetime.”
She went on to say that the family “don't have answers” as to what happened to their daughter, nor could she explain why her death was “God's plan” for their lives to continue without the little girl. She added: “We will never fully understand this mystery until we see her again one day.”
Explaining the reason for her young daughter’s unexpected death, the social media star said: “We also have come to learn that Lily had a large mass on her brain that we could have never known about as she never showed signs.” She added that it could take months to find out exactly what happened to Lily, while additional tests were conducted. It’s believed these tests are still on-going.
The influencer had announced her third pregnancy a month before her daughter’s death and is due to give birth next month.
- If you have been affected by baby loss, you can ring Sands helpline on 0808 164 3332.