'An unimaginable postpartum journey': Influencer couple Michael and Emma Armstrong's baby boy is stillborn three weeks before due date

TikToker Michael Armstrong heartbreakingly took to his Instagram page on Father’s Day, (Sunday June 15), to tell his fans that rather than celebrating the day with his newborn son he was mourning his passing.

The social media star, who is known as a Past Life Regression expert, told his fans that his wife Emma had given birth to their son, who they named Zen Diamond Love, three weeks before his due date - but he was stillborn.

Alongside a photo of him holding the infant’s hand, he wrote: "It’s been hard to find words for this, but it’s with a heavy heart to share that our sweet baby has passed at 37 weeks.” Explaining what happened, he said: “3 weeks ago, my wife woke up and noticed there wasn’t movement in her belly. She intuitively felt something was off. A couple hours later we got an ultrasound and the doctors found no heartbeat. We were shattered."

He went on to say that Emma had to go through an "incredibly challenging" 37-hour labour. The couple had chosen to wait until birth to find out their baby's gender and only found out moments after the tragic birth that they had a son. "It was a sweet surprise amongst the grief to meet our precious, beautiful little baby boy," he said.

The grieving dad added that they did not know why Zen was stillborn - and likely wouldn’t ever know. "There was no sign of what went wrong. His ultrasound, body and placenta all looked good. As we’ve learned, sometimes this just happens, and 1/3 of the time no cause is ever discovered,” he wrote.

He added that he and Emma were experiencing “deep grief” but trying to find a meaning for what had happened. "I’ve been balancing the divine purpose of it all and the truth of deep grief. I know our souls wouldn’t have chosen this experience if there wasn’t a greater purpose, but the devastation is real.”

The star ended his post by thanking his followers for their support. "The love that’s poured in has been a light in the darkness," he wrote. "Our friends here in Kauai have been delivering food and everything else to us. Absolute angels. I’ve been able to devote my energy to taking care of Emma, who is navigating an unimaginable postpartum journey with such strength."

He also encouraged his followers to send further messages of support to his wife. "Shine some love on her. She carried our son with such grace and love, singing to him each night and morning in bed. She brought him into the world with fierce devotion having a natural birth the way she wanted. She’s been traveling through this heartbreak and physical pain with unwavering courage. She feels it all fully. I am inspired by her,” he said.

His final sentence read: "We’re taking it day by day, moment by moment, and letting love lead us through.”

The couple married last year and then announced they were expecting in January. "There's a miracle growing inside of my womb," Emma wrote in her pregnancy reveal post. The post was a video showing Michael kissing her growing stomach. Zen was born on Friday May 23.

Over on her Instagram Emma, who is known as Fiire (sic) Love to her followers, also shared the same photo as her husband along with one of her son. She wrote: “ I must of spent hours everyday just imaging all the things I would do with my baby and the mother I would get to be. It’s all we talked about all year.

“We were preparing for the happiest day our life and instead we got our worst. The terror and shock still corses through my body. This is not a share about some silver lining or Gods plan though I have felt the divinity and love like a breath for air that desperately gasp for while I drown. This is me sharing my shock. For any human that has felt the ground ripped from underneath them, For any mother that has lost her baby, The shock, denial, confusion, longing, love and unbearable heartbreak of a loss like this all gets a seat at the table.”

In another post, she said: “There are no words to convey the depth and grief of this loss.” Speaking of her late son, she added: “ He is essence of peace and love. He is the rainbow light of our livesHe is an angel. guiding us from beyond the veil.”

They received many messages of condolence from fans. One said: “Beautiful little fingers, I am so sorry, prayers for you and your wife for comfort.” A second said: “There are absolutely no words for this heartbreak. Sending you both so much healing love and peace.”

• If you have been affected by baby loss, you can ring Sands helpline on 0808 164 3332.