One day after delivering her stillborn son, Maya Vander is opening up exclusively to Us Weekly about the “awful” experience.
“My family is devastated,” the Selling Sunset star, 39, said on Friday, December 10. “My baby due date was right around Christmas. This is the best time of the year to celebrate. … My husband is heartbroken, and I know I need to be strong for him and for our family.”
The Netflix personality noted that while she felt “thankful” for the “beautiful” kids that she does have — son Aiden, 2, and daughter Elle, 18 months — their presence does not fully “ease [her] pain.” Vander explained, “Time will help, but I experienced a loss in a very late stage. I lost a son, and the pain will always be there.”
The Israel native does not yet know what led to her stillbirth but told Us that her third child’s body is being “sent to autopsy to see if there is anything telling.”
The reality star said, “No one knows [why this happened] yet. At this point of the pregnancy, I have a weekly checkup. I felt less movement a few days prior. I went to a private ultrasound check and everything was fine and looked normal. … I delivered a normal baby that looked like he was sleeping. This will chase me forever.”
Vander told her Instagram followers about her loss on Friday, calling Thursday, December 9, the “hardest day” of her life.
“I had a stillbirth at 38 weeks,” the real estate agent wrote at the time. “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. What was a regular weekly checkup turned into a nightmare that I never imagine will happen to me. 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. You will always be in our heart baby Mason.”
Vander revealed in July that she had a little one on the way, writing via Instagram: “Here we go again. Baby No. 3 will be our Christmas/Chanukah present!”
Last week, the realtor exclusively told Us how her pregnancy differed from the rest. “No crazy symptoms,” Vander said. “I got very lucky.”
With reporting by Diana Cooper
