Sarah Herron reflected on the time she got to spend with her son during her pregnancy before his death.
“It’s been 1 week. This was on our last morning all sitting together,” Herron, 36, wrote via Instagram Story on Friday, February 3, alongside a photo of her dog, Rio, sleeping on her stomach. “It was the last morning I got to soak in his big summersaults and hiccups. I want to go back. I’d give anything to go back to last Friday morning.”
The Colorado native previously documented her trip home from the hospital after she delivered her infant at 24 weeks. “Thank you all so much for the messages. I think I’ve read all 8,000+ of them overnight. It helps to hear your stories,” she captioned an Instagram snap on Thursday, February 2, of fiancé Dylan Brown sleeping on the couch with their dog.
Herron, who appeared on Sean Lowe‘s season 17 of The Bachelor in 2013, also shared a photo of a toy that she took with her.
“The hospital gave us the teddy bear that was in Oliver’s bassinet. The teddy’s fur is almost identical to Rio’s color,” she continued. “We gave it to him as soon as we got home and Rio didn’t try to chew it or destroy it, he just slept with it tightly under his chin. His baby.”
Herron took to social media on Wednesday, February 1, to confirm her newborn son’s death in an emotional message. “He passed away in his dad’s arms shortly after,” she wrote. “There are no words for the magnitude of loss and pain we’re experiencing. It’s beautiful and simultaneously tragic. He had my nose and his dad’s mouth and long fingers.”
The Bachelor Nation star noted how “grateful” she was for the time spent with her child.
“Oliver, our IVF miracle, defied so many odds and fought through so many hard milestones to be here, but the higher powers still had other plans for the three of us,” she added. “Oliver filled our home and hearts with so much love and most importantly, optimism. The stars aligned to create Baby Oliver with a deep, meaningful purpose bigger than we’ll ever understand. His body was small, but his legacy will always be larger than life to us.”
Herron concluded: “While our hearts are shattered beyond comprehension, we are comforted knowing that our son’s soul only ever knew love and will not suffer in a body that wasn’t built for this life. We’ll never understand the cruelty of it all, but through the darkness, Oliver remains so so bright. We love you so much, baby boy. You will never be replaced. You are so perfect and awesome.”
The former reality star, who got engaged to Brown in 2021 after four years of dating, announced her pregnancy in September 2022 following fertility issues.
“It’s very early still, and I know many families prefer to keep pregnancy private until after the first trimester, but I have shared entire fertility journey since day one,” she exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “One of the blessings of IVF is the support I have gained by being transparent about this process.”
The Bachelor in Paradise alum said she was excited for the next chapter in her life. “I’m so unbelievably grateful to have a partner who’s so supportive and gentle through this whole process,” she shared. “Dylan has been an incredible rock and is strong for both of us when it has felt too heavy at times. He’s a rugged man, but so tender at heart.”
