Selling Sunset star Maya Vander is still grieving the stillbirth of her third child, Mason, and she is now opening up about how she and her family are dealing with their devastating loss, especially during the Christmas holidays.
Maya shared an emotional post to her Instagram account on Christmas Day sharing her feelings and a photo of her precious family.
“This is not the Christmas Eve I had envisioned. This was the day Mason would have come home with us,” she began the caption. “It’s been two weeks since I lost my child. I am smiling in the photo, but I got to tell you, it’s been difficult. I never experienced grief this way.
Maya continued on by saying, “Our family is taking it one day a time and we are just trying our best for the kids [Aiden, 2 and Elle, 18 months]. I am extremely grateful for all the kindness and messages I have been getting. We are thankful for our children and know that it will be OK…I want to wish all of you [a] happy holiday season! I hope and have faith that after the storm comes the [rainbow emoji].”
Speaking to Us Weekly earlier in the month, Maya elaborated on her “devastating” grief and how no one knows yet exactly what went wrong during her pregnancy.
“My family is devastated. My baby’s due date was right around Christmas. This is the best time of year to celebrate…My husband is heartbroken, and I know I need to be strong for him and for our family,” she said. “Time will help, but I experienced a loss in a very late stage. I lost a son, and the pain will always be there.”
“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,” she said.
Maya also spoke to E! News recently and said the loss came after the rest of her family had contracted COVID-19. Therefore, she had to essentially go through her heartbreaking delivery process essentially alone.
“I never got COVID, but because my husband was still testing positive, he wasn’t allowed to be in the delivery room with me, so I had to basically be by myself,” the Selling Sunset star said.
Thankfully, Maya told the outlet that everyone, including her entire cast, has been there for her during her time of need.
Speaking on the cast, Maya said, “They always check on me. They text me. They do what they can do to support. I think they were all shocked and very, very sad for me, and they’ve been just very supportive. Very, very sweet. All of them.”
Concluding her interview, she shared how thankful she was for her support system, and she wanted to tell every woman out there experiencing the same thing that it’s not their fault.
“I just want to say that I’m very thankful to all our friends and family,” she said. “To all the women out there that experience the same thing, it’s not their fault and just to be strong.”