Patriots’ Devin McCourty Announces He and His Wife, Dr. Michelle McCourty, Lost Their Unborn Child at 8 Months Gestation
On June 1, Patriots safety Devin McCourty took to Instagram to share a statement written by his wife, Dr. Michelle McCourty. The emotional statement revealed that at nearly eight months pregnant, the couple’s unborn daughter was stillborn on May 24.
“I cry as I type this,” Michelle began their statement. “It pains me to announce that this past memorial weekend, on May 24, 2020, Dev and I suffered the most painful experience of our lives.”
As Michelle continued, their baby girl, who they named Mia, was delivered at “exactly 31 weeks and two days” gestation. It was during a check-up that Devin and Michelle learned “the baby girl growing inside me no longer had a heartbeat after being completely fine the week prior at my last doctor’s appointment.”
“We are so heartbroken. We are devastated. We are speechless. We are angry. We are sad. We are confused. We are numb.”
As the statement continued, Michelle revealed that she endured a “an emotional full 21-hour labor.” Mia “came out with the umbilical cord around her neck.”
“We held our baby, wrapped in a blanket, cute as ever, looking just like our son Brayden when he was born, but she had no breaths. No cries. No movement. Doctors say they have no answers for why this happens. It just sadly does.”
Michelle admitted that it’s hard for her to articulate her thoughts, to really explain how she’s feeling following the heartbreaking and traumatic experience she and Devin are living through. The mom admitted that while he “faith has always been strong, it definitely wavered.”
“I was so angry. So sad. I had to call on my most faith-filled friends and support system to help me deal with this reality. To not allow my anger and hurt to cause me to lose faith altogether. God, for whatever reason, felt it necessary to take our baby girl, Mia, home with him early. It’s hard to fathom what for, why us, what his plan was and is; but somehow, in that moment of hearing this terrible news, I opened my bible app out of desperation for some answers.”
The verse of the day happened to be Hebrews 12:11, McCourty explained.
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” In between sobs, reading this was literally the only thing that gave me an ounce of hope for the future during such a tragic moment.
The mom of two, Londyn Brielle and Brayden Calvin McCourty, went on to say how much she appreciates everyone’s love and support, but ultimately asked for the public to “respect our privacy during this difficult time, since we have no answers to give anyway.”
“The mere thought of what happened causes instant bursts of tears at any time of day, and having to speak about it hurts tenfold,” Michelle wrote before asking for people to continue to send their prayers.
“Pray for our healing. Pray for some closure. Pray that our devastation can somehow find some hope for better things to come for our family. That our family’s growth doesn’t end here. Pray that if, God willing, we are able to conceive again, that any joy or excitement that usually comes with a positive pregnancy test isn’t completely shattered and replaced by fear, anxiety, and stress from beginning to end knowing that it can all be taken away at any second, no matter how many weeks you are or how ‘safe’ you think you might be.”
Michelle went on to share how her medical background in healthcare pathology already made her nervous for the worst when it came to all three of her pregnancies. And then “the worst thing that could’ve happened, happened.
“This, by far, tops them all and it happened to us.”
The mom continued writing that she hopes God is able to use them and their story for good. She believes that God maybe wants them to share their story so that others suffering through something similar know they aren’t alone.
“Maybe to share our story to help others who may have suffered in the same way see that it cane happened to anybody and that they are not alone. That we can get through this somehow. That we still have to believe that this all happened for a bigger purpose. That there can be some peace and better things to come at the end of all this. To keep leaning on Him to heal our hearts and souls.”
Michelle then concluded, “Pray that our baby Mia will always remain in our hearts and that we can meet her one day up above and know that she watched over us and was loved and missed. God Bless.”
Hundreds of people reach out to the McCourty family to offer their condolences including former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady who wrote, “Love you my brother. So sad for you loss! You are in our thoughts and prayers always.”
And other teammates like Donté Stallworth also reached out. “So sorry to hear this, Dev. Love you guys, brother,” Stallworth wrote, while Trey Flowers added, “Prayers for you and your family! Be strong brother.”
Sara Vallone has been a writer and editor for the last four and a half years. A graduate of Ohio University, she enjoys celebrity news, sports, and articles that enhance people's lives.
Contents
- 1 Patriots’ Devin McCourty Announces He and His Wife, Dr. Michelle McCourty, Lost Their Unborn Child at 8 Months Gestation
- 2 “We are so heartbroken. We are devastated. We are speechless. We are angry. We are sad. We are confused. We are numb.”
- 3 The verse of the day happened to be Hebrews 12:11, McCourty explained.
- 4 “This, by far, tops them all and it happened to us.”
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