Six months after suffering a stillbirth, Selling Sunset's Maya Vander is trying to focus on the future.
"I have women (who might be going through the something similar) ask me how I'm doing after my stillbirth & pregnancy loss and how I'm able to continue pushing forward with my daily life," she wrote on Instagram June 16. "Everyone handles loss in their own way, but for me I find the key is to stay busy - a healthy distraction always keeps me going."
Her advice? Try to get back into a routine. "My advice is get to work, socialize with people, get your body moving (endorphins), and talk to someone," the 40-year-old shared. "From my own experiences, I know the pain of loss won't heal overnight, but today is a great day to begin or continue furthering the healing process."
Last summer, Maya announced that she and husband Dave Miller were expecting their third child. (They are also parents to Aidan, 3, and Elle, 2.) However, in December, she shared that she experienced a stillbirth with son Mason at 38 weeks pregnant.
"I always heard of it but never imagined I'll be part of the statistics," she wrote on Instagram Dec. 10. "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."
Over time, the real estate agent was candid about her grieving process, sharing the ups and downs with her followers. "This is not the Christmas Eve I had envisioned," Maya wrote alongside a pic of her family smiling in front of their Christmas tree. "This was the day Mason would have come home with us. 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. Our family is taking it one day at a time and we are just trying our best for the kids."
Though difficult, during the Selling Sunset season five reunion, which was released on Netflix in May, she shed more light on what exactly happened to her baby.
"It was just a bad accident with cord mixed with some swallowed placenta," she said. "But I'm doing much better, and you know, I have my husband. He's amazing. My kids are great. They keep me going."
Even when mourning feels too difficult to move forward. "I have my moments. We all do and that's part of grief," she added. "And just taking this opportunity to I guess raising voice for stillbirth and pregnancy loss. So, I feel like I'm inspiring women and I think it helps a little bit for other women to know that they're not alone."