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How Gratitude Helped GAF Star Heal After Pregnancy Loss

Photo from Alexa PenaVega’s Instagram

How Gratitude Helped GAF Star Heal After Pregnancy Loss

By Movieguide® Contributor

Great American Family actress Alexa PenaVega is opening up about the stillbirth of her daughter, Indy, in response to a follower’s question.

“I lost a son at 37 weeks pregnant. I was so angry and sad for a long time. How are you doing so well?” a fan of PenaVega’s asked.

She responded in an Instagram Story, “Oh friend… I am so sorry for your loss. Hearing so many stories of loss and my heart is just breaking for all these mamas. I recently had a conversation with a friend (and to be honest) this friend was almost annoyed and couldn’t accept that we are doing okay.”

PenaVega and her husband Carlos announced the loss of their child in April in a joint statement, writing, “Grief has come to us in waves. Moments of feeling absolutely gutted… then moments of feeling blessed by just getting a moment with her. Indy Rex PenaVega, you completely changed our world,” they ended their statement. “You moved us to a new place. You gave us the community we have been longing for. We love you can’t wait to see how many other lives you change.”

It’s been a hard few months for their family, but PenaVega shared how they’ve gotten through it.

“‘It’s going to hit you later’ is what I was told. Well, I’m gonna tell you I rebuke that,” she continued in response to the question. “We have to remember that we all grieve differently. We all receive healing differently, our faith gave us so much super natural peace. We started practicing gratitude on a whole other level. Just constantly thanking God for covering us. Along with a very intense 4 hour EMDR session.”

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and “is a psychotherapy treatment that is designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories.”

PenaVega originally shared the news of the stillbirth on her social media, writing, “There are never the right words to say when it comes to loss. After a beautiful and peaceful delivery our daughter ‘Indy’ was born at rest.”

Despite the immense pain she and Carlos endured, they found so much peace in God.

“It has been a painful journey. But in the pain we have found peace. God continues to comfort and hold us in his arms,” Alexa added. “The prayers from the community around us have been so sustaining in this difficult season. This little girl has already changed our lives in so many ways. She was absolutely beautiful. And looked just like daddy. Dark hair and all. Grief has come to us in waves.”

Movieguide® previously reported on the PenaVegas’ loss:

Alexa PenaVega and her husband, Carlos, are experiencing God’s peace following the stillbirth of their daughter, Indy.

“So, I feel like it’s really hard for people to see how we are reacting to our loss,” Alexa said in response to a question about how she is doing following the loss. “You know, actually early on when friends were calling us to check in on us and we finally get on the phone and we would be okay. It was almost like it wasn’t okay that we’re doing okay. And if we said, ‘Actually, we’re doing great.’ There was always that like, ‘You’re just in shock.’ When we have so much peace. It hurt. It sucked. It was awful, but we’re okay…”

Despite the tremendous loss, the PenaVegas are resting in the Lord because they know God is in complete control.

“It’s okay to be okay after loss. We grieved. We hurt. But we were restored and filled with peace,” she said in the caption on Instagram. “Indy will always be a part of our lives. Life after Indy will be brighter because she brought us perspective. She brought us closer together. She made us stronger. She helped us grow in areas that needed growth. She was LIGHT in our lives and always will be.”