Heavy
Fan-favorite “Bachelor” and “Bachelor in Paradise” star Sarah Herron lost her infant son Oliver when he was born prematurely at 24 weeks in January 2023. Now on what would have been his due date, she marked the occasion with a heartbreaking message to her baby.
‘Today is Not a Day I Could Have Prepared For,’ Writes Sarah Herron to Her Late Son on His Due Date
On Instagram, Herron posted a series of photos of when Oliver was born in January. After he was delivered, she and her partner Dylan Brown spent a short time with their baby. She wrote on Instagram at the time, “On January 28th, at 24 weeks old, our beautiful son Oliver Brown was born. He passed away in his dad’s arms shortly after. 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.”
Oliver’s official due date was May 17 and to mark the occasion, Herron posted more photos of their time with Oliver in the hospital and wrote a message to her baby.
“Happy Due Date, my sweet angel. Today is not a day that I could have prepared for. But my perfect son, through the sorrow and unbearable grief, you have given me a gift that words will not suffice. It is with my wisest knowing that our souls had a contract to fulfill with each other, and this is exactly the way it was supposed to be for us,” wrote Herron.
You needed parents who could hold this short life for you; safely and honorably. You chose me, not in spite of karma, but because of it. This wasn’t our first life together, and it surely will not be our last. Your clever spirit had a message to be shared and this was your chance to have it heard ‘round the world.”
Herron Assured Her Son That She & His Father are Doing ‘OK’
Herron went on to write that Oliver gave them the gift of showing them “how strong” they are and “what [they’re] capable of.”
“We are OK … you’ve taught me that we are not our bodies, but merely souls having human experiences,” wrote the reality TV star.
She also said that just a few days prior, her grandmother (Oliver’s great-grandmother) died and “for the second time this year,” Herron “had the honor of holding a loved one as they made the brave journey of leaving their body.”
“I’ve traveled to the darkest depths of my being. I’ve met with spiritual healers, counselors and gurus – wanting to know you better. You have changed me. Music, nature, humanity – it all hits differently now. My senses are attuned and awake, I see meaning… in everything,” Herron told her son, adding, “We come into this world delicate, and leave just the same. I had to witness such courage and vulnerability to understand it.”
She concluded by writing:
Today we weep and celebrate all that you have given our family; bravery, resiliency, courage, optimism, and hope. After a grueling, long, season of Wintering… you have given us Spring; a chance to begin again.
See you again, sweet soul
Herron and Brown announced that they were expecting in September 2022 after a years’ long IVF journey.
She wrote at the time that women and families who have experienced fertility struggles are “all warriors” and she is “still in it with you.”
“I’ve dreamt of the day that I could share this news, and at the same time I’ve dreaded how I would word it. To the women and families amidst their fertility challenges; please know that I share this news with the most gentle intention. Whatever feelings come up, or space you need from my account is valid and respected. My heart belongs to all of you today. We are all warriors and I assure you I am still in it with you. I hope this lessens the sting, though I understand it may not,” wrote Herron on the birth announcement post.
In April 2023, Herron posted a video of herself finally finding the strength to decorate what was going to be Oliver’s nursery with some keepsakes that loved ones sent to them to remember Oliver. She hung them above the glider rocking chair that was the one piece of nursery furniture she was not able to return.
