TikTok couple Matt and Abby Howard announce tragic miscarriage at 17 weeks

UPDATE, 11/5/2025: In a recent episode of their podcast, Unplanned, Matt and Abby Howard shared more details about the loss of their preborn daughter at 17 weeks of pregnancy.

In the heartbreaking video, Abby cried as she recalled learning that their baby girl had died and being told she had to decide how her baby would be born — either by a D&E procedure at an abortion facility or by induced delivery at a hospital. Abby chose the latter.

How I found out about my miscarriage

She recalled that after the nurse and a doctor could not find the baby's heartbeat using the Doppler, she was moved to an ultrasound room where an ultrasound technician scanned for the baby's heartbeat. Unfortunately, there was no heartbeat.

"I remember, without going into too many details, she was really still in there, and they put the little thing on where they're looking for the red and blue for cardiac activity," said Abby, "and the only red and blue dots were outside of her little body.... And I literally grabbed her arm, and she said, 'Abby, I don't have good news for you.' And that was when — it feels like there was an Abby pre- that moment and an Abby post- that moment."

Abby and Matt were told they had to choose what to do next, which Matt said was up to Abby, although, as the father, he has the right to have an opinion on matters involving his children. Abby may not have wanted to carry the weight of that decision herself; however, she knew exactly what she was going to do once she was given the options.

"Because I was 17 weeks along," said Abby, "the options are graphic."

Matt added, "Essentially, the options that we were given, that Abby was given, were that you could go to what really is an abortion clinic to have them remove the dead baby and that just like — I never gave you my opinion on that because it was totally your decision to make — but what Abby ended up deciding to do was to go to a hospital and deliver the baby."

Abby said this was "one of the easier decisions" she made in the process.

"It felt like delivering her would be one of the last acts as her mom that I could take part in," she said through tears. "While that was hard, it was really not something I had to think super hard about."

The "graphic" procedure the couple spoke about is a D&E procedure, which is the most common procedure used in second-trimester induced abortions. However, in Abby's case, it would not have been used as an "induced abortion" because the baby had already died by miscarriage (spontaneous abortion). The procedure, however, would still have been the same. Abby's baby girl would have been removed in pieces using a Sopher clamp — treated as disposable.

The other option, which Abby chose, was an induced delivery at the hospital. This is exactly what it sounds like. Abby would go to the hospital, where she would likely be in a private delivery room, and labor would be induced. She would give birth to her stillborn daughter and would likely be given time to spend with her as a family after the delivery.

10/2/2025: TikTok influencer couple Matt and Abby Howard shared heartbreaking news with their followers over the weekend, announcing they had lost their third baby at 17 weeks of pregnancy.

Key Takeaways:

• Matt and Abby Howard, a TikTok couple who run the Unplanned Podcast, shared on Saturday that they lost their preborn daughter at 17 weeks due to a genetic condition.

• The couple has two young sons, ages 3 and 2, and they were looking forward to welcoming their third child.

• They had previously shared that this pregnancy was planned, whereas their second pregnancy was not, but that "every baby is a blessing."

The Details:

In a joint statement on Instagram on Saturday, September 27, the couple said, "It is with very heavy hearts that we share about the loss of our baby girl born far too soon."

The couple explained:

"At a routine pregnancy appointment, our doctor could not find a heartbeat. Shortly after they sent us in for an ultrasound where the technician said words we will never forget, 'I am so sorry[;] I do not have good news.' That is when we got the gender reveal we never hoped for and also the news that our baby had a genetic condition that took her life around 17 weeks gestation."

They called the experience "unimaginable" and said, "The grief is absolutely devastating." However, they added that they have "so much gratitude for the time that we did get to have with her. And we still have hope. Hope has continued to show up for us in so many ways."

"For now," they wrote, "we will grieve and continue to think of ways to honor her life offline. Thoughts and prayers are more than welcome. Thank you everyone for celebrating this precious life with us for the past 17 weeks."

Matt and Abby, who were high school sweethearts, have two sons, Griffin, age 3, and August, age 2. They have over 5 million followers and host the Unplanned Podcast together. They announced the pregnancy with their baby girl on their podcast just one month ago.

"We were genuinely so stoked when we read the positive pregnancy test. It was just like pure joy," said Matt.

Abby noted that it was a very different experience from their second pregnancy, which was unexpected and came very soon after welcoming their first child.

"...I do know that a lot of you out there can relate," said Abby. "Like, having an unplanned pregnancy is — every baby is a blessing and we love him and we cannot imagine our lives without our second son — but it's a totally different experience in early pregnancy, like first finding out when you're like expecting it, planning for it, looking forward to it, and then just like, completely feeling like you got the rug swipped out from under you."

Matt said he wanted to have more children because he realized the value of family over the holiday season and got excited about having a "big, lively, fun, joyful family."

The Bottom Line:

When those in the public eye are willing to openly share their grief about the loss of a preborn baby, it sends the message to others that it is normal to grieve the loss of a child, even if that child was still in the womb. That shared grief can help bring healing to those who have experienced similar loss, who often feel they are expected to suffer in silence or simply "get over it."

While openly sharing about pregnancy loss makes us vulnerable, it also allows others to grieve the loss with us and gives them permission to grieve their own pregnancy losses — something that starkly contradicts a world that so often treats preborn children as less than they really are.