“Important pregnancy milestone: he ties my shoes now.”
Parent Who Has Experienced Pregnancy Loss
For anyone who has walked the painful path of pregnancy loss, the arrival of a rainbow baby represents something profound—a testament to resilience, a symbol of hope emerging from the darkest of storms. This week, Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert welcomed their daughter into the world, a moment made all the more meaningful by the heartbreak that preceded it.
On Monday, January 5, the beloved Dancing with the Stars couple shared the news that their first child together had arrived. In a joint Instagram post, they revealed not only her birth but also her name: Everley Capri Hough, born December 29, 2025.
A Name That Carries Weight
Alongside a black and white photo of the couple embracing Everley's feet, Hough wrote words that will resonate deeply with any parent who has experienced loss before joy: "Every step of our lives has led us to you. Our hearts have been cracked wide open and our world is forever changed."
For those who have held hope through grief, these words carry layers of meaning. The acknowledgment that their hearts have been "cracked wide open" speaks to a truth that parents who have lost pregnancies understand intimately—that the capacity to love grows not despite heartbreak, but sometimes because of it. The journey to Everley was not a straight path, and Hough and Erbert have been remarkably open about that reality.
Breaking the Silence Around Miscarriage
The couple first announced their pregnancy in July 2025, using their friends' song "So Small" by Alexander Jean to share the happy news. But three months later, in October, they chose to share something far more vulnerable—the loss that came before.
In a joint Instagram post, Hough and Erbert revealed that prior to getting pregnant with Everley, they experienced a miscarriage. The timing of their disclosure was intentional and meaningful.
"There are some things in life that change you forever. For us, this is one of those things," Erbert wrote. "A chapter of love, loss, heartbreak, and everything in between. As we are now in October, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, we share this part of our story to honor our baby that never made it earthside."
These words—"our baby that never made it earthside"—acknowledge a truth that many grieving parents hold close: that the baby lost was real, was loved, and deserves to be remembered.
The Weight of "One in Four"
Erbert continued her October post with a statistic that, for many who have experienced pregnancy loss, serves as both validation and comfort: "One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage," she wrote, "a silent heartbreak so many families know, and one we unfortunately had to experience."
One in four. For those who have lived this reality, seeing these numbers acknowledged publicly by a well-known figure can be profoundly validating. Pregnancy loss often exists in shadows—whispered about, if mentioned at all. Many who experience miscarriage suffer in isolation, unsure how to grieve a loss that society often minimizes or overlooks. When public figures like Hough and Erbert speak openly about their experience, they help chip away at the stigma that keeps so many silent.
Erbert's description of miscarriage as "a silent heartbreak" captures something essential about this particular grief. It is silent because society often doesn't know how to hold space for it. It is silent because many who experience it don't know how to articulate the depth of their loss. And it is silent because, too often, those grieving feel they must move on quickly, without acknowledgment of what they've been through.
The Promise of the Rainbow
"As we share this, know that there's a rainbow not far behind," Erbert wrote in October, offering hope while honoring loss.
The term "rainbow baby"—a child born after pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or infant death—has become a meaningful way for parents to acknowledge both their grief and their hope. The rainbow appears after the storm, not erasing what came before but offering beauty and light in its wake.
For Hough and Erbert, Everley represents that rainbow. Her arrival doesn't erase the pain of their miscarriage, but she embodies the hope they held onto through their grief. Many parents who have experienced loss understand this duality—the joy of a new baby coexisting with the memory of the one who came before.
A Community of Support
The couple's famous friends quickly filled the comments with congratulatory messages. "She's Perfect 🥹," fellow dancer Mark Ballas wrote. "Congratulations to you both! So happy," Robert Irwin added.
Hough's sister, Julianne Hough added, "Welcome to the world sweet angel Everley 💗."
But beyond celebrity well-wishes, the couple's openness has created space for a broader community—those who have walked similar paths of loss and hope. By sharing their story during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, Hough and Erbert invited others into their experience and, in doing so, reminded countless parents that they are not alone.
