“I forgot to tell you a really important story about the seventh baby.”
Country singer Drake White and his wife Alex White had some devastating news to share with fans.
On Sept. 7, Alex White took to Instagram to share a heartbreaking image of the couple holding their newborn baby girl nearly four months after announcing their pregnancy in May.
In the caption, Alex White revealed that their daughter, born premature at 29 weeks, died 20 minutes after her birth.
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“On Sunday, August 31st our precious daughter, Della Elizabeth White, went peacefully to be with Jesus,” she wrote in the caption.
“We are so thankful for the holy moments God gave us with her. The Lord has been so near and close to us during this difficult time. He has held us up and sustained us through it all,” she continued.
Alex White added that the couple are “heartbroken” and “soul tired.”
“We know we will get through this difficult time with the strength, peace, and joy that only our Heavenly Father can provide. May Della be held in the arms of Jesus until we see her again someday,” she wrote.
Della Elizabeth was born at 8:52 a.m. on Aug. 31. She died peacefully at 9:12 a.m. that same day.
The name Della is often used as a diminutive to names like Adela or Adelaide, meaning “nobleness” or “nobility” in German, according to Behind the Name.
It can also be a short form of Delilah, meaning “delicate” or “weak” in Hebrew, per Behind the Name.
As for the baby girl’s middle name, Elizabeth comes from the Hebrew name Elisheva and translates to “oath to God” or “my God is an oath,” according to Behind the Name.
According to the Social Security Administration, Della was given to 518 baby girls in 2024, while Elizabeth ranked as the 17th most popular girl’s name.
Drake White and Alex White previously opened up about their fertility issues
Drake White and Alex White recently celebrated their 11-year wedding anniversary in June.
The couple started trying for a baby naturally in 2017, but ended up consulting with Nashville Fertility in 2018 and undergoing several rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI), according to People.
The next six years were defined by a handful of health complications and fertility issues for the pair.
Drake White had a stroke while performing on stage in 2019 and was later diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), according to his biography on his website.
One year later, Drake White’s wife was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) — a rare neurological disorder, per People.
They, again, tried IUI before deciding to start in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in 2022.
In September 2022, the couple took to Instagram to share the exciting news that they were pregnant with their first child — a rainbow baby after years of struggling to conceive.
Alex and Drake White welcomed their miracle boy named Willam Hawk on Jan. 20, 2023, per Instagram.
Two years later, on May 13, the couple shared another baby announcement on Instagram — this time expecting a baby girl (also conceived through IVF) to be born in November.
“Hawk’s big brother duties are about to begin! We’re excited to welcome a baby girl to our family this November,” Drake White wrote in the caption.
The country music community was quick to share their condolences following the newborn girl’s death.
“I am so sorry. Praying for you. Jesus is near the broken hearted! Cover them Jesus,” RaeLynn wrote under the couple’s Sept. 7 post.
“My hearts aches for you. Sending so much love and prayer your way,” Lauren Alaina wrote.
“I am so sorry. I love you and I’m praying for you all. No one should ever go through this kind of pain. I know your sweet girl will always be in your heart and watching over you,” Jessie James Decker added.
“I am so so very incredibly sorry to hear this. Heartbroken for you both. Sending you both love. No one should ever have to go through the loss of a child,” Terri Clark commented.
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In 2018, Drake White and Terri Clark collaborated on a song called “The One That Got Away,” which was featured on Clark’s album “Raising the Bar.”
