Australian influencer Leah Jay has announced the devastating loss of her newborn daughter Rowe, just months after undergoing emergency open heart surgery while pregnant in an ordeal that put both her own life and her unborn baby’s at serious risk.
Jay shared the news on Instagram on Friday, posting a black-and-white photograph of herself and partner Michael Ramsey cradling their infant daughter in a hospital bed. “Our daughter. Rowe. The strongest little girl we will never get to know,” she wrote. “You made it through infections and multiple surgeries, even when the odds were against you. But it just wasn’t your time. We are absolutely devastated. Rest peacefully. Love always, mum, dad and your big brother Reeves.”
In a separate post to her Instagram stories, Jay shared another image of herself gently kissing Rowe, writing: “My beautiful girl. She looked identical to her brother.”
Tributes poured in from friends and fellow influencers. Model Simone Holtznagel wrote: “I am so sorry for your loss.” Influencer Jade Brycki added: “Leah I’m so so sorry. Rowe is a beautiful name. All she ever knew was your comfort, warmth and love. Thinking of you all during this time xxx.” Footy WAG Bec Judd wrote: “I’m so sorry my love. Absolutely heartbroken for your family. You have endured so much.”
The loss comes after an extraordinarily difficult pregnancy for Jay, who is based in Texas and is also mother to three-year-old son Reeves. Just days after announcing she was expecting her second child, Jay noticed her leg had become swollen and painful. Doctors discovered a blood clot and she underwent emergency surgery, only to find the clot had been caused by a strep infection that had been present in her body for a year, resulting in a mitral valve vegetation on her heart.
“I kept thinking it was just bad luck, pregnancy symptoms, or that I needed to push through it,” Jay said in January. “But my body was trying to tell me something much bigger.”
She and Ramsey transferred to a specialist heart surgery unit, where Jay underwent a six-hour open heart surgery to replace the affected valve, during which her heart was stopped for 80 minutes. Ahead of the operation, Ramsey wrote that there would be “significant risks for the baby,” but added: “Leah is our main priority right now. If all goes well, she could be out of the hospital four to five days post-surgery. Leah is doing well all things considered, taking each step in her stride and being brave in the process.”
In May, Jay shared a video montage documenting her recovery, including footage of herself working out at the gym and ringing a bell in the hospital ward to mark a milestone. “Graduated cardiac rehab. Couldn’t be happier,” she wrote at the time.
