Reflecting on the past. After James Van Der BeekYour wife Kimberly Van Der Beek suffered multiple miscarriages, they’ve been candid about grieving their losses.
The Dawson’s Creek alum, 45, shared a throwback snap from December 2019 “just” after the married couple lost a baby “18 weeks into pregnancy.” At the time, the actor noted he had a “collaboration going south” and was just “booted off a reality dancing competition I’d been favored to win,” referring to his Dancing With the Stars Season 28 appearance.
“So, last minute, we rented an #RV, and headed north. There was no real plan. It was just day-today. Late one night we pulled into a quaint little RV park I’d booked a few hours earlier, and woke up next to this river,” James wrote in his Friday, August 19, Instagram post. “And thus began the process — not necessarily of healing — but of being present. Present to the pain. Present to the beauty around you. And present to the acceptance of being in a process I did not understand.”
The Connecticut native then shared a carousel of snaps of his brood earlier this month “after another late-term pregnancy loss” as they returned to the same location with their rainbow baby, Jeremiah, who was born last year.
“Reflecting back on that first trip, I’m astounded by how much I didn’t know about the path to where I am now and by how much peace I was able to feel in the midst of that darkness,” James continued in his social media upload. “Whatever you’re going through, if you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, or even know where to look for it. I invite you to not underestimate the power of a little change of environment and of taking the time to sit exactly where you’re at. Healing takes place at its own pace. Presence might just be a pre-requisite.”
The Varsity Blues actor and the 45-year-old film producer — who wed in 2010 — share daughters Olivia, 11, Annabel, 8, Emilia, 6, and Gwendolyn, 4, and sons Joshua, 10, and Jeremiah, 8 months.
Prior to Jeremiah’s arrival into the family, the couple suffered two back-to-back miscarriages.
“My wife Kimberly went through every expectant parent’s worst nightmare. We lost the baby,” the actor tearfully shared during a November 2019 episode of DWTSOne month after her announcement of her pregnancy, she gave birth to her baby girl. “The little soul that we had expected to welcome into our family took a shortcut to whatever lies beyond. These things happen, and you never know why. That’s what I’ve been telling my kids.”
Kimberly and James have been open about the healing process after their loss.
“Recovery goes in stages,” the Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23 Exclusively told by alum Us Weekly March 2020. “You want to be better and then you realize you’ve got another little thing to unpack. So, we’re just being there for each other and allowing ourselves to be in the process. The family is doing really well.”
