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Miami Herald

Alexa PenaVega shares tribute one year after ‘devastating loss' of daughter

Alexa PenaVega is remembering her stillborn daughter one year after her tragic birth. On April 13, the 36-year-old 'Spy Kids' actress took to Instagram to share an emotional hospital photo of her holding her stillborn daughter, Indy Rex, one year ago. In the caption, PenaVega described that moment as the 'most painful moment' she ever experienced. 'I remember it feeling so hard to breathe. Such a deep aching pain… How was this real? It didn't feel real. Every emotion flooded in at once' she wrote in the caption. 'And yet, despite devastating loss, we felt so held… so covered… a super natural peace,' PenaVega added in her caption. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 21,000 babies are stillborn every year in the United States — affecting roughly 1 in 175 births. That makes stillbirths just as prevalent as infant mortality, according to the CDC. While she admits the 'burden was too heavy' for her family to carry, her faith in God helped lift a lot of that weight off of their shoulders — and helped give her daughter's shortened life both meaning and purpose. 'Over this last year we have watched LIFE come out of her life,' she wrote. 'We watched people heal because of Indy. We watched grief lifted because of Indy. We watched relationships be restored…' 'God gave her life SO MUCH FRUIT … so much meaning and purpose,' she continued. The 'Sleepover' actress said her family still mourns over the tragedy and still wishes they could hold Indy Rex in their arms, but they know a time will come when they see her again. 'We know she is waiting for us in a place that is beyond anything we can imagine,' PenaVega wrote. PenaVega announced that she was expecting her fourth child with husband and former Big Time Rush member Carlos PenaVega in November 2023. 'Thank God we love adventures. Oh baby here we come! Número cuatro!' the couple wrote in a joint Instagram post at the time. Five months later, PenaVega shared the devastating news with her fans and followers. 'After a beautiful and peaceful delivery our daughter Indy was born at rest. It has been a painful journey. But in the pain we have found peace,' PenaVega wrote in an April 2024 Instagram post. 'This little girl has already changed our lives in so many ways. She was absolutely beautiful. And looked just like daddy. Dark hair and all,' she continued. In a December interview with E! News, PenaVega described Indy Rex as a 'chunky little girl' and talked about the perspective her family gained from the experience. 'We would cry and we hurt and we grieved, but we also celebrated. We also rejoiced,' PenaVega explained — further describing the experience as 'pain with purpose.' 'I hug my kids that I have here on Earth a little tighter, but I still feel so connected to Indy,' she added. 'I know she's up in Heaven. I know she's dancing with Jesus and having the best time ever.' PenaVega also shares sons Ocean, 8, and Kingston, 5, and daughter Rio, 3, with her husband, per ABC News.