Christina Milian's younger sister Danielle is mourning the death of her newborn son Richie just hours after giving birth to him. The reality star's son was diagnosed with Omphalocele, a birth defect that causes internal organs to grow outside of the baby's body during the mother's pregnancy.
"Yesterday I was blessed with the birth of my Richie Bear. Unfortunately, last night he took his place with the Lord and we said goodbye," she captioned a photo with her son's handprint on her chest. "I so appreciate the prayers and support from everyone. He touched my heart and was perfect in so many ways."
The celebrity hair and makeup stylist shared the exciting news about her son's birth on Tuesday, posting a photo of little Richie's tiny foot, with the caption, "Baby Richie has arrived! #prayersup for my #babyboy .. He is already a fighter."
The 29-year-old reality star and her husband Richard Dickerson learned about their unborn child's condition in March and were reportedly advised to terminate the pregnancy.
"I was told there's almost a 53 percent chance of mortality," she told US Weekly at the time. "I said to (Richard), 'Could you live with this?' Because I know can. I know I could be in a hospital every day. As a mother, I will do whatever it takes for my child...No matter how long he has in this world, I could not imagine taking his chance away."
Danielle admitted to seeking comfort from parents who had children with the same condition, saying, "These support groups have been really important for me. They have opened up my eyes [to realize] there is survival and that these children can thrive. I recently met a woman who's in her fifties who has survived this and doing well. That lets me know I've made the right decision."
Christina admitted in a simple statement via Page Six that Riche's death is a "tremendous loss for her family" and added that her sister and brother-in-law are strong individuals and her family will "get through this [heartbreaking] time together." The "Dip it Low" singer also thanked her fans for their prayers during this difficult time."
Milian and Dickerson have a 1-year-old daughter named Naomi, and the reality star has an 8-year-old son named Daniel from a previous relationship.
A photo posted by Danielle Milian (@danielle_milian) on Aug 26, 2015 at 12:19pm PDT
