Lauren Alaina reflected on a vulnerable moment that took place between the sudden loss of her father and the moment she discovered she was pregnant with her first child.

Earlier this month, Alaina, 30, marked one year since losing her father, J.J. Suddeth. She admitted, “I really don't have words yet,” when she shared the news last year. Alaina dropped out of a few performances and returned to the stage one week later. The “Heaven Sent” artist shared a clip of that performance on Tuesday evening (July 29), remembering that moment between losing her father and finding out weeks later that she was expecting Baby No. 1.

“I wish I could give this version of me a hug. This show was a week after I unexpectedly lost my dad. I was completely broken. Then weeks later I found out that I was pregnant. Two life altering moments so close to each other. This year changed me. I lost pieces of me while also discovering new parts that I didn’t know could exist. I don’t let the little things upset me or bring me down like I did before. I’m choosing to live every day being thankful for this girl that kept going when all she wanted to do was cry.”

“I made a promise to my brother that I was going to dream again. So I did ❤️,” Alaina added in her caption on Instagram.

Alaina announced her pregnancy earlier this year, when she premiered her “Those Kind Of Women” music video. The video ended with a dedication to Alaina’s mother “and our sweet Baby Arnold coming summer 2025.” The former American idol runner-up and her husband, Cam Arnold, welcomed daughter Beni Doll Arnold last month. Alaina said at that time that her daughter is “absolute perfection.”

She released “Heaven Sent” when she announced Beni Doll’s arrival, and since then, the singer-songwriter has shared sneak peeks of an unreleased ballad titled “Little Things.”

“I can’t call my dad anymore,” Alaina wrote in a tribute to her father one year after losing him. “I can’t tell him about the things happening in my world right now, so I wrote him a song. It’s called ‘Little Things.’ It’s not just a song, it’s an open letter to him. A way of telling him how my heart and perspective have changed since he left us. I want him to know that his passing opened my eyes to so much. To prioritize my mental health. To call people back when I say I’m going to. To share if I’m struggling. To let go of things that don’t matter and focus on what does. To be quick to forgive. To be kinder. To be slow to anger. To love harder and deeper. I hope he would be proud.”