Why We Walk Wednesday! Riley, Baylee and Charleigh

This is my first year walking for March for Babies. In February 2014, my husband and I found out we were expecting. We were surprised at first, of course, but very happy to be given such a wonderful gift. In April, we found out we had triple the gift when it was revealed on an ultrasound that we conceived spontaneous triplets. We were beyond words and everything changed at that moment. As first time parents, we were scared to death. I was closely watched by several doctors and followed a different set of rules. We were expecting all girls. Two identicals Baby A Riley and Baby B Baylee and Baby C Charleigh, our fraternal.

My pregnancy was healthy for the most part and all three little girls were growing beautifully. Everything was great until June 30, 2014, which is a day I will never forget. It was a routine ultrasound that I received biweekly. They had found that Baylee’s heart had stopped suddenly, and they were unsure of the reason. There wasn't any sign of twin to twin or anything else. My heart broke to pieces and it will never be the same again. Since she was my middle baby, I would need to continue to carry her until I gave birth to her sisters. I was around 23 weeks along so she would still be born, just silently and very small. She was 5 oz at birth. Since I had to continue to carry her, my risk for preterm labor and other difficulties increased more than it already was. The rest of my pregnancy was full of fear and anxiety. I was watched even closer now, and by the gift of God, wonderful doctors and research, I made it to October 6 (36 weeks and 2 days). My late preemies did not need the NICU despite Charleigh being 4lbs due to becoming growth restricted and developing cord flow issues.

I am forever thankful for my doctors to getting me and my babies as far along as possible and watching us closely to keep us safe. My story could have turned out worse than it already was and that is unimaginable. I have decided that I want to do something every year for the good of others in honor of Baylee and my surviving triplets, Riley and Charleigh. What could be more appropriate than March for Babies? I want to help other families like ours. I want to help them have a better outcome than we did and be able to take all of their babies home whether they gave birth to one or to multiples. I want all babies and pregnant women to have the best care possible. I feel that I made it as far as I did because of the care I received and it is important for that level of care to continue to grow. Fundraising for this cause in honor of Baylee is helping my healing process, and I am just excited to make this a tradition.