Brittany and Brandon were thrilled when they discovered they were expecting a baby in the summer of 2014. But, their happiness turned to heartbreak when they suffered a stillbirth three weeks before the expected due date.
At the hospital, the Georgia couple took photos with the baby boy they named Carter and shared them on social media.
“It’s okay to show your pictures of your babies. Those are still your babies, they will always be your babies," Brittany told Fox 5 Atlanta.
The loss is classified as a stillbirth rather than a miscarriage when the pregnancy is 20 or more weeks. In the United States, there are approximately 24,000 cases each year, according to statistics.
Brittany decided she wanted to do something to help others who have suffered a loss like hers (much like the Staleys who also tried to raise awareness for stillbirths.)
Along with her cousin, Amber, who tragically had two stillbirths, Brittany created 3angelbabies.com. On the website, both women have shared their stories in hopes that it would comfort others who have been through this devastating loss.
“Some mothers have said because of our stories, they feel as if they can finally talk about their own losses," Brittany said.
See her full story, along with photos, below…
Like any couple hoping for children, Brittany Richardson and Brandon Combs were ecstatic when they discovered they were expecting in the summer of 2014. And seeing the ultrasound for the first time was even more thrilling.
“I'll never forget the moment I saw him… he was so tiny and looked like a peanut,” Brittany wrote on her website, 3angelbabies.com. “Brandon and I both started to cry immediately after seeing him. It is a feeling you can't describe. Just knowing you are going to be a 'Mom and Dad' is the greatest gift God can give you.”
In the following weeks, the couple found out they were having a boy and so they started to decorate the baby’s room with a touch of blue. They also had a frame with his name: Carter.
The pregnancy was going great. Friends and family threw Brittany a lovely baby shower and her baby bump kept growing.
But, by January 2015, when Brittany was around 36 weeks, she began feeling ill and started having Braxton Hicks contractions. She also noticed the baby hadn’t moved for several hours.
Brittany also recalled her dog's demeanor completely shifting at this time.
"Bella was beginning to act very strange. She would walk around the house shaking like she was scared to death. I could not figure out what was scaring her. Now looking back, I truly believe she sensed something was wrong with me and was scared," she said.
When she went for a checkup, Brittany received devastating news: She would have a stillbirth.
"They turned the lights off and put the Doppler on my belly. I saw the TV screen for a few seconds with a baby that was still, and then heard the most terrifying words of my life, 'Brittany, there is no heartbeat,' " she recalled.
Calling her significant other to tell him the news was a "gut-wrenching" moment she said she will never be able to forget.
Brittany’s doctor, Dr. Gandhi, sent her straight to the hospital, where she had to deliver Carter. The baby weighed 5 lbs. 14 oz.
That's when doctors discovered the problem stemmed from blood clots in the baby's umbilical cord and the placenta.
"I sat up in the bed and had Brandon come sit beside me. I handed Carter to him and we both kissed his round cheeks and told him how much we loved him," she wrote. "We took pictures of his hair and of the two of us with him. I'm so glad we have all the pictures because I look at them almost every day."
The loss was heartbreaking for the couple. And so was having to bury their baby.
"When the burial was over, Brandon and I hugged as many people as we could and said our final goodbye to Carter. We had our picture taken with his casket and I'm so glad we did this," she wrote.
But, Brittany said she found comfort in a thought: "God was holding my baby and Carter was perfectly fine."
Now, the couple is ready to start trying to get pregnant again. But, they will never forget little Carter. (The photo above shows them holding a swing with Carter's name on it made by another family.)
"Another baby would never be able to replace Carter but I know in my heart that I have a spot that needs to be filled and having a baby would fill that," she wrote on the day Carter would have been 6 months old in July 2015. "I was born to be a mother and I know Brandon is going to be the most amazing dad!"
Brittany and Brandon's decision to share their story with the world to help others is courageous and moving. It's also inspiring to see them moving forward. Please SHARE to help others who have suffered through something so tragic.
