Our baby boy #2- Skyler Brennan Collier

This blog post is a combined effort of Austin and I. We’ve had an extremely rough day and wanted to express our thoughts of one of the most challenging experiences we’ve begun to endure.
At our last doctor appointment to check up on the triplets- two weeks ago- we were informed that our little boy, Skyler: the triplet in his own sac- had no amniotic fluid around him. He did have a heartbeat and was measuring normally at that time. But the fluid around a baby is part of what helps it develop and grow, so without this vital fluid, the baby is at a high risk of losing its life. We were told this news and warned with the possibility of this baby not making it.
Skyler has always been a fighter. From the very beginning of this pregnancy we were told that he had low fluid and that he was measuring smaller than the twins. And somehow, each week, after week, he has continued to hang in there and stay strong. So 2 weeks ago when we heard the scary news that his fluid level had dropped to nothing- we were extremely scared for him.
Over the past two weeks, many prayers have been said in our little boy’s behalf, as well as many stressful days as we awaited today’s appointment to see how he was doing.
After the ultrasound this afternoon- Austin and I thought everything was still ok with Skyler. He still was alive and kicking- but still with no fluid. However, our feelings of comfort were soon overshadowed with feelings of pain. We met with the doctor soon after our ultrasound to discuss how the babies were doing. After a brief discussion on our twins in the same sac- and how fantastic they are doing and how great they look---the attention turned to our sweet little boy.
As we watched the doctor begin to speak, her entire demeanor changed. Her tone of voice lowered and her expressions became sad. We knew something was not good. We were told that his situation has gotten much worse. He has a possible chromosomal disorder- meaning he has one of 3 conditions. Either down syndrome, trisomy 13, or trisomy 18. Both Trisomy 13 and 18 never result in a living baby. Even if I was able to keep Skyler to full term, he would not survive past the 1st day of life. If Skyler has down syndrome, that would also be most likely a fatal condition. He would be born prematurely, and therefore without the lung capacity to live. We were told that his odds of making it to birth with any of these conditions is slim to none. We would either lose this baby within the next few weeks, or deliver him stillborn.
All of this news carried bleak outcomes for a baby with so many other strikes against it already. The low fluid, which was already a concern from previous weeks. Also he has experienced a decrease in growth all of a sudden since our last visit—possibly signaling that he is close to losing his life. And on top of everything else that our poor little guy has had to endure, they were able to see today that his kidneys haven’t formed correctly- making the possibility of him ever gaining more amniotic fluid nearly impossible.
As we tried to soak in all of this new information, the reality hit us that we wont be able to keep this sweet boy that we’ve grown so attached to over the past 18 weeks. We won’t ever get to raise this boy to adulthood and see him get married. His life seems to have served us a different purpose. Apparently Heavenly Father may need him more than we do and we need to grow from this experience.
Whatever his outcome may be, whether we lose him soon, or lose him at birth- we will always be proud to have had him a member of our family. We are so proud of how hard he fought to stay alive so long. We are going to severely miss him and we wish we could’ve had the chance to show him how much he is loved. Austin and I are absolutely heartbroken. Losing a child is something we never predicted us going through. We’ve made it so far that we really feel like Skyler already has a personality of his own that we’ve grown to love. Our hearts ache over the possibility of losing of such a special little boy.
We will keep everyone posted as to the current situations. For now, we have 3 living babies in my tummy, and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We hope the best for our little Skyler, and we’ll keep him in our prayers until we have to reach that painful day.
So, Skyler- this is for you:
Mommy and Daddy love you so much. We have been so blessed to have had you join our family for such a short time so far. Your older brother Kaden would’ve loved to grow up with you here on earth, but we all know that your purpose here was for a much greater cause. To show this family how it feels to love and care. To give us perspective on life itself, and to bless our lives tremendously. Despite all the odds that were stacked against you- you’ve been a fighter and we are so proud of your efforts. You’ve got many members of your extended family that have loved and prayed for you since you started, and they will greatly miss you as well, should Heavenly Father decide that you will be needed in His presence. Thank you for being so strong and giving us your joy thus far. We want you to know that if you indeed must leave us, you will be welcomed with open arms in Heaven. You have a Heavenly Father, and a Savior that love you so much. You will loved and cared for until the day when we all will get to see you once again.
With much love,

Daddy, Mommy, and Kaden