Mother Refuses Abortion for One of Her Triplets: ‘He Was in Me and He Was Safe’

By Kelli
National Right to Life

Tracey Kirby was shocked and excited when she learned she was pregnant with three boys – one singleton and a set of twins. But at 18-19 weeks, doctors found that the twins had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, in which the blood vessels of the twins’ shared placenta are connected, resulting in one twin receiving too much blood and the other not receiving enough.

Doctors suggested a “selective reduction,” but Tracey and husband Paul were adamantly against it. Tracey told the UK’s Mirror, “The idea of selective reduction [terminating one or more fetuses in the pregnancy] was discussed, but it just wasn’t something I was willing to do. I just thought ‘I’m going to do the best I can for the three of them’.” She added that a selective reduction would have also put her at greater risk for miscarrying all three boys.

Even though Tracey’s pregnancy was a highly unusual circumstance, it is not uncommon for doctors to suggest selective reduction in pregnancies with multiples. Live Action News’ Rebecca Downs described the disturbing procedure in a previous article:

The method used by Dr. Mark I. Evans involves targeting one or more of the preborn children and inserting a needle of potassium chloride into his or her heart. Sometimes the babies move before succumbing to death and get the first needle in an arm or a leg, but once the needle enters a baby’s heart, it is fatal. The idea has alarmingly become a trend over the past few years.

Instead, Tracey had an ablation surgery — which “involves putting a needle and camera into the mum’s womb, and using a laser to seal off the connecting blood vessels in the shared placenta” — in an attempt to remediate the twins’ condition, and during the procedure all the triplets were visible.

Tracey told the Mirror of the twins, “… you could see their little finger nails and they both had blond hair.”

Sadly, the surgery was unsuccessful and the twin receiving too much blood passed away in the womb at approximately 25 weeks. “It was just such a complete shock. They said he’d probably had a cardiac arrest with all that extra blood pumping into his body,” Tracey told the Mirror. His parents named him Cayden (“little fighter” in Celtic), chosen because “he carried on fighting until his little heart gave up.”

Tracey carried all three boys for seven more weeks. “I knew [Cayden] was in there and with his brothers and I just wanted to keep things that way,” Tracey told the Mirror. “I saw a bereavement specialist and we started discussing the funeral.”

“Those seven weeks I had him in my tummy and I treasured that. I knew once they were born he would be gone. I liked that he was in me and he was safe. For the rest of my pregnancy I could talk to all three of them and I was happy they were all together,” she said.

Brothers Henry and James came into the world alive at 32 weeks. James was 3 pounds, 6 ounces, and Henry (the surviving twin) weighed just 1 pound, 8 ounces.

In the video above, Tracey speaks about receiving bereavement support after the loss of little Cayden. However, she’s reminded of the loss every time someone refers to the boys as “twins.” She told the Mirror, “… [I]t still hits me when people call the boys twins – they’ll always be triplets…. there isn’t a day goes by where we don’t think about Cayden.”

National Right to Life story continues

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call the Community Women's Center at  215-826-8090

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

Homeless Mom Gives Birth to Triplets After Refusing Abortion

By Nancy Flanders

Life News

When she first learned she was pregnant, Janey was at a loss for what to do. Homeless and sleeping on someone else’s couch with her 4-year-old daughter, having another child seemed to be not only an inconvenience, but a near impossibility.

Little did she know things were about to get even more complicated—and far more beautiful.

After a quick internet search, Janey found Pregnancy Resource Center of Rolla, Missouri. During her first appointment, she confirmed her pregnancy and had a long coaching session, discussing in detail the three options before her. She agreed to come back for another session and set an appointment for an ultrasound.

“The most empowering thing that we can do for women in this situation is our options coaching because coaching is really different from counseling,” explained Jane Dalton, the center’s client services director and program director for St. Raymond’s Society, a transitional home for women facing unexpected pregnancies.

“With options coaching, you’re talking to her about her options. It’s all about her and it’s all focused on her because, let’s face it, she’s the one who is in the situation. I’ve never coached someone who truly wanted to abort her baby. They just want out of the situation they are in. They don’t know how to get out of it except for abortion and it seems like it’s going to be quick and easy for them.”

Janey wanted to choose life for her baby, but before she could return to the center for her ultrasound appointment, she ended up in the emergency room with what appeared to be a dangerous complication to her pregnancy.

That’s where Janey learned via ultrasound she was pregnant with not one, but three babies.

“The ultrasound technician and nurse confirmed that there were three babies and they were extremely excited to see triplets, but I couldn’t stop crying at all,” Janey said. “The doctors tried to talk to me about it, but all I could think about was how my life was going downhill quickly.”

Dalton immediately offered Janey housing through St. Raymond’s Society, where she could also focus on planning for her and her children’s future.

“This is one of those really, really critical cases,” Dalton said. “It’s difficult for any woman at all to talk about having triplets. You kind of gasp. So that was definitely the situation with her. And it was the situation here at the center when she came in and we found out that it was not just a single baby but it was going to be triplets, and she was homeless and she was afraid. She just felt like she was against the wall.”

The triplets were born by C-section on June 30, 2017, at just 28 weeks gestation. Identical twin girls Taytum Raye and Arabella Skye each weighed two pounds, three ounces, and their brother, Xander Blayne, weighed two pounds, eight ounces.

The transitional home was ready with three cribs for the new family members, a toddler bed for big sister, and a bed for Mom.

“We have volunteers lined up to come in and help Janey through this difficult time,” Joe Dalton, the center’s executive director, said. “Her daughter is now 5 and has started kindergarten. We have volunteers that come in to help hold babies, rock babies, change diapers—whatever help is needed.”

While Janey transitions into life as a mother of four, the triplets’ father, Dustin, has also stepped up to play a key role in his family’s life. He was present at the babies’ birth and is looking to the Daltons and others for help with parenting skills as he embraces fatherhood.

Continue reading Life News and this amazing story

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. 

To read our Mission Statement, use this link. 

Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  

Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.


Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call or text 610-626-4006  

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.