Brendi and Tyler Hazelton have been through a lot in their short marriage. Between battling infertility due to endometriosis, suffering multiple miscarriages, getting pregnant with twin boys only to lose one of them at birth, more miscarriages, and finally, another rainbow to complete their family.

Brendi and her husband Tyler met at a young age. They quickly fell in love and got married. Brendi couldn’t wait to be a mother, however, they suffered from infertility during the first three years of their marriage. Brendi had three different surgeries for endometriosis during that time. They were finally able to conceive their first girl after 4 years of trying. They named her Lucy Hope but miscarried her just days after finding out.

She got pregnant with twin boys soon after and was able to carry them for 24 weeks. Although Brendi’s twins were born at 24 weeks gestation according to the paperwork and were treated, Bear passed away three days later while Noah survived.  Had the twins been born before the 24-week mark the chances of them surviving would have been extremely low because it was less than the age of viability at that time.

Thankfully, a recent executive order (13952) signed by the President of the United States in 2020 (after the birth of her twins) granted a chance at life for all children. It states, “every infant born alive no matter the circumstances of her or her birth, has the same dignity and the same rights as every other individual and is entitled to the same protections under federal law.”

This is an executive order from the President of the United States saying that any infant born alive deserves the right to treatment and the best chance at life. This executive order is crucial in saving the lives of many babies like Bear and Noah who are born early for various reasons. Doctors and nurses take an oath to serve and do everything possible to save thief patients.

A study published in the International  Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine on gestational age showed that the chance of survival at 23 weeks with 1 morbidity was 8.7 percent and out of 23 infants 13% survived to discharge. In the state of Georgia, hospitals\medical staff will not treat a baby before 24 weeks even if it’s within hours of that gestational age.

Brendi said “Noah is the warrior that’s still here with us today. Bear is so perfect in every way possible and watches over Noah and our family from the other side. We love our boys so much.” After Bear and Noah were born, they went on to have more pregnancies/losses.

These devastated Brendi and sent her into a deep depression. She did not even want to try for another child as she had given up hope of being able to carry it to term. Through their faith, however, they decided to try one more time before continuing their original path to get a surrogate. Brendi was able to get pregnant and thanks to special medical procedures that kept her cervix closed were able to carry her rainbow baby to term.

“I have never made it THIS far in any of my other pregnancies.” She said during out interview at her maternity session. “I am now 32 weeks, and she is so healthy. God is so good. He ALWAYS has a plan and will always help his plan happen, no matter how many miracles it takes.”

Her angels and children are as follows

Lucy Hope- due Jan 2017, miscarried 1st trimester

Bear and Noah- are identical twins born on February 14, 2017. Bear passed away 3 days later, and Noah is 5 years old.

Angel Baby 2 due July 2018, miscarried early

Angel 3 due May 2019 miscarried early

Fox due February 2021 miscarried early

Baby Brinleigh is due at the end of May 2022.

The Mayo Clinic defines Endometriosis as  “a painful disorder in which tissue like the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus, grows outside your uterus…Endometriosis can cause pain, sometimes severe, especially during menstrual periods. Fertility problems also may develop.”

Many women suffer from this disease. More than you might realize. If you think about the statistic surrounding infertility (1 in 8 women) and miscarriage or pregnancy loss (1 in 4 women) then the statistics around endometriosis and its effect on both of those begin to make more sense.

According to the article “Facts about Endometriosis” on Endometriosis.org  “Endometriosis affects an estimated 1 in 10 women during their reproductive years (ie. usually between the ages of 15 to 49), which is approximately 176 million women in the world.” . When you consider these statistics, think about your friends or family. For example, if you have 10 friends in high school.1 in 10 of those friends will have endometriosis. Say you know 50 women at church. 5 of those 50 women will be diagnosed with endometriosis at varying stages. Say you have 4 sisters. 1 out of 4 of you will experience miscarriage and/or pregnancy loss during your lifetime. Say you have 8 aunts in your family. 1 out of 8 will experience infertility.

Due to her endometriosis, Brendi was only able to carry 3 of her children to live birth. Her twin boys and her baby girl Brinleigh. Like Brendi, many women suffer from multiple pregnancy losses.

Infertility is just as common as miscarriage and infant loss, and sometimes they go hand in hand. In cases such as women with endometriosis, it can cause both miscarriage and infertility.

This graphic shows statistics on pregnancy loss in the UK. According to March of Dimes for every 100 pregnancies, 10-15 of them will end in miscarriage usually in the first trimester. “As many as half of all pregnancies may end in miscarriage. We don’t know the exact number because a miscarriage may happen before a woman knows she’s pregnant. Most women who miscarry go on to have a healthy pregnancy later”  

One of the things that no one thinks about when asking women or families when they will have a baby or when they will have the next one, is how it makes them feel. Women/families who are going through infertility or miscarriage may have a feeling of guilt, they may be depressed, they may feel ashamed, and they may have high levels of anxiety surrounding a new pregnancy.

One thing Brendi did to help her get through her final pregnancy was to be prepared and learn from her earlier losses. She said “I was able to be mindful of my last pregnancies to know how best to protect this one.”

This included taking medication beginning at week four to keep her pregnant, Having the cerclage surgery done early on to prevent any issues, being on strict pelvic rest as well as going to a high-risk doctor. Because of all these things, she is currently almost 37 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby girl. There is hope for everyone who is going through this storm.