Chris and Amber Lumpkin’s marriage and family started normal. They have a special story that sets them apart because their miscarriage happened after 2 healthy pregnancies. They miscarried their third child but their hope after the storm came in the form of the sweetest twin rainbow babies.

Amber and Chris met at a funeral home in 2007 at the funeral of Chris’s cousin’s baby who passed away. Amber was friends with the cousin and came to support them. They clicked and were later married in 2009.

 “I quickly became pregnant with our first child, Isaac. The pregnancy was high risk due to blood pressure” she said. “Twenty-two months later we welcomed our second child, a girl, LilyBelle.  This pregnancy went smoothly, and they continued trying for more children without precautions.

According to CDC.gov on high blood pressure in pregnancy, “Some women have high blood pressure during pregnancy. This can put the mother and her baby at risk for problems during the pregnancy. High blood pressure can also cause problems during and after delivery” These conditions are known as pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. To learn more about these conditions please check out these links: ACOG- Preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy or MAYOCLINIC- Pregnancy.

“Fast forward to late August or early September of 2014. I had a feeling that I was pregnant, but my period was the worst period of my life. . . The following Monday, I went to work and was asking my female co-workers about miscarriages. I made an appointment for the next day” she said. “My pregnancy test was faintly positive, but the doctor said to come back on Thursday, September 11^th. We held out hope because that was all we had. Thursday, the ultrasound confirmed our worst fear. Baby Hope was gone.”

Miscarriage can happen before a woman even knows she is pregnant. According to the National Library of Medicine article on Miscarriage, “It is estimated that as many as 26% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage and up to 10% of clinically recognized pregnancies.”

Regarding her miscarriage and how she felt afterward, Amber said, “The brain is a fickle thing, and the trauma of miscarriage is real, and you feel so alone. I wanted that baby.”

She found out she was pregnant again in December 2014. She made an appointment for the following Monday. After speaking to a co-worker, she had a slight suspicion that she was pregnant with twins. 

“The ultrasound tech was so kind and had been with us in September. She started jumping up and down saying do you know what that means? It was twins. Our sweet double rainbow” Amber said.

Her twin pregnancy was the easiest physically but the hardest mentally. She had watched others experience loss during late pregnancy including during a twin pregnancy, so it was always at the back of her mind. The twins were born healthy after a somewhat easy pregnancy on July 16, 2015. Nicholas John was named after her friend who was killed when they were young and her uncle, and Natalynn Hope were named after their sweet baby Hope. 

Amber said “If you know someone who has or is going through a pregnancy/infant loss or infertility. Please know that just because they smile each day doesn’t mean they are not hurting, sad, angry, or lonely…But it’s not their fault or your fault. Love them and don’t add any extra shame to the shame they already feel.”

Chris also told his side of the story and how the loss affected him and what he did to try to help both himself, his older kids, and his wife to get through it.

He said, “when we found out she lost the baby, I was crushed not only because we had a child we would never be able to meet on this side of life, but I also saw my wife hurt in a way I’d never seen her hurt before. I felt helpless. I sat down and went through the bible and wrote down the verses that I felt might bring her some comfort. But the loss of a child no matter the circumstance is unbearable pain.”

When they found out they were pregnant again and that it was twins, all he felt was joy and fear. “I prayed we wouldn’t have to go through the loss of a child again. We went to the doctor, and they did the test and it returned positive. We saw the same ultrasound tech we had seen that day we had lost the last baby” he said. “Twins! I was speechless. That was the longest 37 weeks of our lives. The day they were born, and we were able to hold them in our arms, I was so happy, and I saw a sparkle in my wife’s eyes once again. Although we will always remember and mourn the loss of our child, we will forever be grateful for our rainbow babies.”

Pregnancy loss can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter what race or religion or how much money you make. Look around at the grocery store, at church, and at school; 1 in 4 of the women you know have suffered some form of pregnancy loss or will during their lifetime.