Jane’s Story
On July 6, 2011, we found out that our lives would be forever changed. We were going to have a baby. Since before marriage we were looking forward to having children together and our first, much to our surprise, was going to be a girl. Berkley was ecstatic that she would be able to utilize her favorite color, pink, in every aspect of this little girls’ life, swearing that it would be the baby’s favorite color too.
Pregnancy was fairly easy for Berkley, minus the general fatigue and backaches here and there. She truly enjoyed being pregnant, but also could not wait to meet our little girl. We had started to get everything ready and set for her eventual arrival. The clothes and blankets were washed and folded in the laundry room, the crib and dresser had arrived, and we were getting more and more excited. However, on January 24, 2012 everything changed.
Berkley had felt a lack of movement from the baby. She called the doctor who told her to come in for a quick check and monitor of the baby. Feeling a little relief, we headed to the hospital. Once we got back to the room, the nurse squirted the jelly on Berkley’s 32 ½ week pregnant belly and then there was silence. She frantically moved the doppler all around, waiting for the sound of the baby’s heart. Nothing. Doctors and nurses came in with an ultrasound machine and confirmed what they already knew, our baby had died.
We chose to be admitted and induced labor immediately. 19 hours later, on January 25, 2012 at 7:24pm, Jane Berkley Wellstein was born still. She had her father’s facial features, blonde hair, and her mother’s fingers and toes. She was beautiful.
While we are still and always will be devastated by our loss, we feel blessed by the 32 ½ weeks of pregnancy and hours we were able to hold our baby girl.
It is our goal to keep Jane’s memory alive and to help make a difference for grieving families in our community. It is with and through the love and support of our family, friends, doctors and incredible nurse’s, that we made it through these most difficult days of our life.
