Another sorrowful news: One of the Indianapolis Colts top players’ wives died while pregnant.
Ryan Kelly, an NFL player, and his spouse Emma are expecting two rainbow babies.
The couple exclusively tells PEOPLE that they are expecting twin boys, capping a nearly two-year journey that included in vitro fertilization, Emma’s struggles with infertility, and the death of their daughter Mary Kate 19 weeks into it.
Emma, 33, tells PEOPLE, “I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am.” “There was a point when I had serious doubts about our ability to arrive at this location. I genuinely have so much gratitude for every day.”
Emma describes her pregnancy as “tough physically,” but she still refers to their twins as “miracles.”
This time, there is a lot greater risk. During my first trimester, I was bedridden, which was extremely difficult and taxing,” she says. “But at the end of the day, every bit of it has been worth it — to feel them and watch us grow.”
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Emma, Ryan Kelly’s wife, is pregnant
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For the couple, reaching the halfway point of the pregnancy has been “pretty bittersweet”. When Emma found out that her daughter’s “little heart just stopped for reasons unknown” and that she would have to give birth, she was 19 weeks along with the couple’s first child.
“Recently passing that bittersweet milestone has brought about a lot of emotion. and going farther than before right now,” Emma remarks.The 30-year-old center for the Indianapolis Colts says he was aware that their daughter’s passing would garner some attention. But what he never anticipated was the wave of support he received after disclosing that Mary Kate’s passing was the reason he missed a significant game.
We just shared it at the time because so many people were asking questions. People wanted to know why I wasn’t present because we were playing a big game. We first disclosed it in order to put an end to inquiries,” says Ryan. “The unforeseen side effect was all these people reaching out to us sharing their story of loss — whether it’s five months ago, five days or 50 years ago.”
“It didn’t bring our daughter back, but what happened in that moment, people reaching out that had gone through a similar situation, it was incredible,” he continues.
“‘How could this happen to us?’ was our question. We thought we were alone, but after hearing other people’s stories, we were able to share our own and, in a way, honor our daughter. It undoubtedly aided in our recovery.”
After Mary Kate passed away, the couple struggled to figure out how to continue growing their family, so finding a community that offered hope was helpful.
“Being parents has always been Ryan and my dream. With our big, gorgeous wedding and our daughter’s unexpected pregnancy, it was like something out of a fairy tale and seemed too good to be true, says Emma.
Emma, Ryan Kelly’s wife, is pregnant
Emma, Ryan Kelly’s spouse. 93-year-old Courtney Smith is a creative
“I was sitting in the hospital bed after giving birth when they took her from me, and I remember thinking, ‘I can’t live like this.'” I remember feeling so broken by its emptiness.”
Nothing could ever replace our daughter, I realized at that point, but I also knew we wanted to expand our family. I chose to have that conversation in the hospital because there was such a void in me after they took her and I knew we would never see her again,” she remembers. “I remember looking over at him and saying ‘We’re going to keep trying, right?'”
“We carried out that action. After giving birth to my daughter, I had to wait three or four months to recover from the complications of losing her and the traumatic birth experience. We made another attempt and continued for nearly 11 months.”
She describes the moment as “heartbreaking,” stating, “Imagine when all you want is a family, and we’re at the age where that’s all you see — everyone around you is pregnant, especially in the NFL world.”
Naturally, it’s incredibly beautiful, but when you want something, even though you’re trying your hardest, following all the right procedures, and seeing a lot of medical professionals, it can be extremely painful. Then, after already losing a child you desperately wanted, month after month, it’s negative pregnancy test after negative pregnancy test,” Emma adds.
“We’re coming out of some of our darkest months, the darkest two years of our life.”
The couple talked about seeing an infertility specialist after Emma broke down and got her period during a heartbreaking Thanksgiving.
“We just had to admit that we needed help and I want to talk about that because, at first, I thought a lot about shame in admitting that I needed that help,” Emma explains.
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