TYLER, Texas — October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month.
Advocates call it a silent struggle and one you never forget. The loss of a child at birth whether by miscarriage, still birth, or infant loss.
A vulnerable moment for mothers and couples who have miscarriages or lose their infant before their first birthday.
Tyler residents Colten and Riley Claxton open up about how difficult it was to start their family.
"The process of making a child is still very much in God's hands," Colten Claxton said.
The couple married in December 2019 and a couple years later decided to start a family of their own.
Today the Claxton's continue to celebrate the birth of their baby Collins Claxton earlier this year. A momentous occasion after suffering two miscarriages beforehand.
"The issues didn't start right away," Riley Claxton said. "We got pregnant as soon as we started trying."
The first miscarriage occurred in July 2021 when Riley Claxton was about 10 to 11 weeks along. After visiting some friends, they went to visit a doctor because they felt something was off.
"They searched for a heartbeat with the doppler for a while, and then they finally had to go do an ultrasound," Colten Claxton said. "During that ultrasound the doctor told us that she couldn't find a heartbeat in the baby."
The doctor also said the fetus looked like it hadn't been growing for several weeks. The Claxton's said didn’t know how to handle the news.
"The initial shock was just okay, what happened?" Riley Claxton said. "What went wrong? Where do we go from here?"
After opening up to their community members at Green Acres Baptist Church, the Claxton's learned many of their friends were experiencing the same trauma.
"We just felt so loved and felt like our community had wrapped their arms around us," Colten Claxton said. "Like it was just such an experience of God's love and outpouring on our life."
The couple suffered a second miscarriage right after the first, but they were finally able to carry and successfully birth baby Collins Claxton. Collins is surrounded by the love and support the family has had since the start of their journey.
"I think our friends have done a really good job of walking with us through the sad but then celebrating this one so much," Riley Claxton said. "They love (Collins Claxton), they want to be around her all the time, and just got so excited that we could finally have her."
Today they hold their baby tight, and want other families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss to know they are not alone.
There are several outreach programs if you are a mother or couple going through a tough time.
Green Acres Baptist Church has their program Graceworks that offers counseling to the public.
Also available nationwide are Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support and the Center for Loss in Multiple Birth (CLIMB).