At 42 years old, Amy found herself unexpectedly pregnant with triplets. What could have been a moment of fear became a testimony of faith. Despite medical pressure to “selectively reduce” her babies, Amy chose life for all three. 

Today, nearly 12 years later, Amy says her boys are thriving.

A faith planted early

Amy’s pro-life beliefs have been with her for as long as she can remember. She grew up attending church, and although her relationship with Christ deepened later in life, her conviction about the value of life never wavered.

“I honestly cannot remember being anything but pro-life,” Amy says. “A baby is a baby, no matter if it’s born or not. It’s human life, and it’s always been a God-given gift.”

By the time she found herself unexpectedly pregnant at 42, Amy had already raised two children — a daughter born when she was 19 and a son born when she was 41.

The shocking ultrasound

Amy thought she knew what to expect when she went in for her first ultrasound. She laughs now, remembering the moment the technician spotted what looked like “double trouble.”

“I thought, twins? OK, that’s a shock,” Amy says. 

But then the room fell silent. The technician kept looking at the screen and called in another person to check.

“She said, ‘I think I see three,’” Amy remembers. “Triplets don’t run in my family at all. We were pretty shocked.”

An unexpected question

Amy and her husband were still processing the news when a man she had never met walked into the exam room. She does not know if he was a doctor or a nurse, but she has never forgotten what he said.

“The first thing out of his mouth [was], ‘Let’s talk about selective reduction,’” Amy recalls. “My first thought was, ‘Is he talking about my weight?’”

Selective pregnancy reduction is a procedure that reduces the number of embryos or babies in a multiple pregnancy, often from fertility treatments, to improve outcomes for the remaining embryos or to limit the number of babies carried to term.

Given Amy’s age, the doctor explained the procedure and the associated risks. He expressed concern that she might “not be able to handle it” and asked her to choose one or two embryos to reduce.

Amy did not hesitate.

She was shocked and confronted the doctor directly, telling him he was talking about killing her kids. Although he tried to backtrack, she stood her ground.

Frustrated by his arrogance, Amy told him, “We’re going to selectively reduce the number of people in this room by one — because you’re leaving.” 

Amy was angry that he assumed he could make that decision without understanding her faith or beliefs. She still thinks about that moment when she looks at her boys now. 

“Looking at my boys, [knowing] how perfectly healthy they are, [I wonder] which one would he have taken,” Amy says. “Which one of my kids would not be here right now, if I had listened to that man?”

Trusting God through it all

Despite carrying triplets at 42, Amy says her pregnancy was surprisingly smooth. She had no morning sickness, no aches or pains, stayed active caring for her toddler, and leaned on her faith daily.

Amy says she prayed extensively about how she would manage raising triplets, knowing that having three babies at once would be a challenge.

“I wasn’t worried about their health,” she says. “I wasn’t worried about them developing or anything like that. It was just kind of a given [that] they’re going to be fine [because] God gave me this gift and I just believed it.”

Throughout her pregnancy, Amy says her husband, father and brother were steadfast supporters.

At 29 weeks, doctors admitted Amy for preeclampsia. Two weeks later, her triplets were born via c-section.

Although the doctor warned it was unlikely all three babies would survive, Amy shares that her sons not only survived, but are thriving. She says they have experienced only minor health issues typical of children born prematurely and confidently states their chance of survival was always “100 percent.”

Sharing her story to give others hope

Amy never planned to share her story publicly. She hopes speaking out will remind other women that life is worth choosing, even in the face of doubt and pressure.

“There was no option,” Amy says. “I was going to have those babies, and there wasn’t anyone who was going to tell me otherwise.”

She wants women facing fear, pressure or isolation to know they are not alone, and that there are other options.

“I have someone very close to me who adopted out both of her kids, and they went to absolutely beautiful families,” she says. “She wasn’t ready to be a mom and she knew it. But rather than having an abortion, she went through and gave that child life.”

Although Amy did not have a formal support group or church network during her pregnancy, she says her faith, along with the support of her family, carried her through. 

She wants to remind other women that even if they have to face pregnancy alone, they do not have to navigate what comes after by themselves. Amy says there are support systems in place through churches and online resources — they just need to be sought out. 

“Shoot, call me!” she says. “There are people out there more than willing.”

Amy says she is thankful for every chance to share what she has been through. 

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to give a testimony,” she says. “I’ve been praying to God for opportunities to give my testimony. I’m a survivor of alcohol, survivor of cancer, [and a] survivor of triplets. So any chance I can share my testimony, I’m happy to.”

Amy’s encouragement to those facing an unplanned pregnancy:

“Shut out all those outside voices. Reach inside yourself, reach to God, and find your strength there. No one else can give it to you. And if you’re feeling like you can’t do it, there’s adoption. There are families waiting to love that baby. There’s always hope, and life is always worth it. God gave me this gift, and I chose life.”

Written by Melina Nicole.