In Memory of Our Precious Baby: Wyatt Colin Reid

My name is Robin Travis, and I am a Hope Mommy to Wyatt Collin Reid Travis. 

Our beloved son, Wyatt, was born sleeping on April 29, 2021. I should have been 18 weeks along at my appointment when I found out he had stopped growing around 16 weeks. I delivered him less than a week later in the same hospital that I delivered my living son, Parker, in. I cannot express or put into words the depth of pain when we left the hospital with empty arms that night. We were never able to find an "answer" as to why we lost him. His genetics were all normal and all the tests they ran on me as well as him did not show anything that would "explain" why we lost him. 

Before his delivery day, I began to research what to expect about the process and it led me to several personal experiences of other women. I had gone through labor with my oldest son Parker and so I knew the general idea of being induced and contractions and delivery, but I had so many more questions. The one thing I read that has stuck with me was from a mother who said what got her through going into full blown labor and delivery knowing that the result was ahead of time. She said giving him a dignified birth was the one gift she could give her baby. This one tiny thought from another mother is what got me through that day. 

I had not found the Hope Mommies Community before he was born. As most people can imagine I had very little sleep the days leading up to and after Wyatt's birth. During the middle of the night, I stumbled upon a Facebook friend suggestion that had presented itself many times before. This time I noticed a tiny little box in the corner of her picture. I was drawn to click on it, and it said, "I am one in eight, waiting in Hope". I was then led to look up what that meant. I had this feeling that it might apply to what I was going through, although I'm not sure why I had that thought at the time. One in eight could have meant anything. Google let me know that One in Eight women struggle with infertility. I too had struggled for 4 years before having our oldest son. I'm not sure why, but I decided to scroll down on her page and two posts in I read a post where she mentioned it being the one-year anniversary of her daughter being born sleeping on April 28th. I have also borrowed her description since then of "born sleeping" as it seems to be the most comfortable way for me to describe the experience. The next thing that jumped out to me was the name of her baby. While I was in the hospital, we were given a journal that belonged to the hospital. It was only given to parents who lost babies. We could write thoughts, names, or anything at all on those pages & we were also allowed to ready the other entries. Some wrote their babies names, some wrote their story/experience, most wrote beautiful letters to their babies about how much they loved them. The one name that I remembered was the name of her daughter. I reached out and although she was not the one who wrote in my same book, she did lead me to Hope Mommies and gave me my hope box. 

The Hope Box was filled with beautiful items like a devotional, a little book on grief, links to a Spotify playlist, calming candles, a beautiful Bible, & a lovely handwritten note from another Hope mom. The contents of the box brought me great comfort, but it also introduced me to a community of lovely women who uniquely understand this trauma and how to continue walking through life. We gather for fellowship and dinner, and we meet to pack more boxes that will be delivered to other women experiencing loss. We pray together, cry together and laugh together. We remember our precious babies who did not get to stay with us, and dwell in the hope of Christ which is our unfailing anchor. This group has soothed my soul!

Because Hope Mommies is a non-profit organization, we need financial help to continue making Hope Boxes to send to women experiencing the loss of a pregnancy or baby. Mommies gather to volunteer our time assembling the boxes, hand-writing notes & praying over them, but there is a cost associated with the materials and shipping. 

If you have ever personally experienced a loss, or know someone who has, then you understand the trauma associated. These HOPE BOXES provide comfort to & women who may have almost lost all hope. 

LET’S PROVIDE THIS ORGANIZATION WITH THE FUNDS TO SPREAD MORE HOPE!!  The organizational goal is $30,000… my personal goal is to be able to raise $2,000! I have my first box gathering today- September 10th. September is my birthday month, & it is also the month our precious Wyatt should have been born. He should be turning one this month and learning to walk! If you are so inclined to give a small donation in Wyatt's name, or in the name or memory of a baby in your life- I would be so honored. 

If you know someone who has lost a baby- you can also purchase one for them. It is a wonderful way for them to be introduced to a unique group of women who understand this kind of loss.