The couple had to go through a lot of ᴛʀᴀɢᴇᴅɪᴇs, and nothing will ever be able to fill the void, but despite this, they kept hope throughout, and life held an incredible gift for them.
Crystal and Marco Milutinovic from Ohio always wanted to start a family, but they faced countless challenges. The couple struggled for five years to get Crystal pregnant and eventually gave birth to their first son, Demitirje. But while she was trying to get pregnant, she was diagnosed with ᴘᴏʟʏᴄʏsᴛɪᴄ ᴏᴠᴀʀʏ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ (PCOS), which meant she was at a significantly increased ʀɪsᴋ of pregnancy-related ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs.
However, the couple did not let the diagnosis get them down and looked forward to becoming parents. And in 2018, they got another piece of happy news: Crystal got pregnant again and this time she was expecting triplets.
Despite doctors saying both mother and ꜰᴇᴛᴜs were fine, in August 2018, at just 24 weeks, Crystal unexpectedly went into labor. The parents ʟᴏsᴛ two babies in a row and it ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ their hearts. Their little son, Milan, had an intestinal infection and his condition was rapidly deteriorating. Despite being resuscitated three times, he could not be saved in the end. The couple had no choice but to agree to disconnect him from the machines.
However, their trials did not end there. Milan’s sister, Katarina, was also sick, and her heart rate was getting slower and slower. Crystal also recalled literally falling to the ground as doctors tried to revive the little girl, saying it was like a nightmare. Despite all their efforts, the doctors could not save Katarina, and no matter how difficult it was, the desperate parents had to say goodbye to another baby.
“They couldn’t save Katarina, so I clutched her to my chest alongside Milan. Waiting for them to slowly go away was the hardest and deepest ᴘᴀɪɴ I have ever experienced. It was unimaginable,” recalled the mother.
The only surviving baby, Lana, spent 109 days in the hospital before being discharged. According to her mother, the little girl suffered from chronic lung disease and an E. coli infection and had to be resuscitated ten times. But in the end, Lana overcame all difficulties, survived, and gave hope to her parents.
A year later, Crystal became pregnant again and found out she was expecting a baby just on the anniversary of Katarina and Milan’s ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜs. At the beginning, the mother felt that things could not have turned out any better, but she ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ in the eighth week. She later found out she was expecting twins but had an ᴇᴄᴛᴏᴘɪᴄ pregnancy.
After losing their twins, Crystal and Marco took a break, and when they started trying again, Crystal got pregnant in the first month. But that’s not all. The parents soon found out that they were expecting triplets again. “That’s impossible,” Marco said when they received the happy news.
There was no history of twins in any of their families, and the fact that they were expecting twins for the third time was almost unimaginable. This time, they decided to take all necessary precautions to keep the babies safe.
Crystal underwent a ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇᴅᴜʀᴇ to prevent premature birth, which cost them $6,000. The couple traveled to Chicago for ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ, and in the end, everything turned out for the best.
In September 2020, in the 36th week of pregnancy, 29-year-old Crystal gave birth to three healthy babies: Malina, Kostadin, and Aleksija, who brought a lot of joy to their parents’ lives. “We are truly blessed and obsessed with this mess. They are everything we ever dreamed of,” said the mother.
Although Crystal and Marco raise five children, they consider themselves the parents of nine, as they will never forget the babies they lost. Crystal documents the family’s daily life on social media to find solace and healing and to provide support for others who have experienced ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ or ʟᴏsᴛ a newborn like her.
The mother also said that after ʟᴏsɪɴɢ two newborns and two ꜰᴇᴛᴜsᴇs, she learned that when she hugs her children, she should never be the first one to uncoil from the hug.
The birth of the rainbow babies didn’t take away their pain or heal their hearts completely, but it brought a lot of love into their lives and showed them that there is always something to be grateful for.
The touching story went viral on the Internet, with many people leaving messages of support for the couple. “What a beautiful family. You are truly blessed,” wrote one commenter. “Beautiful babies, congratulations!” added another.
