Hi, we are Skylar & Darren Howell and this is our family's story.

In September of 2019, we were so excited to find out we were expecting our first baby shortly after taking our honeymoon to Hawaii. At that time we were so grateful to have conceived without much trouble and in such a short amount of time. Family and Friends congratulated us when we announced in October that Baby Howell would be due in Late May of 2020.

When the 2019 holiday season rolled around, Skylar started noticing she was very itchy all the time. She had always had very sensitive skin so she initially brushed it off as an allergic reaction to her mother's laundry detergent.

The itching didn't go away within a few days like usual though. The itching didn't go away even after 2 weeks which started to concern Skylar but, she wasn't sure if it was worth mentioning to her doctor. On the third week, The itching got so bad that Skylar didn't sleep for 4 days straight. At this point, out of pure exhaustion and frustration, she decided to mention it to her OBGYN at her 20-week check up. It was at this appointment the doctor mentioned it could be one of two things.  The first being a condition called PUPPS which was very common and easily treatable and posed no threat to Mom or the baby. The second condition was called Cholestasis which involved poor function of the liver and the potential to be dangerous to both mom and baby if left untreated. The doctor reassured Skylar and Darren that Cholestasis was VERY unlikely especially since it had started in the first trimester when most cases don't begin until late in the third trimester but, that they would run the tests just to be sure.

One week later, while Skylar and Darren were doing their best to enjoy their snowy babymoon and celebrate the fact that Baby Howell had not only made it to 24 weeks gestation but now had a name, Cecilia Rose, they got the call from the doctor. Skylar's itching was caused by Cholestasis.

The doctor told us that early detection of this condition and treatment is vital to both mom and baby's health. He said that In most cases early treatment increased survival rates into the 90th percentile. So they optimistically started medication as well as closely monitoring Cecilia & Skylar three times a week with non-stress tests and an ultrasound every other week.

The remainder of the pregnancy was very miserable. The itching never went away And Skylar and Darren tried every recommendation there was to help relieve it. The only thing that sort of helped was keeping the house cold and using ice therapy on her feet. 

Finally, after having concerningly high liver enzyme levels, Labor was induced at 36 weeks. After 18 hours, a healthy and beautiful Cecilia Rose arrived May 1st, 2020 at 10:40 p.m. and Skylar's liver function went back to normal within 2 days of giving birth.

Just when they hoped they were out of the woods...

At 4 months postpartum, Skylar and Darren found out they were already expecting Baby Howell #2. They were so excited to be growing their family so soon but very nervous that the Cholestasis would rear its ugly head again.

And at 16 weeks gestation, it did... The itching was much worse than Skylar remembered. For this pregnancy, due to the family temporarily relocating to Cincinnati, Skylar was seeing a different OBGYN, And when she mentioned it to that doctor, The doctor insisted that cholestasis didn't begin until the third trimester. Skylar repeatedly pushed the fact that in her first pregnancy it had started in the first trimester but the OBGYN still wouldn't order the test. So after weeks of arguing with her new doctor, Skylar transferred back to her OBGYN in Indianapolis that she had trusted for her first pregnancy. 

Her Indy OBGYN had tests ordered immediately, and of course the results concluded the Cholestasis was back. Skylar finally was approved for treatment of her 2nd pregnancy at 25 weeks gestation.

Over the next three weeks, Skylar started to notice less and less movement from baby Howell #2, Sagan Marie. Her doctors in Cincinnati had told her that she had a placenta that was covering her cervix which could make it hard to feel the baby. So initially Skylar and Darren believed this to be The reason for the decreased fetal movement. But after a week of feeling next to nothing, They made an emergency appointment to check on Sagan.

At 27 weeks and 6 days gestation, All tests showed no sign of Life from Sagan Marie...

On March 16th, 2021 at 12:00am we gave birth to our stillborn angel, Sagan Marie.

We can't even begin to express the pain & grief that comes along with bringing a beautiful, innocent, still angel into this world. It's truly something that no parent should ever experience.

Following Sagan's birth, Skylar and Darren were advised to check if there could be any underlying conditions associated with Skylar's liver that could be causing these unusually severe cases of Cholestasis.

After months of tests, doctors believe that Skylar's Cholestasis is simply caused by pregnancy hormones. They don't have a cure or treatment that can prevent it from happening. They don't know why it happens. The only answers they could offer were that if Skylar were to get pregnant again, it could very likely lead to another stillbirth or quite possibly liver failure of herself.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. That has never been more true to us until now. For this reason, we are hoping we can turn to our family, our friends, & our community to help us with the cost of growing our family. 

We were unexpectedly blessed with an offer, from a dear family member, to carry a baby for us. We would love to take them up on that offer but, since our health insurance does not contribute to infertility treatments, we are definitely going to need help to make our family's dream a reality.

Funds donated through GoFundMe will be sent directly to a savings account that Darren and I plan to also largely contribute to every 2 weeks. That savings account will pay for the egg retrieval, sperm collection, embryo creation, embryo transfer, legal fees, and all medical bills associated with the pregnancy and birth.

We will be 100% transparent about where these funds are going and why by updating this page regularly.

We want to thank everyone who has taken the time to hear our story and consider helping us on this journey of ours. It truly means more to us than we could ever properly express.