The Love That Lasted Four Hours: The Heartbreaking Story of Jason and Marie Taylor’s Triplets
When newlyweds Jason and Marie Taylor, both in their 30s, heard from their doctor that they were expecting triplets, they could hardly contain their joy. “We were so, so excited,” Jason recalls. The ultrasound showed two girls and a boy — soon to be named Bernadette, Christine, and Adam.
Their first pregnancy was the fruit of a relationship lived in faith. From the day they met, Jason and Marie dreamed of starting a family but promised to do things “God’s way,” choosing chastity until their wedding in May 2012.
Even so, the news of three babies came as a shock. “My God, what will we do with so many little ones?” they laughed. “We only have so many arms!” When some doctors suggested selective reduction, the couple immediately refused. “It was disturbing to hear someone so calmly offer to end the lives of one or two of our babies,” Jason said. “We had been waiting for them with so much love.”
The Taylors began preparing their home for the long-awaited arrival, due in February 2013. Upstairs, three tiny cribs stood neatly in a row as Marie’s belly grew larger by the day. Every night before falling asleep, Jason would lean close to talk to his unborn children:
“Hey, Adam! Hey, Bernadette! Hey, Christine! I can’t wait to meet you. I love you.”
And before leaving for work each morning:
“Take care of your mom for me!”
But joy slowly gave way to fear. Marie’s body was struggling to keep up with the demands of carrying three babies. She battled severe reflux, chest pain, heart palpitations, and constant headaches. One day, while writing wedding thank-you cards at the kitchen table, she suddenly fainted. When she came to, she called Jason for help.
Despite the complications, a November ultrasound brought good news — Marie and the babies were doing fine. At 22 weeks, however, she already looked like she was 35 weeks pregnant. The very next day, sharp cramps began to appear, growing stronger and more frequent. That evening, the couple rushed to the hospital.
The diagnosis shattered their hopes: Marie was four centimeters dilated and in preterm labor. Doctors tried everything, but there was little they could do. At just 22 weeks, the babies’ lungs were too underdeveloped to survive. Marie, being a nurse, knew the risks — attempts to ventilate such fragile lungs could cause them to burst. The medical team gently explained that the babies would receive no aggressive intervention after delivery.
In the early hours of November 15, 2012, Bernadette, Christine, and Adam were born, each weighing between 360 and 450 grams (about 13 to 16 ounces). “They came out full of life, moving,” Jason remembered. “I still hoped they might be the first triplets to survive at 22 weeks — but they passed quickly.”
Despite the heartbreak, Jason and Marie were in awe.
“They were perfectly formed — tiny noses, fingers, fingernails, and beautiful faces,” Jason said.
“We held them, examined them carefully, and felt as if we truly got to know them.”
Family members soon arrived to offer comfort and say goodbye. A nurse gently took footprints of the three babies, dressed them in tiny hats and colorful blankets. Marie’s brother built a small wooden coffin with three little crosses on top — a final resting place where the triplets who lived and died together would remain side by side.
At the funeral, Jason shared words that moved everyone present to tears. He spoke of his daughters’ delicate fingernails, his son’s tiny chin, and the distinct traits already visible in each one.
“Every person has a unique and unrepeatable life,” he said.
Witnesses later described the scene as profoundly moving. “Anyone who still doubted the value of a 22-week-old baby left that funeral rethinking their beliefs,” said pro-life advocate Jeff Gunnarson, who attended the service. “Jason showed how wonderfully formed these little ones were — it was heartbreaking and holy at the same time.”
After the burial, the couple faced the hardest question: Why?
In the sleepless nights that followed, Marie would wake and feel the emptiness. “The realization hit me — I wasn’t pregnant anymore,” she said. “It felt unbearable.”
Searching for meaning, Jason and Marie turned to their faith. “We don’t know why this happened,” Marie said. “But we believe our babies are in Heaven now, trying to pull us up there with them. We have three little angels interceding for us.”
Instead of focusing on what they lost, the Taylors chose to celebrate what they were given.
“These babies are a testimony to life,” said Marie. “That’s how we see it — and how we’ll always remember them.”
Their story has already touched countless hearts. Friends, neighbors, and relatives drew closer together; faith and love deepened. Determined to share their message, Jason and Marie created a YouTube tribute video — a slideshow of photos accompanied by a heartfelt song they wrote and performed themselves. The video has since garnered over four million views.
“Thank God,” Jason said, “our babies’ lives can make a difference — even if only by strengthening and encouraging those who already fight for life.”
Gunnarson called the Taylors’ testimony “courageous and deeply inspiring.”
“They showed that bringing babies into the world at 22 weeks — even for just a few hours — is the most natural and loving thing a parent can do. Bernadette, Christine, and Adam may have lived only briefly, but their hours on earth spoke powerfully of the worth and dignity of every human life.”
