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  • Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Ambassadors: The Delaunois family, Ashley and Mike with sons Kellan and Colton are this year's Ambassador Family for the March of Dimes.

    MET041912delaunoisfamily.jpg

  • Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Ambassadors: The Delaunois family, Ashley and Mike with sons Kellan and Colton are this year's Ambassador Family for the March of Dimes.

    MET041912delaunois family2.jpg

  • Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Ambassadors: The Delaunois family, Ashley and Mike with sons Kellan and Colton are this year's Ambassador Family for the March of Dimes.

    MET041912delaunois family3.jpg

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April 22, 2012

March for Babies Ambassador Family helps raise awareness of birth defects

Lisa Trigg The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Colton Delaunois and his younger brother Kellan love it when their dad reads to them from “Sounds of the Wild,” a jungle book with pop-up pictures and animal sounds.

Colton just turned 3, and Kellan is 2. Both boys have lots of energy, and they will share the spotlight on Saturday with their parents Michael and Ashley as the Ambassador Family during the annual March for Babies walk to raise awareness and money to prevent birth defects.

The family has been doing a lot of public speaking since late last year when they agreed to share the story of their first pregnancy with Colton and his twin Caden, who died before birth.

“It’s been a really healing process for us to be able to share our story,” Ashley said recently while the boys played busily on the floor. “Even a year ago, I couldn’t hardly talk about it without being almost hysterical, because of losing the twin and Colton being premature.”

Ashley and Michael had been married a couple of years when they decided to start a family. After months of failed attempts, Ashley said, she found out she was pregnant, and later discovered she was pregnant with twin boys. She and Michael decided on the names Caden and Colton.

Around the 24th week of pregnancy during a doctor’s appointment, the couple found out that Caden no longer had a heartbeat. When Ashley started having pre-term labor symptoms, she was sent to the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis where they were able to delay labor until 27 weeks and 5 days.

Colton was born prematurely weighing 2 pounds, 6 ounces. He had a heart murmur and respiratory distress, and was put on a feeding tube. He was in the critical care unit for newborns at Riley Hospital for Children for four weeks. Then he was transferred to the IU Special Care nursery for the next eight weeks. During those weeks, Ashley and Michael stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Indianapolis to be close to their infant son.

Their struggles were not over when Colton was able to come home 12 weeks after being born. He still had a feeding tube, as well as an oxygen machine and an apnea monitor to make sure he kept breathing while he was sleeping.

“Sometimes overnight, he would get into such a deep sleep he would forget to breath or not breath as deeply,” Ashley said.

Over time, the heart murmur corrected itself and as Colton grew, the apnea monitor and feeding tube were removed. By December 2009, he was a growing little boy.

About three months after bringing Colton home, and while Ashley and Michael were adjusting to being parents, they were surprised by good news. Ashley had become pregnant again. Considering the struggles they had with the first pregnancy, the young couple were unsure what to expect.

Just 13 months after Colton was born, Kellan arrived full-term and completely healthy.

“There were times I felt guilty that Kellan had come along so quickly, and that Colton would have to share attention,” Ashley said. “Looking back, I see God clearly had a hand in all this. I think Kellan has been really good for Colton, to help him socially and developmentally.”

Colton has benefited from speech, occupational and physical therapy for three years through the First Steps program. A therapist made an in-home visit weekly to work with Colton and make sure he was advancing as he grew.

“They just did a wonderful job helping him catch up,” Ashley said.

He no longer qualifies for any special services, but the family continues to work with a speech therapist to ensure that he continues with his speech development.

“That’s the only area of concern that’s still left,” Ashley said.

For the first 18 months, Ashley was a stay-at-home mother. She now works part-time for the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce. Michael is employed at WTWO-TV 2. During the birth of Colton and his stay in the hospital, Ashley said, Michael’s employers were gracious in allowing him to stay with her at the Ronald McDonald House and commute to Terre Haute for work.

“I don’t think I could have gotten through it all without him,” Ashley said. “Employers should know how important their support is for families going through this.”

Both she and Michael are Terre Haute natives, and they have also benefited from the support of relatives and friends who helped out by delivering meals to them and helping at their home.

“It’s things like that, and your faith in God, that helps get you through those situations,” she said.



Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.

 

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