Idaho Falls Couple Healing After Stillborn Baby Loss

“How many kids do you have?”

For Nathan and Erica Hansen, that simple question has a tough answer.

On May 17, 2013, Erica gave birth to Maxwell Nate, who weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces. But Max was stillborn. Doctors never were able to determine Max’s cause of death.

“When people ask, you feel like you’re lying if you (don’t count Max),” Erica said. “But then, you feel like you’re lying if you (do). And you don’t always know the person well enough to go into the whole story. I’ll always feel like I (should count Max), whether or not I always answer that, I don’t know.”

Max’s birth

Everything had been normal in the months leading up to Max’s birth. The couple had prepared a cozy crib just for Max, tucked with blankets. They’d tacked stickers on the wall, picked out clothes and prepared a large supply of diapers. They’d set up a bunk bed for their two daughters, Allison and Natalie, so three beds would fit inside the children’s shared room. They’d even bought a minivan.

“We had everything ready to go,” Erica said.

Erica’s labor started the night before Max was born. The couple headed to Mountain View Hospital the following morning and they were rushed to a room. Erica was hooked up to an external monitor and nurses started punching buttons, Nathan said. He didn’t think anything of it.

Then, things quickly became more frantic. Nurses asked: “When did you feel your baby move last?” “When did you feel him kick last?”

The doctor was rushed in.