'Holy pause in time': Mom recalls arrival of baby she was told wouldn't survive

After multiple pregnancy complications, including the development of preeclampsia and worsened progression into HELLP Syndrome, Taylor Plemmons delivered a healthy 1 lb, 7.6 oz baby girl at 29 weeks gestation via emergency c-section.

Key Takeaways:   

• Plemmons' pregnancy was deemed high risk from the start, with doctors repeatedly warning her she would have a miscarriage.

• She experienced complications, but did not lose her baby.

• Eventually, Plemmons developed HELLP Syndrome, and had to undergo an emergency c-section.

• Her daughter, Margot Louise, was born at 29 weeks at approximately 1.7 pounds. She is now five months old and is home with her family.

The Details:

From the beginning of Plemmons' pregnancy, the prognosis was not good. This was her second child, with three miscarriages suffered prior. Through all of the losses, the doctors could not identify the cause, and therefore, deemed this pregnancy high risk. At appointment after appointment, Plemmons received bad news.

"As I would leave these appointments, I was being told, 'We'll probably lose a heartbeat before you're back at the next appointment’, I just kept telling my husband, I don't accept that. That's not going to be our story” she told TODAY.com. 

At 10 weeks, the doctors recognized a large subchorionic hematoma, the accumulation of blood between the uterine lining and the chorion/outer fetal membrane, next to the uterus or under the placenta itself.  She was hemorrhaging, and had three more episodes, each time fearing the worst.

"We were told it would be a wait-and-see situation, and I was even given the option to terminate," she told PEOPLE. "Instead, [the news] ignited a determination in me to fight for her."

By 19 weeks, doctors realized that the baby was not growing as she should. Margot, as the Plemmons named their preborn child, was measuring in just the 1st percentile for babies her age, which was an additional concern. At 23 weeks, it became necessary to admit Plemmons into the hospital for around-the-clock fetal monitoring.

"They just kept saying we were going to lose her, and that we would not get to have a child at our side again," Plemmons recalls. "It was awful."

Zoom In:

For weeks, Plemmons was in the hospital, waiting, praying, and listening to worship music, all while trying to keep her mind steady despite worries of both her preborn daughter and the young toddler she had at home.

"I was absolutely terrified. I could not fathom losing another child. It was just really hard on our family," Plemmons said.

Her care team was doing everything possible to try to prolong the pregnancy. Despite all their efforts, the Georgia mom and her preborn baby’s conditions were quickly declining.

After first being diagnosed with preeclampsia, her condition was soon was elevated to HELLP syndrome, a life-threatening complication that affects the blood and liver.

"We were given one hour's notice to proceed with an emergency c-section to save both of our lives," Plemmons explained. "It was a surreal moment. I had spent my entire pregnancy preparing for an early delivery, so in a strange way I was grateful to have made it to 29 weeks. At the same time, I was in shock."

She added, "I had been completely asymptomatic and had no idea my condition had progressed to HELLP syndrome or that my liver enzymes were so dangerously elevated."

Plemmons told PEOPLE that while being readied for her emergency c-section, a “wave of peace” came over her.

"I had been told many times that my daughter likely wouldn’t make it and that certain outcomes were expected, none of which actually happened," she said. "By the time we were in labor and delivery, I truly believed God had carried us through the pregnancy and would carry us through the delivery too. It was far too early, and she was incredibly small, but she had already made it so much further than anyone predicted."

After 39 days in the hospital, as worship music played in the surgery room, little Margot Luise Plemmons made her arrival into the world. Weighing just 1 lb, 7.6oz, she was showing the fight she had inside already.

"Because of the HELLP diagnosis, I was placed on another 24-hour magnesium drip and was not able to 'meet' her until the following evening," Plemmons said.

Five days later, she was able to hold her miracle baby for the first time. In an Instagram Reel, the mom of two shared the special moment, which she described in the caption as "the sweetest and scariest feeling in the world."

Speaking to PEOPLE about that first interaction with her daughter, Plemmons said it felt like "a holy pause in time." 

Baby Margot is now five months old and is home with her big sister and her parents:

The Bottom Line:

How did she make it through this incredibly challenging and frightening pregnancy?

"I reminded myself that God alone has authority over her life, and I refused to grieve something that had not happened," she said. "I focused on the present moment and what was directly in front of me, rather than all the ways things could go wrong."