In March 2015, Charity and Matt Tanner discovered that they were pregnant with their third child.
Overjoyed, they told 8-year-old Ryan and his 5-year-old sister Caylee that they were going to have a little brother or sister, giving them a gift bag with baby socks, swaddling blankets, and a framed ultrasound picture.
A month later, the bleeding started.
Speaking with LifeSiteNews, Charity said: “I was basically bleeding non-stop. It was just getting heavier as the days passed.”
Doctors told her that the baby’s placenta had attached itself to the wrong place in her uterus, but said that the problem should correct itself.
If it didn’t, they added, they would perform an emergency cesarian section once the baby made it to at least 24 weeks, at which point the baby would have a good chance of surviving.
But the bleeding continued - and, 18 weeks into her pregnancy, Charity found herself in labour.
“I was basically bleeding non-stop. It was just getting heavier as the days passed"
When their baby boy was born, he was tiny and still wrapped in his amniotic sac; a nurse took away his remains, before returning and asking Charity and Matt if they wanted to see their little boy’s body.
As the heartbroken couple stared down at the tiny baby’s body, they suddenly saw that his chest was rising and falling… and that his little heart was beating within his frail body.
According to YouTube, a “nurse told them it was most likely only electrical impulses. But Charity and Matt felt a presence and saw these as signs of life.
“They were so amazed by what they saw that they captured it on video.”
Watch the footage for yourself below:
Speaking with LifeSiteNews, Charity said: “It was a really peaceful experience that at least we were able to be together as a family with our little boy just that one time.
“This was something special that we will cherish forever.”
Eventually baby Jaxon’s chest grew still, and all signs of life faded away.
After spending a few hours longer with her tiny son, Charity allowed his body to be taken away - and, a few days later, she and her husband buried their baby.
But, while Jaxon is gone, he is not forgotten.
Sharing a second video, which was filmed as a tribute to their little boy, the couple wrote: “Jaxon Matthew David Tanner was born at 18 weeks gestation following a two month long battle he fought with his mommy who had non-stop placenta previa bleeding.
“Jaxon was prayed for and longed for by his mom, dad, brother, and sister for years. He was born with a beating heart and passed away in the arms of his mommy on May 19, 2015.
“He is loved by all.”
Had Charity’s pregnancy carried through, Jaxon would have be born around this time, in September.