INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: NFL star Ryan Kelly and his wife pregnant Emma were all set to become parents to their two "miracle" boys. The Indianapolis Colts center, 30, and his 33-year-old wife recently announced that they were expecting twin boys after a two-year-long grueling journey marked by the death of their daughter Mary Kate, fertility issues and in vitro fertilization.
"My gratitude, I can't even tell you," Emma told People, adding, "There was a time when I really wasn't sure if we were going to get here. I am literally so grateful for each day." She called their twins "miracles” while admitting that it had been a "tough pregnancy physically.” "There's a lot more risk involved this time. I was on bed rest for my first trimester, which was really tough and took a lot out of me. But at the end of the day, every bit of it has been worth it — to feel them and watch us grow,” she explained further.
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'There's a lot of emotion involved'
Emma recently reached the halfway mark of her pregnancy, a "bittersweet" milestone that evoked a wave of strong emotions given that she was 19 weeks along with her first pregnancy in 2021 when she learned that their daughter Mary's "little heart just stopped for reasons unknown." 'There's a lot of emotion involved right now with just surpassing that bittersweet milestone. And now, making it further than ever," Emma told the publication.
Discussing the aftermath of her miscarriage, Emma said,"'I remember after delivering her, sitting in the hospital bed and they took her from me, and I was just like, 'I can't live like this.' The emptiness of it, I remember feeling so broken." Kelly also candidly discussed how speaking about the traumatic miscarriage helped them to mourn and heal. "We felt like the only ones out there. But then you hear people's stories and it helped us tell ours and keep our daughter's name alive, to honor her in a sense. It definitely helped our healing,” the NFL star said.
'It's really painful when you want it'
Kelly and Emma, who got married in 2021, "always wanted to be parents," and never gave up despite the "heartbreaking" infertility issues. "I knew at that moment, nothing could ever replace our daughter, but I knew we wanted to grow our family," Emma said, further stating, "It's really painful when you want it, and you're trying so hard and doing everything right, and seeing so many doctors and professionals. Then month after month, it's negative pregnancy test after negative pregnancy test, after already losing a child that you wanted so badly."
Reflecting on her emotions from the "darkest" time in her life, Emma said the only emotion she had was "shame" for not being able to conceive. She also acknowledged that her first pregnancy still caused her "anxiety and pain." "There's a PTSD to it," Emma said, adding that she was trying to "feel the joy and excitement." "I'm so proud of us and our relationship. I literally feel like we just made it through the impossible,” she said of her two-year marriage to Kelly. Although there was "no safe period," the parents-to-be were doing their best to enjoy the moment. "I just want our boys to get here alive,” Emma said in conclusion.
