“If I could go back in time, I’d tell myself not to read about what my baby might NOT be able to do. She’s inquisitive and full of fun and mischief, and she LOVES broccoli. She is my inspiration.”
‘Her lungs filled with blood, and her heart stopped. We waited 7 years for the results.’: Mom of daughter with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome advocates ‘there CAN be life after diagnosis’
‘I looked at the doctor, ‘What’s wrong with her exactly?’ She started listing things.’: Mom gives birth to rainbow baby with birth defects, ‘She’s a miracle’
“We couldn’t believe this was happening to our newborn. The surgeons said, ‘We don’t know what we’ll find until we open her up.’ Through social media, people all around the world were praying for our little girl, praying for a miracle.”
‘Mom, I know it wasn’t an easy decision to give me up… but I forgive you.’: Adoptee pens open letter to birth mom
“I’m going to continue to fight loneliness as long as I live. While we may never know each other, I wanted you to know.”
‘I was looking at all his cute little fingers and toes when I noticed webbing. My heart sank.’: Mom shares son’s Smith Lemli Opitz Syndrome diagnosis
“It felt like they ripped my baby out of my arms. I was all alone, sobbing, ‘It wasn’t supposed to be like this.’”
‘You’re just a worried mom. I’m sure he’s fine!’ She placed the probe on my belly and gasped. ‘How did you know?’: New mom shares ‘powerful’ intuition about son’s cleft lip, ‘I’ll continue to stand up and say something’
“I’d never met anyone with a cleft. I’m not sure if I’d seen one in person either. I had no knowledge of them, but I absolutely knew my son had one. The tech gave me a big hug. ‘You have a powerful gift.’ I knew I was ready to tackle anything.”
‘Some days are harder than others.’ I get eyes darting at me as I’m walking down the street. It isn’t easy.’: Man with facial differences becomes motivational speaker, ‘It was worth all the pain’
“My parents were told, ‘Only major reconstructive surgery will correct the anomalies.’ Because I spent most of my childhood in hospitals, I was playing catch up. My lack of confidence took its toll on me.”
‘He has a growth.’ No one came to help. We had to watch a YouTube video on how to feed our newborn.’: Mom shares son’s journey with cleft palate, ‘We do it for our babies’
“The nurse dropped the bottle on the counter and left. It gave him a massive blister on the little bit of palate he had. He lost over a pounds in 3 days. He was starving!”
‘Did you get kicked in the face by a horse?’ In that moment, I saw red.’: Woman shares cleft lip and palate surgeries to give other parents hope
“To tell you I was hurt doesn’t do it justice. In that moment, I saw red. ‘No, I was born with a cleft lip and palate.”
‘I gently patted my son’s back when I heard a crackling, wheezing sound. ‘Something’s wrong, I just know it,’ I told my husband.’: Mom candidly shares journey with parenting PTSD
“I cried to the nurse on the hotline, ‘It sounds like he has fluid in his chest.’ I would sit nursing my son, crying endlessly in that rocking chair. Every breath my son took heightened my already over-the-top anxiety attack. I knew it wasn’t just anxiety. It was something more. This was the start of so many triggers.”
‘The doctor wants to speak with you.’ I always imagined what she’d look like. Now, I’m afraid to meet her.’: Mom of ‘cleft cutie’ says ‘I fell in love with her smile twice’
“When she tried to look at her face, she paused for a while. I will never forget that pause. It was like the air had been sucked out of the room. I turned away. I grieved over the vision of my daughter I had created.”
