“‘We found abnormalities.’ My vision blurred and suddenly her voice sounded as if I was deep underwater. I imagined my husband a widower at 28, with 3 children to raise.”
‘You’re being selfish! You MUST terminate the pregnancy!’ At 25 weeks I checked in for surgery.’: Mom welcomes preemie with Spina Bifida, ‘She has continued to defy odds every step of the way’
‘If it comes to a decision, choose our baby.’ Tears streamed down her face. ‘If this ruptures, it will kill your wife and baby.’: Dad in awe after mom births miracle baby with Congenital Heart Disease
“I heard my wife scream, ‘Brian, come quick!’ I hurried upstairs to find her crouched down on the bathroom floor, groaning in pain. Even with all the pain, she had a subtle smile on her face. ‘I’m pregnant.’ I felt a surge of happiness. All the excitement was replaced with a sudden feeling of dread.”
‘You need to decide if you want to go through with it.’ To her, I was carrying a diagnosis, not a baby.’: Mom to son with Spina Bifida says ‘a life with a disability doesn’t mean a lifetime of sadness’
“I stared at the doctor with tears rolling down my face. ‘Go through with what? My child I have dreamed about since I was a little girl?’ She was asking me if I wanted to end my pregnancy because my son had a birth defect that was not life-threatening.”
‘I’m scared he’s going to die.’ The receptionist cheerily asked me to choose some photos of our son. I couldn’t.’: Mom gives birth to baby born sleeping, ‘He’s a part of our family’
“I was preparing myself to hear the words, ‘I’m sorry but there’s no heartbeat.’ Rather, I was met with, ‘There’s your baby.’ There was so much joy in the room. Everything changed in a matter of minutes.”
‘We felt helpless watching his silent cries. ‘Am I allowed to touch him?’ We already lost our baby girl.’: Mom births rainbow baby with Congenital Diaphragmatic hernia, ‘I chose faith over fear’
“She told me our baby boy had a hole in his diaphragm. We felt helpless as our sweet boy fought for his life, and there was nothing we could do. After we lost our daughter, I said I would have done absolutely anything for her to be with us. This is it. This is the ‘absolutely anything.’”
‘She’s not asleep yet,’ I heard on the operating table. A needle dug into my arm with urgency as an oxygen mask was placed over my mouth.’: Woman survives life-threatening child birth, ‘Life is too short not to show love’
“The nurses wheeled me into the cold, brightly lit operating room. Two days later, I awoke in the ICU surrounded by wires, beeping machines, and a picture of my baby I hadn’t even met. The birth of our first child was also the day I almost lost my life.”
‘I think my water broke!’ It was a dark, thick blood, flowing out of me. They worried I’d birth in the helicopter.’: Woman suffers placental abruption in traumatic childbirth, ‘I thank God she’s ok’
“I was bawling my eyes out, thinking, ‘No, no. My baby is gone.’ I could feel panic in the room. There were probably 20 people rushing around, getting me prepped. Half were for me, and half were for the baby when she was born.”
‘The doctor paused at the end of the bed. ‘Uhhh…it’s a boy that looks a lot like a girl!’ My husband took a closer look. ‘OH MY GOD, IT’S A GIRL!!!’: Mom births baby with cleft lip, ‘She is my hero’
“We cried loud and hard and basked in that moment of complete shock and joy. The room seemed so loud, when suddenly somewhere in the room I hear the words, ‘What about the lip…’ and then deafening silence. I shot straight up, picked her up, and flipped her over. The world stopped. ‘Babe look….’ My husband turned pale.”
‘You can go home now.’ How could I leave him? I felt as if a black cloud surrounded us.’: Couple’s last baby born with Down syndrome, ‘Our precious bonus child is a gift’
“All I wanted was to run down the hall to the NICU, scoop my baby up, and run away. Away from all the seemingly bad news. I didn’t want to know any more.”
‘You might want to think about having only one child.’ I knew the risks. The OB kept tapping my face, screaming, ‘Get the doctor, hurry!’: Woman with HELLP syndrome says, ‘I’m happy with the choices I made’
“My husband called his family to say, ‘Mom and baby are okay.’ When he stepped out of the room, my blood pressure dropped. It was my worst nightmare all over again. I don’t know if others would make the same choices I did.”
