“I’d say to him, ‘I love you so much it HURTS.’ I couldn’t believe there was a time I questioned if this love between the two of us would be possible. I wanted to provide hope for other families.”
‘Will I love him as much as I love my daughter?’ He was placed onto my chest. Suddenly, there was NO fear.’: Mom to son with Down syndrome starts nonprofit, ‘There is joy after grief’
‘I yelled, ‘Someone tell me what is wrong!’ Tears streamed down my face. I knew something was different about this pregnancy, and it was NOT just the pandemic.’: Teen mom turned special needs mom shares journey with Down syndrome
“I was 16 and pregnant. A statistic, as most saw it. ‘I cannot do this, I’m not cut out for this.’ I remember thinking our life was over, but little did we know, it was just starting.”
‘Are babies supposed to breathe that fast?’ I couldn’t shake the feeling something was terribly wrong.’: Mom shares newborn’s journey with congenital heart defect, ‘He’s THRIVING’
“At his 48-hour checkup, Liam looked perfect. He was gaining weight beautifully. I had a strange feeling. ‘He’s breathing 90 times per minute.’ That sentence made the doctors pause.”
‘She’s going to slide right out, right??’ Suddenly, my midwife’s eyes went wide. The color drained from my face.’: Mom survives extremely rare Group Strep A placenta infection, delivers miracle baby
“This never happens. EVER! My white blood cell count went from 16, already a little high, to 38,000. Yes, you read that right.”
‘She is probably tired.’ There was no movement. I found a glimmer of hope. I’d be with her every minute I could.’: Daughter born with Cerebral Palsy, ‘Her strength is inspiring’
“Even in our darkest hours, we find joy. Jaxlee’s smile can light up a room. She shines with joy but also resilience. She has weathered SO much.”
To My Special Needs Sibling, I Will Never Stop Fighting For You
“People tell me all the time, ‘This must be so hard for you.’ ‘I don’t know how you deal with this.’ I don’t ‘deal’ with it, I love and advocate fiercely.”
‘It’s not time!’ I thought I gave my baby a death sentence. But our little boy became a MIRACLE.’: Mom of 7 births baby with CDH and BPS, ‘His determination kept me going’
“The nurse told us, ‘We can help the heart patients, not the lung patients.’ The air was knocked out of me. I had to put my emotions aside. Nothing could stop him.”
‘They told me, ‘It’s nothing to worry about. Every baby does this.’ She was turning BLUE. I knew this wasn’t normal.’: New mom births baby with congenital heart defect, ‘She makes me proud every day’
“I broke down crying, ‘Promise me she’s going to be okay.’ I didn’t think I’d be coming home with my daughter. I couldn’t understand how my 2-year-old was on life support. How I could breathe and she couldn’t?”
‘God, PLEASE heal my child.’ Our future as parents seemed so unsure. We needed a MIRACLE. ‘Just keep pushing, baby.’: Mom to daughter fighting Ebstein’s Anomaly says ‘she’s our little light’
“‘I can’t celebrate, I can’t be happy!’ My dad told me, ‘Yes, you can. You’re going to enjoy these days with her.’ We relished in our sweet baby girl, just like my father told me. We soaked up EVERY milestone.”
‘How could this be happening AGAIN?’ My heart couldn’t handle it. There MUST be a reason we made it this far.’: After near-death experience, mom welcomes daughter with spina bifida, ‘She’s everything I imagined’
“‘She’ll likely never walk and she may have brain damage.’ She gently offered termination. But we wanted to raise a strong, independent, and confident daughter. We had a PLAN.”
