8 results for tag: Trisomy 18


Rachel’s Story of Hope

At 20 weeks pregnant, we went to our anatomy scan. We were excited to find out if our baby would be a girl or a boy. We had no idea during our scan that we were about to find out more than just the gender. We were casually told, “It looks like a little girl.” I was so happy! However, this joy was short lived as the sonographer braced herself to tell us that our baby’s heart did not look like it should, which suggested she had a heart condition. I burst into tears and cried most of that day. But I held on to hope that our baby would be okay. We knew at that stage that her name was Evangeline, which means “messenger of good news or the ...

Abigail’s Story

My husband and I were at the hospital for a routine 20-week ultrasound for our second daughter. She had a strong heartbeat and was very active, but the exam took longer than it should have, and anxiety started to creep in. When the doctor told us that all was not well with our baby, the bottom fell out of my heart. “Unfortunately, this baby has some things wrong with her.” Those words will forever echo in my memory. The doctor went on to explain that our baby had multiple serious physical defects, and more testing was needed to determine the exact nature of her condition. After answering our questions and going over a number of different ...

Lauren’s Story

My husband and I and our three small children moved from Nevada to Texas in the summer of 2014. Soon after, we were thrilled to learn I was pregnant with our fourth child. Our other three pregnancies and births had been so straightforward and we had no reason to think this one would be any different. On November 14, 2014, my husband and I went to our 20-week anatomy scan.  During the scan, my husband and I happily chattered away, totally oblivious to how long the doctor was looking at our daughter’s brain and heart.  After the doctor finished the anatomy scan, she first told us our baby was measuring small.  We absorbed the news, but even then, ...

Sarah’s Story

My husband and I were so excited to be pregnant for the first time. I still remember the short-lived giddiness and blissful ignorance of the first weeks. And then, at 7-weeks, morning sickness showed up. Rather all day sickness—hyper emesis gravidirum. I threw up about four times a day, could barely take in even 500 calories of nutrition a day, and walking to the bathroom or to answer the door was a momentous feat. I kept thinking it would get better soon. I was almost there, to that magic second trimester.  I ended up at the ER for fluids twice, and I was losing weight. The second trimester milestone came and went, and I was still vomiting ...

Kollette’s Story

In December 2018, after an early loss in 2017 and one long year of fertility treatments, we were pregnant. I remember like it was yesterday—waking up that morning to take my test on the scheduled day per my treatments. Honestly, I expected it to be negative, but it wasn’t. Finally, we were going to have another baby.  Scan after scan our little girl continued to grow, her heart beating strong. She always measured a little further behind, but no one ever showed too much concern. We went back and forth on a name for her. We allowed our daughters to help pick a name. At first, they chose Princess Flower. Of course, that was quickly vetoed. ...

Erin’s Story

On March 10, 2015, I gave birth to the most perfect baby girl, Addalyn Grace, weighing in at 4lbs 5oz and 18 inches long. Unfortunately, the doctors didn’t see how perfectly God formed her. They pointed out every “flaw” while all I saw was my beautiful girl. They sent us home on hospice when she was three days old with a diagnosis of Trisomy 18 and a prognosis of a month at the most.  Our first night at home was terrifying, to say the least. I didn’t know how it was going to happen—if she would die slowly or if we would wake up to her lifeless body. The nurse that came out our first night helped save our girl. She told us about ...

Abigail’s Story

“Unfortunately, this baby has some things wrong with her.” Those words will forever echo in my memory. My husband and I were at the hospital for a routine 20-week ultrasound for our second daughter. She had a strong heartbeat and was very active, but the exam took longer than it should have, and anxiety started to creep in. When the doctor told us that all was not well with our baby, the bottom fell out of my heart. The doctor went on to explain that our baby had multiple serious physical defects, and more testing was needed to determine the exact nature of her condition. After answering our questions and going over a number of different ...

Andi’s Story

I believe our mess is our message and often, and as a result of experiencing difficult things, we can be a light to those around us who walk the same path.  Our first loss was over 8 years ago.  I copied many of my original words to share our story. A few days after a routine (30-week) ultrasound, we were called into the doctor's office for another ultrasound. We went in and our doctor showed us some physical abnormalities that Addie had. We were really nervous and not sure how optimistic to be. He sent us to a specialist. The specialist pointed out a few more things that made us really nervous. He took some amniotic fluid and sent it off to be ...