Category: Induction/L&D

Mariana

Posted on gracePosted in Fetal Hydrops, Induction/L&D, Stories, Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome)

By Andrea My husband and I were excited when we found out that I was pregnant. We have a three-year-old daughter and this baby would have been born around the same time our daughter started kindergarten. Everything happened as planned; it was a very expected pregnancy. The first ultrasound was at 12 weeks. I wasn’t very concerned. It was probably because we didn’t have any problems during our first pregnancy and our daughter was born healthy. Even though my husband really wanted to be there, he couldn’t make it for that ultrasound. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. I completely broke down when I […]

Chloe Fay

Posted on gracePosted in Hydrocephalus, Induction/L&D, Neural Tube Defects, Spina Bifida, Stories

By Zena Mason To the newly bereaved parent: please know that you’re not alone. I want to share my story of medical termination in Australia. This was extremely hard to write and share. In a world full of supportive people we have certainly felt alone because it’s so taboo and people are scared to talk about anything to do with the loss of a child. Unfortunately, we live in a world where we as humans are judged for what shoes we wear, what house we live in and whether we like boys or girls, so when we had to make a heart-wrenching choice it became apparent […]

There are No Words

Posted on gracePosted in Hydrocephalus, Induction/L&D, Neural Tube Defects, Spina Bifida, Stories

By Holly “There are no words.” This was a response I received from one of my childhood friends when I told her about losing Heath. I had received so many other responses such as “I am so sorry for your loss” or “we are praying for you and your family” etc. and while those responses were nice, “there are no words” was exactly the response I needed at the time. You see, there are no words when someone loses a baby. There are no words when you receive the life-changing ultrasound results. There are no words when you are faced with a decision to terminate. […]

Late Termination in Wichita

Posted on MarlaPosted in Induction/L&D, Neural Tube Defects, Spina Bifida, Stories, Termination after 24 weeks, Ventriculomegaly

By Donna My son was my long awaited journey into motherhood. He was my lifeline the day my brother died and I thought the world was ending. He was the glimmer of hope that was offered to family members that horrible week that we had four family members die. He was my everything, and then he was gone. At the end of September 2005, my husband and I found out that we were expecting a child. We were excited to finally start a family. The following week my brother and cousin were killed in a car wreck, then my aunt died from cancer, and my […]

How to Make an Impossible Choice

Posted on gracePosted in Induction/L&D, Stories, Termination after 24 weeks

By Margot I cannot claim to have been naive about poor pregnancy outcomes before my abortion. My husband and I had been debating for several years about whether to pursue adoption or try for a biological child when one of our friends had a uterine rupture at six and a half months pregnant. The baby died, and she nearly did too. During the emergency surgery that saved her life, they had to remove her uterus. Most of the “cons” of pregnancy we’d contemplated previously were things like morning sickness, weight gain, and contributing to overpopulation. You might think our friends’ catastrophic loss would have given […]

Willow, Our “Back to the Future” Baby

Posted on gracePosted in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Induction/L&D, Stories

By Mrs. E. Getting the News I was so excited when I saw that my pregnancy test was positive! It was the weekend before Valentine’s day, and I decided to surprise my husband with a “My First Jaguars Football Book” which I’d bought a long time ago and saved just for this day. Giddy and bursting with happiness, I gift wrapped the book along with my positive pregnancy test. When he got home from work I said I had an early Valentine’s gift for him. He seemed a little confused by his early gift. I was smiling ear to ear. He opened the gift and eyed the test stick, still baffled. Before he […]

Survival & Strengthening

Posted on gracePosted in Induction/L&D, Multiple Losses, Stories, Trisomy 18 (Edward's syndrome), Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome)

By Anne Mellinger-Birdsong Survived is used in the sense of being stronger for having accomplished a major challenge. I have survived The death of my mother Before I was married Before I had children. I have survived The loss of 3 babies Much wanted and much loved, And that has changed me more Than anything else that ever happened. I have survived The questions and harangues From people who didn’t understand Or flat out disagreed With our decision to induce labor When we found out our baby had Down syndrome (Trisomy 21). Who didn’t know all the medical problems that go with Down syndrome Who […]

Not Written in the Stars

Posted on gracePosted in Induction/L&D, Stories, Termination after 24 weeks

By R.M. Two years ago we were expecting our third child. After a missed miscarriage at 13 weeks earlier in the year, we had gotten through what we thought was the risky part. As we inched toward our third trimester, we were excited and a little nervous to bring another baby into our lives. The 20-week ultrasound turned everything upside down. I noticed it right away on the screen:  A large, dark spot in the baby’s brain.  We were told to call our midwife. She said it may be nothing, or a cyst, or an aneurism.  We saw a specialist who told us it was a brain […]

No Known Cases

Posted on gracePosted in Cystic Hygroma, Induction/L&D, Stories

By H. My husband and I are currently waiting to have our termination in another three days. I am will be 18 weeks pregnant when I have the procedure. At our 12-week scan we learned that our baby had a cystic hygroma which could indicate a heart defect, a chromosomal abnormality or an inherited genetic disorder. A few days later we had a specialised scan to diagnose the problem. The technician was unable to confirm anything. What they could see looked fine in regards to heart, size of baby, etc. They offered us a termination at this point, but said there was still a 5-10% chance the baby could be born completely […]

I Wanted Her So Much

Posted on gracePosted in Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, Hydrocephalus, Induction/L&D, Stories, Ventriculomegaly

By Alyssa’s Mom We were trying to get pregnant with our first child. When I missed my period I took a pregnancy test but it was negative. I was bummed. I thought for sure I was pregnant as I had felt constant nausea all week long. A few days later my doctor did a blood test. Lo and behold I was pregnant after all. We were absolutely thrilled!  Our baby was due in September and we could not wait. Our first scare in the pregnancy came at nine weeks when I started bleeding. I thought for sure I had lost the baby. The next morning I had an ultrasound scan […]