Category: Induction/L&D

Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, Induction/L&D, Opinion, Termination after 24 weeks

The Clearest Choice

By Kate C. Originally titled “My Story” and published at Makin’ Babies – Adventures in Family Building. Republished by permission. Every time I sit down to write this story, I am immediately overwhelmed. Again and again I stand right back up and walk away. I like to think of my grieving self as a whole room full of women. Some I like more than others, but they’re all parts of me. One is sweet and compassionate and wants to reach out to help others who have been through my hell. Another is a fiery activist with a sharp tongue and a self-righteous sense of justice. […]

Congenital Heart Defects, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Induction/L&D, Stories

A Voice for Shelby

By Erin Greenough Shelby Madison Greenough came into this world without a sound. She never opened her eyes, or took a breath, but she had a voice. My voice. It is a cruel injustice that any parent should be asked to choose between the life and death of their dying child. My husband and I learned all to well the agony involved with such a barbaric request when our second daughter, Shelby Madison, was diagnosed via ultrasound with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a severe congenital heart defect. Sitting in that ultrasound room, I felt the despair set in. My daughter was extremely sick, and there […]

Induction/L&D, Stories, Thanatophoric Dysplasia

Peanut: One Dad’s Story

By Doug I only wanted a healthy child (ten fingers and ten toes was what I always told everyone that asked, and I meant it) but my wife was really hoping for a girl. You see, I was a bit of a terror growing up and she didn’t want to be put through the hell that my Mom was by any progeny of mine. To counter this, I had been taunting her by saying that for karma’s sake, I was going to hope for a boy. We were 22 weeks along. Well, we were seeing a new OB/GYN this time around and he was to […]

D&E, Hydrocephalus, Induction/L&D, Multiple Losses, Other Diagnoses, Stories, Ventriculomegaly

My Interrupted Pregnancies

By Julie In my gut, I knew something wasn’t right with my second pregnancy. The pregnancy test had a faint line and I didn’t have the severe morning sickness that I had previously. At 6 weeks, 2 days gestation I had an ultrasound and saw the heartbeat, but they wanted to see me two weeks later. When I returned, there was no heartbeat, and the baby measured only 6 weeks, 3 days—I had miscarried. Many of my friends and family had been through a miscarriage, and while it was emotionally hard, I figured that it was somewhat par for the course. Once my cycle came back, we decided to try […]