Tag: hereditary disorder

Something I’d Never Wish Upon Anyone

Posted on gracePosted in Stories, Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome)

By Amanda Shoemake Many couples, especially the women, who terminate their pregnancy due to medical reasons have felt scared and nervous about sharing their loss. Should I say it was a miscarriage? Should I just say that I lost the baby? Or should I tell everyone what really happened? My husband and I are one of those couples, and I am one of those women, and the moment I left the hospital after my surgical abortion, I thought to myself, “What do I tell people?” It had been very well known on mine and my husband’s Facebook pages that we were expecting. My husband pretty much […]

Q&A: How do you deal with people who disagree?

Posted on gracePosted in Opinion, Q&A

Have a question for Ending a Wanted Pregnancy? Email us. QUESTION I’ve ended two pregnancies because of Cystic Fibrosis. We are still trying to welcome a child into our lives, through IVF. Over the last few years I have written a lot. Now I feel I want to reach out more with my personal writing, maybe through a book, a blog or a web site. Should I use my own name or a pseudonym? I don’t want to hide, but I don’t want the subject to be the decision we made, but the grief that we had to face because of it. That’s how I want to reach out to people. […]

A Letter of Support

Posted on gracePosted in Opinion, Trisomy 18 (Edward's syndrome), Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome)

By H. B. I found this site through a link on a forum, in a discussion on the reasons for ending a pregnancy late-term. I read through many of the stories here, and commend the women for having the strength to share their experiences with others forced into making painful decisions. I am the mother of three, and my middle child has Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). I love and cherish her. She is beautiful and high functioning. But I cannot say what my decision might have been had I had a prenatal diagnosis. Quite likely I would not have continued the pregnancy. While she is […]

My Precious Twins

Posted on gracePosted in Stories

By Emily I had tried for four years to get pregnant, and had one previous miscarriage. When I found out I was pregnant with twins, I was happy but nervous. I tried to reassure myself all the time that everything would be OK as long as I took care of myself. When I met the three-month mark I allowed myself to finally feel content. My contentment evaporated the very next day when I learned that my husband was a carrier of the cystic fibrosis gene. This meant there was a 25 percent chance that each of my twins would have this fatal disease. I was so nervous about […]

Life Can Change on a Dime

Posted on gracePosted in Induction/L&D, Stories

By A.E. I have always heard your life can change on a dime, but I really never believed it until now. My husband and I were excited to see how our baby was growing and we contemplated finding out the sex. I was 22 weeks along. The ultrasound technician asked how my pregnancy was and I said fine, she then began the ultrasound. Her next question sent me into a blind panic. “Do you have a doctor appointment today?” She fell silent and stayed that way through rest of the exam. When it was over all she said was, “A doctor would be in shortly.” I looked at my husband. “Something is wrong.” “Everything […]

Christopher’s Gift

Posted on ewpcontentPosted in D&E, Stories

By Emme Bea In the Spring of 2005 I was 36 years old and found myself at a crossroads. The company for which I worked for over 13 years was closing and offered me a large severance package. I found myself with no job for the first time in 20 years. I planned to enjoy the summer, maybe do some traveling, and take my time in looking for another job. At the time, my husband G and I had been very casually trying to get pregnant for two years. I had polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and had gone off birth control pills with the hope […]