These few days I have been thinking of a soon-to-be born baby named Lily. Like Vera, she has Trisomy 18. Reading her mother's blog, memories of my own pregnancy, similarly fraught with 'bad news' towards the end, came flooding back to me.
I am thankful that I was spared from knowing about Vera's 'death sentence'. Vera 'hid' her Trisomy 18 abnormalities well - the ultrasounds only picked up her enlarged cisterna magna, and my single-artery umbilical cord (normal ones have two) in the 7th month. It was too late for an amniocentesis.
The medical profession is founded on the basis of 'knowing'. Let's do this, this and that, so we will know. And if we know, we can do something about it.
Well, in Vera's case, am I glad we DID NOT KNOW. I glad all the scans failed to pick up Trisomy 18. Because at least I was able to give her 6 months of a happy pregnancy. Once I knew there were problems (ie severe mental and physical disabilities) in the 7th month, it was a daily struggle to keep myself from falling apart. And I'm a believer that babies can feel your thoughts and emotions.
The truth is, whether you know, or do not know, about anything really, it is already written. Ignorance sometimes, is bliss.
1 comments:
I am so glad that Vera is feeling better and you and Ian were able to take her out. She looks so good in the tropical look chair.
Thank you for writing concerning your pregnancy. I am also glad that it wasn't detected until later.
Annabel's birthmom was in the hospital for about 5 mths. of her pregnancy and multiple ultrasounds. It was never picked up, her clenched fist, heart issue, small size, etc. I think God knew what her fate may have been if she was discovered to have T18. I do think she was meant to be here just like sweet Vera.
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