Our story is very similar to
families that have a child with Trisomy 18 or 13.
We were at 20 weeks of the pregnancy when we received Stella's diagnosis. We did not feel supported at our local hospital and asked to reconsider termination multiple times. We were told our child would live days at most and would likely not make it past 32 weeks gestation. After fighting to stay and spending weeks meeting with many doctors, we realized we would not be able to get a full team of doctors and nurses that not only supported our decision but would give the respectful and compassionate care our daughter would need. We spent weeks setting up phone calls and sending our daughter's records to other hospitals across the country.
Ultimately, we decided to move to the nearest trisomy-friendly hospital, Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Moving two hours away for fair care was one of the hardest experiences we had to walk through. We had to pack up our life. We moved away from our support systems, our home, and had to figure out childcare if I had to quit my job. It was complex and emotional and no one should ever HAVE to move to get the care their baby deserves.
After lots of traveling back and forth, we eventually moved to Cincinnati to welcome our sweet baby girl into the world. We welcomed our daughter into the world and all the moments of fear that lead us to that moment melted away. She was here, and she was beautiful and perfect in every way.
