On Valentines Day, We were surprised to not only find out we were having a little boy, but also that there was a chance he had Trisomy 18. We went through all the testing and sadly everything confirmed the diagnosis. We chose to hear the doctors out, but ultimately let God make His call on what would happen. We chose to enjoy every bit of the pregnancy. sonogram showed that the baby’s left foot was not properly formed and there was strong evidence of a heart defect. Dr. recommended amniocentesis at 18 weeks, in which the doctors took a sample of the amniotic fluid to test for genetic abnormalities. The diagnosis was trisomy 18 – something I’d never heard of. Dr. gently explained trisomy 18 is a genetic condition that would make it difficult for Ezra to survive the pregnancy and delivery. If he did, his life would probably be very short – a few hours or days. There was no way to know for sure.
From that point on, I spent day and night researching every definition, recommendation, and statistic about trisomy 18, By week 19, conversations in my prenatal visits had shifted from learning what was wrong to preparing for Ezra’s birth. He continued to measure small and there was too much amniotic fluid around him, which is typical with trisomy 18. If Ezra survived delivery, it was very likely his time with me would be brief. but we still held on to faith and asked God to heal our Son. On Easter Sunday, My water broke on its own and I ended up delivering C-section to put less pressure on him with the hope to hear his cry. He passed away during birth, he was born sleeping. I am confident that Jesus was there to welcome our baby boy with open arms. God had bigger plans for our angel.
We had a photographer from NILMDTS take photos and we were able to get casts of Ezra’s tiny hands and feet. Although we knew Ezra was at high risk for stillbirth due to Trisomy 18, it still did not minimize the shock and pain we felt. A head full of hair and a button nose. We memorized every bit of him. My doctor arranged for a priest to come in and bless his body. We prayed over him and gave him our kisses goodbye and the hospital took him away. My baby boy you will forever live in my heart.