We are a couple of ultra-Orthodox parents from Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, parents of nine children, thank God. 5 girls and 4 boys. At the age of 40, I was about to give birth to my tenth daughter. In the middle of the pregnancy, results began to come in that did not bode well for the baby’s future. Alpha-Fetoprotein – AFP was high and a result of 1:5 for trisomy 18 was received, and a technician saw CPC in the brain. The doctor called me to proceed with an amniotic fluid test and to start thinking about terminating the pregnancy.
An ultrasound at week 22 confirmed the diagnosis: the hands are clenched, the legs have clubfoot, the heart is on the right side and there is a large defect there and the brain development is also abnormal, there is also a significant increase in amniotic fluid.
An ultrasound at another doctor at week 26 only further confirmed the suspicion, the image is consistent with trisomy 18, she has only one kidney and no stomach (later it turned out that there is no connection between the esophagus and the stomach), she is really small and will not be able to live. He really begged us to terminate the pregnancy, but we believe that God sent us this soul to perform a specific function and we do not have permission to terminate its life.
At 30 weeks, We were having a fetal echocardiogram with a pediatric cardiologist. The doctor said that God did not give the baby much time to live because she had a diaphragmatic hernia and would need CPR after the birth, and it was better not to resuscitate her because she had a chromosomal problem. We asked our Rabbi and he said that resuscitating her was a basic operation.
The next day, at 31 weeks, October 21, 2025, I woke up with stomach pains. Later, I found out that they were contractions. We arrived at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital with full dilation. They asked us in the delivery room about giving up the soul and we did not give up. The water broke and there was a pool in the room and the doctor got wet. The baby was born naturally with one push, weighing only 960 grams, and was immediately resuscitated, and after an hour, she was even resuscitated through a tube.
After 15.5 hours, she finished her task and returned her soul to Hashem in heaven.
We named her Liba, and call her Libi (my heart in Hebrew and beloved in Yiddish) We miss her.
If you are a parent, especially from Israel, who is dealing with a prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 18 or are interested in learning more about trisomy 18, I would be happy to help! meirke100@gmail.com
My Liba in My Heart
