MPB, Canada

Wife, professional, animal lover and mother to five babies lost too early.

We have lost five babies much too early to Recurrent Pregnancy Loss.  Although each one has been devastating and heartbreaking, today I will share the story of our third baby, our little baby girl.

From the start, the doctors knew in all likelihood she would eventually die. It was just a matter of time, and therefore a matter of waiting.  We waited for weeks on end for her little heart to stop beating, watching at each ultrasound as her heart rate just kept dropping, too scared to even consider a medical termination.  Then, one day everything changed when I developed a septic infection and the situation put my life at high risk.  Full story.

Samantha, United Kingdom

Married mother of four daughters, including one with special needs.  Diabetic.  Manager of support group for families who have suffered the loss of a baby. Advocate for people with disabilities and mental illness. Volunteer fundraiser for local hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit. Newsletter columnist.

At only 19 weeks and 3 days gestation, my amniotic sac unexpectedly ruptured at home. I was rushed to the hospital, where I was informed that because I was under 24 weeks gestation, they would not intervene to try to stop my labor or save my baby. I was encouraged by the hospital staff to terminate, due to the risk of infection and threat to my own life. I refused.  An ultrasound revealed a very low level of amniotic fluid.  I was told that without substantial fluid, my baby’s lungs could not develop. I held out hope for a miracle. A subsequent ultrasound revealed no amniotic fluid at all. My miracle would never arrive.  Full story.