Over the last few days, I've been reading stories from the mother's of these babies. It's devastating. Though I had a few scary close calls when I was pregnant with Michael...I can't help but be immensely grateful for the mostly healthy pregnancies that I've had...and even more so for my beautiful, healthy babies. How lucky we are to have not had to experience such a tragedy as Trisomy 18, or the loss of a child before their live began.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Never fail to be grateful...
Most of my close friends know that a few terms ago, I did a persuasive research paper on the topic of abortion. While doing research, I became somewhat "obsessed" with the topic. I researched the hell out of it. It wasn't until I started researching that paper that I read the term "Trisomy 18". It's a chromosomal disorder that causes all kinds of birth defects and complications. Common effects are severe mental retardation, downs syndrome, clenched fists, clubbed feet, hole in the heart and MUCH more. Most women who learn their baby has this problem (usually around the 20 week ultrasound) choose to terminate. Very few of the babies live to birth. The few that do usually die within hours (at the most). 90% of these babies won't live to their first birthday. But its much more logical to expect a T18 baby to only live a few hours, at most.
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I actually took care of a 18 month old during my peds rotation with this disease... it was HEARTBREAKING to know this little boy wasnt going to survive... but he was beautiful. and he had already survived for 18 long months. and he smiled, and laughed, and that alone was enough for me to know what decision I would make if I were in the same sitation. I feel like ANY life is better than no life, with the exception of brain death/hooked to a ventilator
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