Every time the expectant mother came to an appointment, the gynecologist shook his head and strongly recommended getting rid of the fetus.
Kira Meldrum began to dream of a child as soon as she turned 18. But the dream was in no hurry to come true: in two years of attempts, Kira suffered four miscarriages. And finally – lo and behold! – the long-awaited pregnancy took root. The girl was in seventh heaven. But only until the second screening.
The first ultrasound showed that everything is in order with the baby: the fetus is developing as expected. But on the second, which was done at 20 weeks, the doctor saw that the tummy of the future baby was filled with liquid. The diagnosis was severe third-degree ascites. Or, as this attack is also called, dropsy of the fetus. At the same time, the liquid accumulates in the baby’s abdominal cavity, under the skin. The probability of giving birth to a healthy child with such a deviation is minimal. And the doctors decided that Kira should not be counted on for such luck. At 21 weeks, she was asked to terminate the pregnancy.
“When I was told that my girl was seriously ill, I felt bad. But I had been waiting for this pregnancy for so long that I could not interrupt it. I decided to inform and give birth to my baby, I was ready to do everything for this. I knew that my girl is a real fighter. ” Kira. She has already come up with a name for her unborn daughter – Lily-Rose, just as Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis named their daughter.
Now Kira had to go for a scan every week. And each time the doctor advised her to have an abortion. 14 – exactly so many times the girl refused to part with the dream to endure and give birth to her baby.
At the 28th week, it turned out that Lily-Rose’s intestines burst. Things were really bad.
“My stomach is very swollen, as if I was not carrying a child, but a giant can of water. Doctors suggested pumping out fluid from the fetus. The operation was very dangerous, but they believed that Lily-Rose was still not a tenant – she would not die now, so later. But I refused the procedure. It was too big a risk, ”Kira recalls.
After the pregnancy turned into continuous pain. Everything hurt: standing, walking, lying. This continued until the 34th week – 6 weeks ahead of schedule, the birth began. The baby was born very quickly. But the young mother did not hear the first cry. The girl did not make a sound.
“I just closed my eyes then. I didn’t want to see Lily-Rose die, ”says Kira. And then – again a miracle – the girl screamed. – It was such a wave of relief, so many emotions. She’s alive! They put her on my chest and she was the most beautiful child I have ever seen in my life. “
The girl weighed less than 2 kilograms at birth. A few precious minutes with my mother – and she was taken away for the operation. The situation was very difficult. Doctors sutured the baby’s burst intestines. Lily-Rose spent the next two months in an incubator, entangled in wires. The mother could only look at her through the transparent walls, unable to even touch her daughter.
At six weeks old, Lily-Rose underwent another operation. And when it became clear that the girl would be all right, she was discharged home. She is now eight months old.
“Lily-Rose had a rare birth defect – atresia of the small intestine, aggravated by third-degree ascites. This defect affects 1-3 children per 10 thousand pregnancies. Lily-Rose’s condition is so rare that doctors are writing research papers based on her case, ”says Dr. Kelly Cohen, Fetal Medicine and Obstetrics Consultant at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.
In fairness, it should be noted that Lily-Rose is still not quite in order: her intestines are still weak, but things are getting better every month. In addition, the girl is lactose intolerant. But this is already a familiar phenomenon in our world.
“I am so glad that I listened to my heart and not to the doctors. I found the strength to refuse to have an abortion again and again. I always felt that Lily-Rose would be okay. Something told me she could handle it. Now she is growing healthy and strong, and I am happy, ”Kira smiles.