Pregnant Woman Learned Her Baby Would Not Live, but She Carried the Child to Term for This ‘Remarkable’ Reason
The woman was told her unborn baby had a condition known as anencephaly, which affects the development of the brain and skull
A Florida woman chose to carry her baby daughter to term after learning the child would not survive, hoping her decision could help save the lives of other infants.
Expectant mom Catherine Mornhineway, 30, and her partner, Andrew Ford, were told their unborn baby likely had a condition known as anencephaly during a 14-week ultrasound in June, per the Tampa Bay Times. The condition, which affects 1 in 5,250 babies, meant that their baby’s skull and brain would never fully develop, and that the baby would not survive after birth.
The diagnosis was confirmed during a second ultrasound in which the couple also learned that Catherine was pregnant with a baby girl, according to the Times.
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While doctors told Catherine and Andrew that most parents opt to terminate their pregnancy due to the fact that the diagnosis is incompatible with life, Catherine told the Times that she remained unsure how to move forward.
Then, she came across a clip from the popular medical drama Grey’s Anatomy featuring a woman in the same situation — and it inspired the couple’s decision to carry their baby to term.
“I came across a Grey’s Anatomy clip about a character on the show that had a baby with this condition,” Catherine recalled while speaking to Fox 13. “And she went along with the pregnancy and donated organs [to other babies], and I thought that was … it really touched me.”
Catherine and Andrew decided to carry their daughter — whom they named Haven — to full term so that she could hopefully help save the lives of other babies.
Catherine, already a mom of three, delivered Haven on Dec. 11 at Florida Brandon Hospital. Haven survived for four days in the NICU, and Catherine and Andrew said they spent the time they had with their baby together as a family.
“With the little bit of time that we got with her, we just wouldn’t trade any of it,” Andrew told Fox 13.
Catherine added that they took Haven outside to the hospital’s bereavement garden with the approval of hospital staff so that she could “feel the sun.”
“Back in the [hospital room], she passed on my chest, and, you know, we were all just kind of snuggled into bed, and I just couldn’t think of a more beautiful way to say goodbye,” Andrew said, adding, “Our miracle becomes someone else’s miracle as well.”
The couple donated Haven’s organs through the LifeLink Foundation, an organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation, per the Times and Fox 13.
“We don’t often hear stories of women carrying babies to term with the sole intent of donating that baby’s organs to someone else who needs a lifesaving transplant,” LifeLink’s public affairs manager, Sherri Day, told Fox 13. “What a remarkable family.”
