I was pregnant with my 8th child. We were so happy! Everything went the same as the previous ones: the sickness, tiredness, the putting on weight, even the cravings -strawberries I couldn't get enough of them - until I went for my twenty week scan.
January 2007 my life as I new it would change forever.
My husband and I went along to our 20 week scan expecting to find out what we were going to have. Unfortunately we discovered our little girl's brain had not developed right, with parts missing. We were told to come back in two days to meet with consultant, where he then picked up her cleft lip and palate. He referred us to the royal hospital abnormalities clinic, where they also picked up her heart defects. It was suggested to us that things looked really grim, and did we want to know exactly what the condition was by the means of an amnio test? We declined due to the risk of miscarriage. We spoke with a doctor he told us that because there were a cluster of abnormalities it was most likely down to chromosomes...it wasn't just one thing wrong it was as least three they new of. We didn't really understand. We were in shock, total devastation.
My pregnancy continued and my baby continued to grow inside. I was being scanned every two weeks but looking back now I realized I was being scanned just to see if she was still alive as doctors had said to me babies like this rarely make it to term.
She made it to term!
I was induced and after a beautiful almost painless 3 hour labour our precious little girl was born weighing 7lb.
Once born we could see also she had an extra finger on each hand and low ears, but she was born alive and that's all that mattered to me! I thought she is here but disabled I will cope with that.
When she was a day old they took her and did tests. The doctor spoke with my husband and I and told us she had a syndrome called patue's also known as trismony 13. I don't think I was really taking in what he was saying until I heard him say she is incompatible with life. I realized at that moment my beautiful little girl was going to die and my world came crashing in round me. The doctor said she wouldn't grow and she would just be like a little flower and wither away in a couple of days. All I thought was if my baby is going to die I'm taking her home to die there with all her family.
Arrangements were put in place and eventfully she came home to all her brothers and sisters where we spent the rest of her 33 days of life with her. Those days we had with her are the most precious memories we as a family have. We were able to get pictures, videos, and actually get on as near normal as we could for the other children, even though we knew each hour could be her last with us. Every other night my husband and I took turns to sleep so she would never be left alone.
Eventually, on a Friday, our beautiful little girl, laying in the arms of her daddy, gently passed away. Our beautiful little girl and sister is gone but the joy and love she brought to our family is still here. She is loved as much now as she was then. There's not a day goes by but someone mentions her name .
Our beautiful little Clodagh Tréisé forever loved and never forgotten.
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