Doctors told us to abort six times – but Arianna Jude proved them all wrong
Virginia | October 19, 2021
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author and are not necessarily reflective of Live Action or Live Action News.
When I was pregnant with our daughter, Arianna Jude, we went in for our 20-week ultrasound and were faced with devastating news. Arianna was diagnosed with three heart defects and a giant omphalocele (her liver and possibly other organs were growing on the outside of her body). She was measuring small and they told us that her condition is likely linked with a genetic condition. Following her diagnosis we were given much “education” on her prognosis and what her quality of life would look like.
We were told by three cardiologists that based on the location and size of her ventricular septal defect (VSD) that she would likely experience heart failure within the first month of life, and that we would need to start her on medication to give her time to grow — but then she would likely have to have open heart surgery within one to two months of life. When we asked if there was a chance the hole could close even somewhat before birth they all said confidently, “no, not with the way it looks at this point in the pregnancy.” In regards to her omphalocele, we were told her lungs were underdeveloped (due to her organs growing outside the abdomen) and that with the size of her omphalocele she would be looking at a hospital stay of three to six months, at least. They stated she would be intubated (100%) and likely trached. We were told she would have to receive a PICC line early on and that the chances of her receiving a PEG tube were high.
The doctors were preparing us for a lifetime of therapy and treatments. This was not including the likelihood of a connected genetic disorder and the cognitive delays she would likely be facing to accompany that.
“You do have the option to terminate the pregnancy.”…(Excerpts from LIVE ACTION)