Two mothers have spoken of their delight after refusing to abort their children who had been diagnosed with serious medical problems.
Vicky Davies said she “couldn’t even imagine” having an abortion, while Jackie Robson explained that: “No matter what, she was our baby and we were keeping her.”
Both children – Samuel and Faith – are now doing well.
Survival
Vicky’s son Samuel was born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) – which led to his stomach and intestines developing in his chest.
Vicky explained that she was advised to consider an abortion because of the low survival rate.
But she said: “I just couldn’t even imagine it, I know they have to give you all the options but I knew I had to just give him a chance at survival.”
Fight
For the birth, which came five weeks earlier than expected, Vicky and Samuel were rushed to Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
He was put in an incubator but after six days doctors said they could do no more for him.
“But”, Vicky said, “Samuel just thought, ‘no, I am going to fight.'”
“And he has been fighting ever since, even when he was strong enough to have the operation on June 10 to move his stomach and intestines down he came out fighting”, she commented.
Vicky Davies with her son Samuel. Credit:Trinity Mirror
Wonderful
Samuel is now in Glan Clwyd hospital in North Wales and Vicky commented: “It is just so wonderful to be able to hold him now and change and feed him like any normal mum.”
Explaining that hospital staff have been “amazing”, Vicky commented that she wanted to raise awareness of CDH and “show people that it is not all negative, your baby can survive this”.
Jackie Robson’s baby Faith is now eight months old but before she was born she was diagnosed with part of an artery missing.
Major operation
Medics offered an abortion at 22 weeks, but Jackie commented: “By that point I was feeling the baby move.”
Faith was born three weeks early, at 5lb 2oz, and taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Yorkhill, Glasgow.
She then had a major operation, which involved her heart being stopped and cut open.
Inspiration
However, just over a week later Faith was home and now Jackie says: “You wouldn’t know there was anything wrong with her.”
“She’s an inspiration, she’s incredible”, Jackie added in comments reported by the Scottish Daily Mail.
Jackie and her husband Fergus are now raising money for a charity linked to the Glasgow NHS hospital where Faith was cared for.