Some babies are born with physical features that are considered disabilities or abnormalities by society, despite being normal for them.
But this family sees their daughter born without arms and hands as a blessing. Doctors wanted her to abort the baby, but this mom knows her baby is her miracle baby.
At the 19-week mark of her pregnancy, soon-to-be mother of two, Vanessa McLeod got to know that her unborn child had abnormalities. Her first instinct was fearing that her baby wouldn’t survive. “I was worried that the pregnancy wasn’t viable. That there was something she wouldn’t be able to survive. That I would give birth and lose her days, hours, or minutes after meeting her,” she said on Love What Matters.
She was warned by the doctors about the baby possibly having a cleft lip, curved femur, and heart issues. Doctors were upfront about it and told them to abort the baby.
They were then informed about the missing hands and arms. “It keeled me over and the sobs tore out of me, and visions of my perfect little baby shattered. No hands? I had never heard of this. It wasn’t on my radar. It had never crossed my mind, never been a fleeting fear or worry.”
Amid the emotional devastation, Vanessa’s father was positive about it and told her, “She is going to be a blessing to our family.”
The McLeods visited perinatologists and other medical professionals but were met with negativity and unclear information. None of the professionals seemed to be invested in the McLeod’s ordeal. They advised the family to abort the baby but that was never an option for the family because Vanessa and her husband had fallen in love with the unborn child and valued her life, more than the doctors.
The family decided to have the baby as Vanessa looked to her husband for support. “But he so firmly, passionately, and emphatically said to me, ‘I’ll do whatever I have to do to take care of her. I’ll build her anything. I want her.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll take care of her for the rest of her life.’ And I knew in that moment, he was right. She was ours to love and protect, and we did already love her. And I knew, without a doubt, that with my husband by my side, we could do this.”
Ivy was born four weeks premature, without arms and hands, and has since been living a successful life. Instead of fear, Vanessa chose hope and life for her family. What a brave decision this was and how well it has turned out to be for them. God bless the little princess and her family richly.
