Parents who wouldn’t abort “deformed” baby share pictures of him today
When Chris Eidam and Sarah Heller discovered that they were going to have a baby, they were ecstatic.
And like most parents, joy and excitement immediately took over the young couple.
24 weeks in to her pregnancy, an ultrasound revealed that their baby had a cleft lip and palate.
It was a shock to both Chris and Sarah, but this was their child and they were going to love him no matter what.
They were told when they were 24 weeks pregnant that their child has a bilateral cleft lip. This was a severe condition, and meant that the baby wouldn’t be able to eat, drink, or even breathe.
Doctors asked if they wished to abort their baby.
The mother turned it down, saying she loved her baby regardless.
The boy was beautiful and they wanted the world to know.
“It is OK to be proud of your baby no matter the circumstances,” Heller said. “We wanted to change what ultrasound/newborn/first year pictures on our Facebook/Instagram accounts looked like. We wanted to spread awareness of cleft lips and palates.”
Cleft lips and palates occur when tissues don’t fuse during the pregnancy.
Children with clefts usually undergo surgery to repair their lips and palates.
Then follows therapy for them to learn how to eat and speak.
Brody needs a gastrointestinal tube for nutrition as eating was still difficult. When Brody’s between nine and 12 months old, he’ll have another surgery to repair his palate.
In the end, because of their love and affection for their child, they were able to scrounge together enough money for a surgery.
And Brody underwent these operations excellently. He’s got more in his future, but for now, he’s a healthy growing boy. Sara was astounded by the support she had.
Sarah says that the emotional support she receives from people reminds her that there is a lot of good out there in spite of the harsh criticisms from others. There is more good out there!
“This experience has shown us just how strong the cleft community is. We’ve been contacted by people all over the country. they are praying for us and asking us to reach out if we need anything.”
Source:parentingisnteasy.co, rearfront.com, instagram.com
