Bridget,
My name is Renee and I had my little girl two and a half years ago. She was
my eighth baby. The first seven were very healthy babies. I went into
shock and spent days trying to find information and help. With Amanda, I
had my first c-section because I had read that it was easier on the baby and
improved the chance of having the baby alive. Well, I wanted whatever was
the best for my baby even if she may not live very long. Amanda lived 27
hours and we took lots of pictures. We made a plaster mold of her hands and
feet (purchased at the picture people). I had a family member take a video
and there was a tripod set with another camera that ran until the film was
gone. I have not been able to watch either of these but had them put on a
cd. I am so thankful for the pictures. I have looked at them over and over
and this might seem ridiculous but at times, I even have kissed her picture.

The children I had were one of the things that saved me. Also, women that
had lost babies were of the greatest help. I have a strong faith and belief
in God so I know I will see her again someday.

During my pregnancy, I thanked God for every day that I was able to carry
Amanda. I told people that if possible I would have kept her inside of me
where it was safe forever - that is, if possible. I named her as soon as I
found the right name and called her by name for it was our only time
together. I enjoyed her every movement and I thank God for the time we had
together. When she was born, due to my c-section, my husband held her a
great amount of the time she was alive. I knew I had held her for almost 37
weeks and wanted him to have time with out little one. She went from the
warmth and love of her earthly father into the perfection of her Heavenly
Father's Kingdom.

I didn't mean to go on and on - I will pray for you. Also, there was a
women who collected data several years ago. I will look for this
information and send you this as it might be helpful.

Renee

>From: "dbabishop" <dbabishop@...>
>Reply-To: anencephaly@yahoogroups.com
>To: anencephaly@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [anencephaly] new member with a question
>Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 03:41:00 -0000
>
>My name is Bridget. I've been married for 9 years, and we have 4
>beautiful daughters already. Now, I'm 21 weeks pregnant with our
>5th daughter, who has anencephaly. I've tried to do research on the
>internet about anencephaly, but it seems that there really isn't
>that much information out there. I keep coming across the same
>information in different websites, all copied from the NINDS website
>it seems (although Wikipedia has some original, but very sketchy).
>I guess this condition is so rare, and it's even rarer for moms to
>choose to carry to term, and in the past doctors didn't care to
>categorize or evaluate the details of the preganancies or
>deliveries. Even now, it seems that many in the medical profession
>don't care much about babies who are going to die anyway. (I've
>been fortunate that my own doctor has been very compassionate.) I
>want to carry my daughter for as long as possible, and I want to do
>the best I can to bring her alive into this world. I've read that a
>c-section improves chances of a live birth; another mom claimed that
>breaking the amniotic sac to induce or speed up labor is stressful
>to the baby and may hasten death. But I can't confirm that
>anywhere. If anyone has concrete information, or knows where I can
>find credible research sources, I'd appreciate it.
>
>Thanks,
>Bridget
>
>
>