I guess it's better to talk about Gabriel's story and not mine

  I found out I was pregnant in May. I was excited. I was able to stop my
medcine, dangerous bipolar medicine that made me feel horrible (this is only
included in because it's a catalist to my last two weeks). At twelve weeks my
doctor called me and asked if I could come in my with my husband as soon as
possible to dicuss my ultrasound results. I'm the dumb one who was excited
because I knew people at 12 weeks could find the gender of their baby. When I
went though my doctor told me there were problems with my ultrasound, where the
babys skull bone and brain should be it was black. Meaning, it had no skull
bone, she wan't sure if it even had a brain. I was shell shocked, but I knew
they had an appointment the next day for a high risk doctor who could tell it
like it is. The next day I went hoping maybe the baby was in the wrong position,
the doctor said that could happen. That didn't happen though, it was definately
missing a skull bone, meaning it's brain was on display for the world to see.
The doctor explained as the baby moved part of his brain would be lost and he'd
be born with just brain stem. I read more on anacephly (that's what the
condition was called). I learned that the surival rated was 0%. I had two
options 1) Give birth to a baby who is still born, or dieing of respritory
failure or 2) Terminate the fetus (being pro-life I was really distraught, being
pro-life I was sure there was only option 1 and I didn't like it too well).

Logically thinking pro life means you're willing to give a baby life instead of
aborting a healthy live baby, correct? I also read that if I carred full term
the shape of the baby's head could actually mess up the birth cannel to the
point I can't have kids again, and my baby would be having convulsions inside of
me. I never had a convuslion before but I can think of how awful it'd be. They
say baby's don't feel pain, but I knew my baby was different when they moved him
with the ultrasound machine he didn't look happy at all. So I knew my best
option wasnt to put the suffering to an end. If you had a puppy or a kitten who
sat on the floor struggling to breathe or dying you'd take it to the vet to give
it "blue juice" or in other words put the little animal to sleep so it didn't
feel anymore pain. I felt the same should go for my baby.

Wednesay I had my appointment with the doctor to answer questions about what I
could do with my baby. We at first decided a D&C, for those who don't know a D&C
is where they scoop the baby out of the uterus. The doctor said that was the
only outcome. So we were scheduled for surgery to a baby who wouldn't make it
Monday.

At home I was called hours later by my doctor to come in to be induced. That day
I was going to be induced and give birth to a baby that was inside of me. I was
given the pills that they use to induce and other stuff I wouldn't talk about
here. I would in the next 12 hours give birth to a baby.

At 5 in the morning my water broke and my baby came t when I went to the
bathroom. He was so teeny, so beatutiful, despide the brain that was hanging out
of his skull. They declaired he was a boy when they checked him out in the other
room. Meaning I had given birth to the boy my husband always wanted.

Friday I was able to put my baby boy Gabriel Jesus, to rest in a Muslim cemetary
with my family around.

Have some fun with our new super proposal!..
http://www.paramaribo1line.com/com.page.php?zhot=29e0

I am so sorry for what you have recently gone thru.  I am in the same position. 
I struggled with the "pro-life" issue too.  I am going to be induced on Sept 30
and give birth to a little boy who will be 21 weeks.  I am devastated and I feel
your pain.  I am told that they will give me the pills as well.  I am scared of
the whole process but I fee I am making the right choice.  Do you have any
regrets about terminating the pregnancy?  I am just scared that I will hate
myself afterward.  Thainking of you.

Health Activist Awards 2011

You inspire us every day with your commitment to your online health community - and it's time to celebrate you and your efforts.  What better way to commemorate your milestones than by bringing everyone in the Health Activist community together to share what they love.  We've created an interactive Health Activist Awards program to get you and your communities excited to share what has moved you, inspired you, and made a real difference in how you think about healthcare and living well. 

Announcing, the first ever Health Activist Awards!

Check out the awards (and the Prize Pack!) below and start nominating your favorite Health Activists for their best work in 2011.  We're also looking for folks to join our Health Activist Awards Judging Panel to help us choose our winners - let us know if you'd like to be considered!

We're officially starting the nominations December 1st but we're happy to accept yours now.

Rookie of the Year 2011	Best in Show 2011
The Health Activist who came on the scene in 2011 but has inspired the entire community.  Nominate!	This Health Activist dominates a particular platform and is a great model for taking it to the next level.  Nominate!
Paperboy Award 2011	Health Activist Hero 2011
The Health Activist who always brings you the latest and greatest news and research. Nominate!	Who has changed your life?  Recognize the Health Activist who has made a significant impact on you.  Nominate!
Advocating for Another 2011 (Best Parent or Caregiver)	TMI Award 2011 (Too Much Information!)
Award the dedication of someone who raises awareness for the condition of someone they love.  Nominate!	This Health Activist always goes there - no matter how personal or embarassing the story.  Nominate!
Hilarious Health Activist 2011	Offline Crusader 2011
You swear you're at a comedy show.  This Health Activist brings the funny with the advocacy. Nominate!	This Health Activist did amazing things offline this year.  Tell us about your favorite.  Nominate!
Best Affirmation Post 2011	Best Kept Secret 2011
Recognize the best single post that explains, outlines, or affirms the Health Activist mission. Nominate!	Help us find the hidden gem of the Health Activist world - and share them. Nominate!

 

We've also created an exclusive Prize Pack especially for Health Activists.  Each Health Activist Award Winner will receive the following:

• Official Health Activist Business Cards

• An official Health Activist Awards 2011 Badge - to post on your blog or community

• One Health Activist Tutorial of their choosing (1 hour with a WEGO Health Specialist) + An individual design consultation with our Graphic Designers (1-2 hours)

• A feature on the WEGO Health Blog and in our monthly newsletter

And - as a winner of a Health Activist Award, you'll also be a VIP go-to for us to test new projects, programs, and events. Consider yourself in-the-know and one of the elite. We'll ask you first and give you opportunities before everyone else in 2012! 

For more information, check out our complete contest rules and Health Activist Awards FAQ Page.

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the anencephaly
group.

   File        : /Welcome to the HealthShare International Support Network.pdf
   Uploaded by : ghnfounder <healthsharegroups@...>
   Description : HealthShare International Support Network

You can access this file at the URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/anencephaly/files/Welcome%20to%20the%20HealthShare\
%20International%20Support%20Network.pdf

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/members/web/index.html
Regards,

ghnfounder <healthsharegroups@...>

Dear Members,

Knowledge is empowering and once you have that knowledge it is important to have a network, which can support you in acting upon it.  The HealthShare International Support Network and CheckOrphan have joined forces to enhance our services. 

The HealthShare International Support Network offers a community of passionate individuals who collaborate and exchange ideas.  CheckOrphan offers a wealth of knowledge as a news and information platform for rare diseases.  Together, we both hope to better support you and empower you to be more effective Health Activists in your community.

CheckOrphan will provide our community with the latest news and information.  More importantly you will have a news source that is dedicated to communicating and promoting your needs.  Sign up for your free daily newsletter here: http://checkorphan.org/newsletter/subscribe/id/1.  To receive daily email updates of our community activity, you may sign up on our homepage.

Both CheckOrphan and HealthShare thank you for your support. 

Note: All Donations to support the HealthShare International Support Network are now managed by CheckOrphan.  As a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization, all donations are tax deductible. 

David Hughes

Founder

HealthShare International Support Network

Visit CHECKORPHAN COMMUNITY CENTER at: http://healthsharegroups.org/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

To tell you Eva's story i have to share some of my background history. In 2009
doctors discovered i had ovarian cancer, and had to under go 3 different
surgeries. I was told i would never be able to concieve. Although last October a
miracle occured and i found out i was pregnant, with twins. I had to go for an
Early Pregnancy scan which showed that one of my twins hadnt developed. I was
heart broken and didnt understand why. The only thing that kept me strong was
knowing i had another baby who was 'doing fine' as the midwife put it. I went
for a 17 week scan, I remember being so excited to eventually see my little
baby, i remember it so well... The midwife looked at the screen for what felt
like forever, i kept waiting to see her smile bu that smile never came! She then
told us that there was a serious problem with our wee baby, she went for a
doctor to confirm that Eva had anacephaly. At that moment my whole world fell
apart. We were taking by the doctor who discussed what anacephaly was and told
us our options. We were told that there was a very high percentage for Eva to be
stillborn and the only reason she had survived this long was because she was
attatched to me. We decided with great great sadness that we had to terminate,
it wasnt fair to put her through the troubles of labour to only see her for a
few hours. On the 28th of January 2012 i was taken into the hospital to be
induced, i went into labour within 4 hours of having the first tablets placed
behind my cervix. I couldnt think, i couldnt believe what was happening, our
baby girl was born at 3.55pm weighing only 4oz! in my eyes she was perfect. She
is now safely at reast amd is our tiny angel in heaven! When we first discovered
what anacephaly was i feel like we didnt know anything about it, i had never
even heard of it, i only wish i had found this group sooner to maybe get some of
the answer and support that i needed.

Eva Jacqueline Wicks - 28.1.12 - Brightest Star in the Sky