Please pray for my friend

[KEA's Mom]

I've spoken of my friend several times. She is now 31 weeks pregnant and her daughter has Trisomy 18. As they near to her due date she and her husband are meeting with the NICU team, etc. She and her husband are very aware of the gravity of the situation yet each time they meet with someone, it seems as though they are repeatedly hit with words like "impossible", "no hope", "tragic". How is that helpful? She is really trying to hold it together but as she approaches her due date, she's just terrified and heart broken. They have two other children as well that they are worried about helping with all of this. And when it's her daughter's time and she joins my daughter, Amanda, it will be just awful, as all of you know. I have nothing to offer her, just my love and prayers. I can't make it better or change it. But I can ask all of you to pray for her, her daughter and her family. I hope they are able to have some time with their baby girl. That they'll see the color of her eyes and maybe give her a bath. Sometime to make some memories.
Thank you all.

[Marcus Momma]

I will be praying for your friend and her family

[Andy Rea]

Kristen,

Please feel comforted and relay the comfort that there will be many prayers for the family. Comfort her in knowing that her baby's life is not tragic or hopeless. Her daughter has been created for a purpose and we simply cannot comprehend it. I am confident that when your daughter and her meet they will be happy little girls waiting for their mommas to come home.

[gtownherd]

Please let you friend know that there will be a blessing in this for her and her family. My husband and I also had a daughter with trisomy 18, We were not given any hope of a live birth or any time with her at all. We had our Kasey for 4 wonderful days, she passed 6/27/08. Let her know that many of us are praying for her. It is very hard to carry a baby knowing that she may not live very long. My heart goes out to her, there were times during my pregnancy that I did not know if I could do another day. But when I saw my
daughter it was all worth it.
take care
Kasey's mom

[amburke2]

Kristen,
I agree that your friend's daughter's life is not tragic or hopeless. Clearly her family loves her very much...what bad could come of that? Yes, her death will be painful for those she leaves behind, but as they say, not all tears are an evil.

It is difficult to carry a child who is not expected to live long - the last half of my pregnancy with Timothy was very bittersweet for that reason. On the other hand, I hope that they will make a plan to do all the things they want to do with their little girl. Our doctor recommended that we make an "after birth" plan and she put a copy in my chart, so we got to give Timothy his first bath and dress and lotion him, etc. - even though he had passed away already. We also asked the neonatologist specific questions about what would happen after birth, and I'm glad I was prepared for the medical realities of his condition so that I didn't freak out about anything.

Sorry, I got a little long-winded there. I will be praying for your friends, that they have the strength to lean on each other as they love their daughter for her entire earthly life.