Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope

Regina

Mommy to Angelica

Stillborn at 18 weeks on April 30th, 2010

I never expected to get pregnant without some kind of intervention due to some medical problems with my husband and I. I became pregnant by surprise in December of 2009. I tested positive on a home pregnancy test on January 10, 2010. My mind was in shock. I waited another week to test again just in case it was a false positive. I tested again on January 17, 2010. Positive again. 

We went to the doctor's office on Monday, January 18 to get it verified by my GP. My due date was September 18, 2010. My husband and I were very excited that I was pregnant. At 12 weeks we went through the first trimester prenatal screening for birth defects. I was over 35 years of age and it was recommended by my OB. The nuchal translucency looked great! My dates were still good for the EDD and the baby was moving around like crazy. 

The blood test came back with some problems with the protein produced by the placenta. So we opted for an amniocentisis at 15 weeks. The amniocentisis went great and we got the good news that the baby was a girl and normal! Everything was right with the world and I could sit back and relax. 

We went to the OB's office for my 18 week appointment and she wanted us to do an ultrasound to make sure of the baby's development. We were excited because it was our 3rd ultrasound and we could see her again. We went in on April 29, 2010 for our ultrasound and the technician was very nice. I was relaxed until we heard the bad news that there was no heartbeat. We were devastated. Our little girl was gone. My husband and I felt that we wanted time to see her and hold her. So on April 30, 2010, I gave birth to our little Angelica. She was so beautiful. My husband and mother-in-law said she looked just like me. My arms ache to hold her just one more time. I miss her so much.