Moments after this, mom heard her baby’s heartbeat, doctors told her she had to have an abortion. When Brandi Rogers learned she was pregnant for the third time, she knew things would be hectic. Brandy and her husband, Michael, were already parents to a toddler and a seven-month-old baby, but the couple quickly got used to the idea, and their excitement grew for the new addition. However, when a problem was spotted on a routine ultrasound, Brandy and Michael had a heartbreaking decision to make. Indeed, the doctors had advised her to have an abortion.
It was an unexpected pregnancy for Brandy, a mom of two from Effingham, South Carolina. No doubt her three-year-old son, Lawson, was keeping her busy enough, and so when she found out she was expecting again, just seven months after her daughter, Hagen arrived, Brandy knew she was facing a tough challenge, but it didn’t take long for Brandy and Michael to get over the shock, and the young couple grew excited for their third child. Unfortunately, however, their excitement didn’t last long because, during a routine scan when Brandi was eleven weeks pregnant, doctors saw something gravely wrong with their unborn child.
While performing the ultrasound
The technicians saw what they believed to be fluid on the baby’s brain. Despite the seriousness of this complication, however, the specialists believed the baby still had a 75% chance of survival. Indeed, the doctor gave the couple plenty of hope that the little baby would be okay. As it happened, however, the doctor’s initial diagnosis of fluid on the brain was mistaken because at the 20-week scan, the outlook for Emerson, as the baby girl was named was far worse than previously thought. It was then that Brandy and Michael were told that their little baby had anencephaly.
I just kind of froze, Brandy told The Washington Times. They told me her head was cut off at her brainstem. When somebody tells you that, I don’t even think you know what to do. But doctors believed they knew the best course of action. With little to no chance, Emerson would survive.
They advise Determination An Encephaly occurs when a significant part of the skull and brain fail to develop
There is no treatment available or a known cure for the condition. And although in some exceptional cases, babies with the condition have lived for several years, many survive only hours or days. Most babies, sadly, do not even survive birth. In the end, however, the couple decided that terminating their baby just wasn’t an option.
You’re in a room and you’re listening to your baby’s heartbeat, and then you go into another room and they say, Well, you can stop it. That’s extremely hard, she told The Daily Mail. We decided on the spot that it wasn’t something we were going to do. I think I kind of just sat there when they told me, Brandy told ABC. It’s just one of those things you don’t think could ever happen to you, especially when I have two healthy children.
The 25-year-old mom went home with her husband and faced an incredibly tough decision. And so with this difficult decision made, Brandy and Michael began researching encephalitis, but the facts were there in black and white, and the prognosis for little Emerson wasn’t good. The condition affects around three in 100 pregnancies, and death is highly likely. Still, the couple wanted to find other parents who have experienced an Encephaly to fully understand what lay ahead. Through Facebook groups, the couple managed to connect with other parents who were dealing with an anencephaly diagnosis, too.
They spoke with parents
Who adopted to terminate their pregnancies as well as filled out other choices available to them. And after a few difficult days weighing up their options, the couple made a decision. Brandy and Michael wanted to carry their baby girl to full term. Emerson wasn’t a case study or a statistic to them. She was their daughter, and they loved her regardless of her imperfections.
And although she may not make it through delivery, the parents nonetheless wanted her to have a purpose. When we got home and we were researching, I was looking for a voice of someone who went full term and didn’t regret it, Brandi told ABC News. I want to be that voice. It’s OK to celebrate Emerson, even though she’s not going to survive. She’s still our third child and she’s still very much loved.
Although they’d ruled out termination almost immediately
Another option was to induce early labor. However, their doctor informed them of the legal Hoops they would have to jump through if they went for this option, including out-of-state treatment. It was then that they decided to see the pregnancy through as far as they could. I made a promise to myself after we decided not to induce that as long as she hung in there, I would too, Randy told ABC. In May.
I’m going to have my pictures with her. I’m going to have my time with her, and I’m going to get to say goodbye to her the way I want to on my terms. And I think that’s important. Initially, Rogers had wanted Emerson’s organs to be donated for transplants, even if she survives the birth. However, doctors feel she may not be a suitable donor due to her tiny size, and so instead, the parents are considering giving over their baby’s organs to medical research.
She’s going to matter for something, Michael explained to The Washington Post. I want her to have some sort of legacy, Brandy added. I want people to know about her and think of her as a baby and not as an exception. She’s going to make an impact in just hours of life. I find a lot of peace in that wary of the impact this ordeal will have on her two other children.
Brandy also intends to turn Emerson’s life into a celebration
Whatever happens, she wants her family to meet their daughter and even promises birthday cake. When the day arrives, they plan as best they can to make this a day of celebration rather than devastation, Brandy is due to undergo a C section. Until then, the expectant mom is already working to forge Emerson’s legacy. Not only does she hope to raise awareness of an Encephaly, but also hopes to become a voice for infant death, miscarriage, and stillbirths, providing support for other mothers who identify with her storing and as Brandy told Insight Edition if something good can come from using Emerson’s organs to look into what could cause an Encephaly, maybe one day they’ll have a cure, and another family doesn’t have to feel the way we’re feeling.
There’s a lot of good in that.