When I found out I was pregnant with my fourth child in February 2009, I was ecstatic! I always wanted to have four children and I felt like my family dreams were finally reaching completion. At 13 weeks gestation, at a routine sonogram screening, that dream was abruptly shattered. I learned not only did I have what appeared to be an extreme case of placenta previa, but that my baby had an abdominal wall defect, an omphalocele. My doctor did not say, “Congratulations! You are having a high risk pregnancy and a beautiful NICU baby!” Instead, we were thrust into the world of perinatology and genetic testing. [Read more]
