Mom’s Heartbreaking Pictures of Baby Miscarried at 16 Weeks Show Humanity of Unborn Children

National   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Nov 24, 2015   |   4:09PM   |   Washington, DC

Ester Garcia was heartbroken when she miscarried her and her husband’s first child at 16 weeks, but they prayed that God would show them a reason for their baby’s death.

The couple had met while praying on the sidewalk outside an abortion center. She and Edward were both single parents with a passion for pro-life outreach, and they believed God brought their families together for a special reason.

Ester shared with Live Action that they were married in May 2015 and pregnant one month later.

“What a feeling, to know that we were going to be able to have a child together and experience every step together!” Ester wrote for Live Action News.

But trouble came at her seven-week sonogram. Doctors told Ester she had a complex ovarian cyst about 10 centimeters long, and they referred her to a specialist.

She continued:

The morning of August 2nd, now 13 weeks pregnant, I woke up with a pain that I hadn’t felt before. I got up and within 30 minutes I was in tears, realizing this was not going away. We headed for the ER. They gave me all sorts of pain medicine but nothing was working. The cyst had twisted my ovary and needed to come out immediately before causing further damage. We were reassured that the baby would be safe and I would still be able to deliver naturally when the time came.

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Before the operation, Ester said her baby was “bouncing away” and had a strong heartbeat. After the operation, the Garcias’ baby still seemed to be doing well.

But just a few weeks later, at 16 weeks pregnant, Ester said she started to bleed. When her husband returned home, he took her to the emergency room.

They examined me and performed a sonogram, where we could see that something was wrong. My womb looked different. We asked to hear the baby’s heart and were told we had to wait for the doctor.  Our hearts sank.

Finally, the doctor came in. “I’m sorry,” he said, “We were unable to detect a heartbeat.” Our hearts were immediately broken. We loved this baby from the moment we found out we were pregnant. A numbness came over me.

… The doctor said we could have a D&C but our baby would not be removed in one piece, and the hospital would send our baby’s body to the lab. We knew that a D&C is one of the ways in which abortions are performed. We also knew we wouldn’t be able to lay our baby to rest, whole, in a dignified burial with this option.

The Garcias chose to naturally deliver their miscarried baby at home. Edward caught their unborn daughter as she was born, and Ester’s parents prepared their baby’s body for them to see and hold. They named her Hope Paulina.

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“She was absolutely perfect,” Ester wrote. “She had everything – 10 fingers, 10 ties, lips, nose, ears eyes, ribs, joints, brain, heart lungs, etc.”

Friends and family began to stop by to comfort and mourn with the Garcias, and they allowed people to see or hold their daughter. The family also began sharing photos of their tiny baby girl.

“In a time when people debate whether or not this is a clump of tissue or a real human being, we know our daughter’s passing will not go in vain,” Ester wrote.

“Even at a young age of 16 weeks – 4 months – our baby completed her mission for God,” Ester wrote. “She saved her momma from a cyst that was undetected but continuing to grow. She also brought awareness that we cannot continue to allow the abortion industry to murder the voiceless.”

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