It’s one of the most devastating phrases an expecting mom could ever hear: “Your baby doesn’t have a heartbeat.”
Several weeks ago, Miranda heard those heartbreaking words during her 17 week prenatal appointment. Her doctor told her that her unborn daughter had died in the womb.
The grieving mother reached out to LifeNews to share her family’s story and photos of her baby daughter with the hope that others will recognize the precious value of babies in the womb.
A mother of seven and a former pregnancy center volunteer, Miranda told LifeNews: “This experience has forever changed me and I feel that sharing my story would encourage others. I want our baby’s life to mean something.”
During her pregnancy, Miranda said she developed placenta accreta, a rare but dangerous condition when parts of the placenta grow too deeply into the uterine wall. She said it caused her baby girl’s death and threatened her life as well.
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She told LifeNews:
I delivered our daughter on Sep 11, 2016. I was able to spend about 4 hours with her tiny body grieving her loss with my husband before things started to get bad. The doctor and I tried to deliver my placenta but our efforts were in vain. After a 30 minute surgery turned into hours, 7 units of blood, and the removal of my uterus and right ovary, I was finally stabilized and life flighted to Sacred Heart in Pensacola Fl where I continued to recover.
Miranda was grateful that she and her husband were able to see and hold their daughter’s tiny body after she was born. They named her Elaina Lenee. Miranda’s sister also took photos of the family in the hospital.
Though she was so young, baby Elaina Lenee was a valuable human being. At 17 weeks, her major organs were in place and functioning. Her heart had been beating for months. She already had her own unique fingerprints in place, and her teeth were beginning to develop inside her gums. Inside the womb, she probably yawned and hiccuped, and she may even have sucked her thumb.
Her life was no different from any other child’s, except that she was still in the womb. And her story serves as an important reminder that every child in the womb deserves a chance to live.
