The mother of a boy born with a rare birth defect has said she is glad she dismissed her doctor’s advice to abort her son.
Holly Hodgson, from Brisbane, Australia, was told her unborn child had gastroschisis – where the intestines and internal organs protrude outside the body.
Her doctor advised her to ‘terminate’, saying he had encountered three other cases where abortions took place.
Upset
However, Holly was not prepared to do so. She researched the condition herself and found that 90-95 per cent of babies survive birth.
In fact, she did not come across “anything about babies being terminated”, which left her feeling “upset” that the doctor had even suggested an abortion.
“It makes me sick and angry when I look back on what he said”, she commented.
Happy baby
Baby Teddy was born prematurely on 14 December last year, weighing just 1.9 kg and with his large and small intestines outside his body.
Doctors placed his organs into a silo bag for 13 days until his stomach was big enough for them to be placed back inside.
After eight weeks he was big and strong enough to go home and today, he is a ‘happy, giggly boy’.
No apology
Holly said: “He’s such a happy boy. He just loves making faces and talking to people. He always smiles, giggles and squeaks at people he doesn’t even know – it’s very cute.”
She recently emailed a picture of Teddy to the doctor who had recommended an abortion.
“He just responded with ‘Congratulations – I’m glad all went well’. He didn’t say sorry, or that he would take it on board for next time”.
Choose Life
To read more stories about women who chose life for their babies in difficult circumstances, visit our Choose Life page.