Mila May Harper 5.27.2016

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share with you that Mila May Harper was born Friday, May 27th, at just 18 weeks gestation, and our little girl is with the angels in heaven.

We found out at a routine 14 week ultrasound, the day after we closed on our new house, that Mila suffered from what they suspected was Spina Bifida, and was measuring very small. Thus we began mentally preparing ourselves for a difficult pregnancy, a child that would need pediatric surgery within hours of being born, and potentially life with a special needs child. But we could not have imagined the full gravity of our situation and how the following 4 weeks would unfold.

After numerous ultrasounds, doctor appointments at our normal OB and the University of Minnesota, meetings with genetic counselors, and invasive tests performed, it was confirmed that Mila actually suffered from Triploidy. A rare chromosome condition where she had 3 full sets of chromosomes, instead of 2. They told us this condition is “incompatible with life”, there are no survivors. All of the birth defects our sweet girl suffered were a symptom/side effect of this condition. Apparently Triploidy occurs in just 1% of conceptions, and of those 99% end in the first trimester, it is quite literally a miracle she made it to 18 weeks, our little girl is truly 1 in a million.

We feel so blessed that we were able to spend 18 weeks praying for her, watching our feisty little cookie do somersaults on ultrasounds, hear her strong heartbeat and get some amazing pictures of her in utero. We also feel truly blessed that God answered our prayers and took our little girl home, and that we were able to have her named, blessed, baptized and laid to rest. What a gift Connor has that his baby sister will look out for him from heaven.

We want to thank you all so much for your love and support during this immensely difficult time for our family. While our hearts are completely broken, we know that we are still truly and utterly blessed.