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.
