Flipped Upside Down

June 17, 2022

Hannah not only faced an unexpected pregnancy but also a scary diagnosis for her baby the day her life “flipped upside down,” as she describes it. While Hannah and baby Nash’s story is still being written, she shares with us some intimate details that can encourage other moms in this situation.

Hannah’s story

Getting an unexpected positive pregnancy test when I was newly engaged at 19 was the day my life flipped upside down…so I thought. I had always longed to be a mother, but later in life. My fiancé and I decided to embrace this curve God had sent us with open arms. At our first ultrasound at 7 weeks, our little bean had a great heartbeat and looked perfect! I have always been an anxious person, and although I had no reason to be anxious about my pregnancy, I always felt like something was off. It is true that a mother’s intuition is always spot on! 

At 12 weeks, we opted for the NIPT genetic testing, solely for gender purposes. When results came back as high risk for trisomy 18, I was optimistic as the chances of that being a true positive were only 14%. So, strong in faith we waited until our little boy was 16 weeks, and we went in for an anatomy scan. The moment the doctors came in and said, “The scan is abnormal…we see many markers of trisomy 18,” I completely blacked out, saw stars, I was in complete shock.

The moment our lives flipped upside down

I will never forget that moment, the moment when our lives truly flipped upside down. After the findings, I was bombarded with talk of termination and D&E, which terrified me. I thought my baby boy had no chance after speaking with these doctors. They gave me two weeks to do research. This is when I found so many parents with t18 babes and felt so relieved. I immediately got connected within the community. Verity’s Village was a huge resource for me. If it wasn’t for my package with the journal and book, I would be truly lost in this! I felt so much better with relating to Verity and Beverly and all of the other parents and kiddos. 

I met with my OB-GYN two weeks after the initial anatomy scan. I asked her if what they had told me was true for Nash’s situation. She simply said, “I’ve seen too many things for me to tell you to terminate.” With those words, a sense of faith washed over me. Nash is already the biggest miracle. I get the privilege of carrying him every second of every day. Fast forward to 27 weeks, my angel is such a fighter! Through all of this, he has said week after week, “I’ve got this, Mom and Dad. Most importantly, God has this!”

Through everything Hannah has learned and experienced, she has bravely taken a difficult situation and flipped it once again. Now, she is preparing to be the best mommy she can be to Baby Nash! Verity’s Village is honored to walk with her on this journey.