A Mother’s Courageous Choice: Embracing Life's Unexpected Blessing

When Vanessa McCloud and her husband were expecting their second child, no one was more excited than them.

Their excitement turned to worry during a routine scan when they heard there was 'something unusual' on the ultrasound.

At first, the doctors held back what they saw, wanting to ease them into the news. 'When the midwife called us into her office just before delivery, all I wanted was to hear that everything was alright. I just wanted to protect my baby,' Vanessa recalls.

Sitting alone in the waiting room, a whirlwind of thoughts rushed through her mind. 'The baby was already a part of me, part of my very being. I loved her even before she was born, and she was already so deeply in my heart. I didn’t want to lose her. At that moment, I felt I could handle anything they told me—except losing her. I just wanted to protect her.'

Understanding the situation, the midwife called in another doctor, and together they told Vanessa that her baby would be born without arms.

'It felt like a punch straight to the gut, it took my breath away,' Vanessa says. 'I cried and screamed. Suddenly all the visions of my perfect little baby were shattered.'

'I Didn’t Realize How Hard It is to Decide to End a Pregnancy'

Vanessa felt like her world was collapsing, but her father's immediate support was grounding. 'If this is what’s meant to be, so be it. She is going to be a blessing to our family, and I think our family needs someone like her. She’s going to teach us so much,' he told her.

Vanessa felt her world turning upside down. 'It was so hard to absorb, but even harder was when the doctor suggested we end the pregnancy at this stage. It never crossed my mind, and here they were, suggesting it. The geneticist sitting with my husband and me kept urging us to terminate. 'Consider how hard her life will be without hands,' they said, as if she wasn’t a person.'

At that point, Vanessa knew there was no turning back and unleashed her inner lioness. 'I won’t let anyone tell me whether or not to bring this child into the world. We’re bringing her, and she’ll be our charm,' she told the doctor, even as she felt they were making her feel guilty for wanting to keep the baby.

'Until that moment, I didn’t realize how hard it is for a woman to decide to end her pregnancy,' she reflects.

'Ivy Will Grow and Adapt in Her Own Way'

'I always thought I was open-minded about it, but now I know I could never go through with an abortion, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I remember looking at my husband with so many unanswered questions, and when he resolutely told me 'We’ll do everything together for her,' I knew there was no way I wasn’t going through with my decision. He gave me the strength I needed to do whatever it takes to make her happy for the rest of her life.'

When Ivy was born, Vanessa and her partner were overjoyed. 'We fell in love with her immediately and forgot the minor detail that she was without hands. She was a beautiful, smiling baby. Everyone who saw her instantly felt their hearts leap with joy. I thought about the doctors who told me to abort and wished they could hear the magical sound of her giggles. She’s perfect, unequivocally and undoubtedly. We all have our own unique paths to walk, and so does Ivy.'

Today, Ivy celebrates her first birthday, and her parents have one message for other parents: 'We faced so much insensitivity from doctors and even some people who knew us and heard our child would be born without limbs. I want to say that with our love and support, Ivy will grow and adapt to her circumstances, but she’ll never miss something she never had.'

'She won’t grow up with feelings of sadness, because sadness was never part of her. Give all you can, and don’t believe everything doctors tell you,' they conclude.