Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards Syndrome, is a celldivision error disorder. Every single cell of our son's body had an extra pair of chromosome 18. There was a 50% chance that our baby would pass inutereo, and if he was born alive, there was only a 1% chance that he would live to see his first birthday. We are grateful we were able to carry and love this baby for as long as possible. We did choose to deliver our son via cesarean section to save his little body from the stress of labor and delivery, with the hopes of holding him alive. Our sweet baby, Loen Matthew Thomas, was born on Sunday, January 19th 2020, at 2:06pm. He weighed only 2 pounds, 11 ounces, born at 35 weeks gestation. We were able to hold and kiss our tiny baby for 11 precious hours. In the months that I carried Loen and in those few hours that his spirit filled our hospital room, I was changed. Loen taught me to love more, to count my blessings, and to see the many angels in my life. I was carried through my grief by way of meals and anonymous gifts left on our porch, simple lunch dates or vent sessions with close friends, but most of all the comforting feeling of Loen's spirit surrounding me and our family. I have been saved by my angel, Loen, and the many hands that held me through this journey.V

Jan/Feb 2021 | VIEW ON MAGAZINE |

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