At our 16 week ultrasound with our third child, our baby girl was diagnosed with anencephaly. I had never heard of that term before, much less knew what it meant for our babe. But as the doctor said things like “fatal” and “not compatible with life outside the womb” I began to realize the weight this diagnosis would carry. Anencephaly is a neural tube defect that caused Rebecca Joy’s brain to not develop fully. Our precious gift from God, how can this be? I was confused and devastated. We were immediately sent to a specialist that confirmed the diagnosis.
We are soaking up this time we do have with our girl, Rebecca Joy. This blog is what I use to sort out my thoughts as we walk through this “in between” of celebrating her life as she is so alive right now, but also preparing for what’s to come.
Rebecca Joy was born at 6:35pm on Thursday November 2, 2017, weighing 5lbs 7oz, 17.5 inches long. She was so strong and lived an amazing 20 hours. She only ever knew love and comfort while she was with us. On Friday November 3, 2017, we passed her back into the arms of Jesus at 2:30pm. Our hearts will always miss her but our memories will serve us well, until we see her again.
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March 2017: Lindsay, Kate, Charlie, Jesse
November 2017: Kate, Jesse, Lindsay, Rebecca Joy, Charlie
March 2019: Lindsay, Caroline, Kate, Charlie, Jesse, and our angel Rebecca Joy
recapture my heart 