Ella Beth's story

It has been interesting (weird!) how many times I have told Ella Beth's "story" within the last couple of months to women who are going through the uncertainty that Scott and I went through during my pregnancy with Ella Beth. I feel that God must surely be speaking through it, so I want to post it here.

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My last period before I became pregnant with Ella Beth was on November 2, 2005.

On March 14, 2006 I was 16 weeks pregnant with Ella Beth. I went in to the doctor's office to have the routine ultrasound and scheduled blood work where they test for different chromosomal abnormalities. During my ultrasound the doctor noticed "clusters" on Ella Beth's brain that they said were indicators of Down's. They told us this after our ultrasound was complete, but said, "It could be nothing, we'll just see what the blood work results say." On Friday, the nurse called me to tell me that my blood work came back with a 1:300 ratio for Down's, and that it should be 1:3600 for a "normal" result. They scheduled an appointment with a perinatologist for the following Wednesday.

On Wednesday, March 22, Scott and I went to the perinatologist for a very in depth and specific ultrasound. When the doctor asked me the date of my last period, I told him it was Nov. 2; he asked me if I was sure. I said that I was b/c I had just stopped a fertility drug and had a surgical procedure and I knew the exact date. He said that he needed to recalculate some things and he would be back. Since the blood work results are based off of a woman's last menstrual cycle, Scott and I were sure that the doctor was going to come back to say that everything was fine and there was just a bad calculation.

But, that's not how it went. The doctor came back and said that with the updated information, there was now a 1:26 ratio that Ella Beth would have Down's. For the doctor, that was a 1:1 shot. Because of the clusters on her brain and the results of my blood work he was convinced that Ella Beth would have Down's, and he asked us that very moment if we would like to terminate our pregnancy. I couldn't speak, so Scott responded with, "Absolutely not." The doctor went on to try to convince us that it would most likely be the "wrong" decision b/c it was almost guaranteed that she would not be the "daughter we were hoping for." I was crying and shaking and still unable to speak, so Scott told the doctor that she was already the daughter we were hoping for, and that termination was not an option. The doctor then said, "Well, at your next appointment, that will be your last chance to legally abort." Talk about a sickening statement.

Scott and I went back to the perinatologist routinely every 2 weeks to monitor Ella Beth's growth and prognosis. At 32 weeks pregnant, we went in for another ultrasound where the ultrasound technician didn't speak to us very much. When she left, I told Scott that something was up. She came back in with the doctor, and we were given a pink slip that said "Fetus cleared of Down's Syndrome."

The same doctor who tried to convince us to terminate Ella Beth's life was the same doctor who "cleared" her. I cried so hard - of course I was glad to know that Ella Beth would be OK, but I cried mostly thinking of the women who were given the same incorrect diagnosis and who chose to terminate their child's life.

Scott and I prayed so hard that God would heal Ella Beth of Down's, because we truly believe that Ella Beth did have Down's while she was in the womb - ALL scientific evidence pointed to that. For us, and hopefully for our doctor, God proved that He is bigger than science. He is bigger than any "proof" that we can see.

Most people who know Ella Beth know that she is a very intelligent little girl; she has tested "off" the brightness scales, and her little mind just blows people away. Of course, Scott and I are proud of her. But mostly, we simply see that whatever gifts she has are just our "proof" of how big God is.

Ironically, working at North Point these last 2.5 years, I have passed by that same perinatal office every morning on my way to work. I pray often for the doctors in that office to look past science. And I pray for the parents who find themselves in the same situations, facing devastating news that their child "isn't going to be who the parents were hoping for." I pray that they look at their doctors and tell them, "Oh yes she is."