Natalie Halson, 29, from Manchester claims that doctors had offered her ten abortions right up to her due date but she finally given birth to a baby girl in the pink of her health.
She said that doctors over and over again warned that her unborn baby would have a deprived quality of life after a 22-week scan showed the foetus had spina bifida that means the spine and spinal cord haven’t developed as it should be in the womb.
But Natalie said she decided to belief her gut instinct and go ahead with the pregnancy, welcoming 7 pounds 6 ounces Mirabelle, who is now six-months- old. And even though Natalie doesn’t know precisely what the future holds but she said that her daughter is blooming after having curative surgery shortly after she was born.
Natalie claims that Mirabelle has come regardless of doctors regularly suggesting that she should terminate the pregnancy, even at the stage when she was 33 weeks gone and was very close to her delivery date.
But Natalie, who works in hospitals herself as an assistant radiographer, suspected something was wrong, so she called the ward and demanded answers. That was the time when they told her that the baby had spinda bifida. They made out like an abortion was my only option and explained that if she went ahead with the pregnancy her baby would be wheelchair bound and have no quality of life.
Natalie did tonnes of research and found out that there were options for her yet to be born baby and she felt really angry that they’d made out that there is no other option.
Natalie refused to give up her baby realised that there were options. She said that it was so insistent even after she had repeatedly said no but it was getting offered termination just weeks before her daughter was born.
She was offered an abortion at every appointment about ten times in all that she had up until the day her daughter, Mirabelle was born.
Natalie said that she is glad that she refused and called Mirabelle as her miracle baby. If she would not have that time to do her and looked out for options, she might have even agreed to the termination.
Natalie fought to be transferred to Great Ormond Street, London, for a second opinion where leading world specialist in spina bifida is based. She had her 23 and 26 week scans at the specialist children’s hospital. Foetal surgery was ruled out due to the nature of the lesion on Mirabelle’s spine.
Mirabelle was born at 38 weeks after Natalie underwent an emergency Caesarean. The new-born was whisked straight off to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, in Liverpool.
Natalie said that it was really awful not being able to see her baby after she was born especially when she had fought so hard for her baby.
Natalie was desperate to be near to her baby and so she discharged herself less than ten hours after the c-section and against the advice of her doctors so that she could be by her baby’s side.
Doctors operated on Mirabelle’s spine the day after she was born. For Natalir, it was a horrible anxious wait as it lasted about 12 hours but eventually the doctors were really happy with her progress afterwards. Doctors reattached all the nerves in Mirabelle’s back like a zip.
After a month of visiting the new-born in hospital, Natalie was finally allowed to take Mirabelle home.
Natalie considers herself a very strong person but it’s been an incredibly tough journey for her and her miracle daughter. They just love their daughter and she was just so gorgeous.
Natalie would recommend to any parents who are advised to abort, that it isn’t the only option no matter what the hospitals try and tell them. She suggests that always go with your gut instinct. Something from inside Natalie told her that her baby was going to be OK and now look at her now, she is just perfect and really doing well.
