Mother “thankful” to doctors who helped her in high-risk pregnancy after others told her to abort

Image credit: Leah Newhouse via Pexels / Pixabay via Pexels

After the birth of her daughter, a mother had shared that she is “thankful” for the doctors who helped her throughout her high-risk pregnancy, after multiple doctors previously told her to have an abortion.

According to the Daily Mail, Alex Gooding, 33, from Arizona, who is also a mother to seven other children, was five weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with a caesarean-section scar ectopic pregnancy (CSEP), a rare condition where the embryo fuses to the scar tissue from a previous c-section. Doctors advised her to have an abortion as both herself and her unborn child’s life could be at risk should the c-section scar rupture and cause heavy bleeding. She was also told that the baby may not survive if the placenta grew through the uterus, and she may also require a hysterectomy.

After speaking to four doctors who told her to have an abortion, Ms Gooding found a doctor who would help her throughout her pregnancy. Being a woman of “great faith”, she proceeded with the pregnancy and gave birth to a baby girl named Chloe Marie on 4th February at 33 weeks. Baby Chloe weighed 4lbs and 4 oz and was taken to the neo-natal intensive care unit to be placed on oxygen and a feeding tube, and has since been doing well. Ms Gooding opted for hysterectomy after the birth to avoid heavy bleeding as the placenta ended up growing deep into her uterus.

 “When I was told by other doctors that I would die and so would Chloe, I knew they were likely speaking out of fear of their inexperience with this type of high-risk complication,” Ms Gooding said on Instagram. “That’s why I was referred to the best of the best for this kind of pregnancy. Having a medical provider that is experienced in these complications literally made all the difference in how my pregnancy went and how my delivery went.”

“I am beyond thankful for my doctors because I know the Lord was in it. My doctor has an amazing gift in his field. No doubt that God has prepared him for this very work,” she added.

Ms Gooding went viral on social media since sharing her pregnancy, and has received a range of both positive and negative responses from people on her decision to continue with the pregnancy.

An ectopic pregnancy is when the fertilised egg implants outside of the uterus, typically in the fallopian tube, although in rare cases it can implant in an abdominal cavity. When this happens, the mother has a high chance of a rupture and haemorrhage, which creates a serious medical emergency that would be fatal to both mother and baby if left untreated. In this case, the removal of the unborn baby, and in some cases the fallopian tube also, is an appropriate medical procedure to save the life of the mother, and this procedure is distinct ftom an abortion where the sole intention is to end the life of the baby. Abortion is a procedure that intentionally and deliberately ends the life of the unborn child. This is not the case when treating an ectopic pregnancy, although the baby will sadly die as a result of the intervention. 

Sandra Parda of the Life Institute commented, saying: “Congratulations to Ms Gooding on the birth of her beautiful little girl, Chloe. What courage she had in giving her baby a chance at life. It’s never easy experiencing a high-risk pregnancy and being told by multiple doctors that the only option is to end the pregnancy must have been very frustrating. Thank goodness she found a doctor who was able help her in her pregnancy, so that she was able to give her child every chance at life.”