Always missing you 🤍
October 1st will make 8 years without you and my heart is heavy. I wonder who you’d be today. I wish you could meet your sisters. I wish I could have seen you grow into the beautiful and bright girl I know you’d be. Missing you a lot today and always. Forever young!
September 30th, 2017-October 1st, 2017
This is Ava Alexandria. At our 20 week mark we found out our sweet girl had a problem with her heart. We was sent to an OBGYN Specialist and from there they ran all kinds of test. It was to the extent of having appointments 3 times a week and even having an amniocentesis. It was determined that we needed a more extensive set of testing and was doing appointments at Cincinnati Children’s hospital once a month and still doing our 3 times a week appointments. She had a lot more problems than we originally expected. 33 weeks and 5 days I started having contractions and we rushed to the hospital to triage. I was only dilated to 1 cm but they were keeping us to stop the contractions. They walked me over to an actual room and I ended up dilating to 2cm. They was pushing the medication and the fluids to stop the contractions and decided to go ahead and get me on the flight schedule. We were on the next flight. The next couple days were a blur to me bc they had me on so much to stop the contractions that my BP dropped and they couldn’t get me a wake. Then when I lost my fluid, Ava’s umbilical cord kept cutting off and her heart rate would drop so they had to keep flipping me back and forth until I delivered. They gave me 10 minutes to push her out when it was time otherwise we were having a C-section. I lost a lot of blood but I was only worried about my baby. We got to spend 9 hours with our baby and it was an amazing 9 hours.
The story shared is a deeply moving account of Ava Alexandria's journey from prenatal diagnosis through birth and a brief time after that, portraying a family’s hope, love, and grief. Congenital heart defects can vary widely in severity and often require complex prenatal testing and care, including frequent specialist visits and advanced procedures like amniocentesis, as described in Ava’s case. Families facing these challenges often experience a rollercoaster of emotions alongside medical uncertainty. It’s important for affected families to know that they are not alone, as many support networks and resources exist worldwide for those dealing with congenital heart disease (CHD). Moreover, the emotional and physical toll of preterm labor and delivery complications, such as the cutting off of the umbilical cord and monitoring fetal heart rate variability, adds to the complexity of perinatal care. Medical teams strive to stabilize both mother and baby with medications and timely interventions, such as emergency C-sections when necessary. Spending precious time with a newborn despite difficult circumstances can create cherished memories that help families cope with loss. Continuously honoring and remembering children like Ava provides solace and reinforces their lasting place in hearts. For those looking for additional support, organizations such as the American Heart Association and international CHD advocacy groups offer education, counseling, and community connections. These resources empower families to navigate the medical journey with strength and find ways to keep their children’s memories alive meaningfully. Ultimately, sharing stories like Ava’s underscores the importance of compassionate prenatal and perinatal care combined with emotional support to ensure families receive holistic care during the most challenging times. This tribute also highlights how expressing love and remembrance publicly can foster awareness and sensitivity around congenital heart conditions and infant loss, encouraging others to find comfort in shared experiences and support networks.
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