Katyia Rowe was 20 weeks pregnant when her ultrasound showed problems with her baby. The doctors told her that he had a brain disorder and would not live very long, and, if he did, he would need around the clock nursing care. She considered abortion, but changed her mind when she saw her son, who she named Lucian, smile on the ultrasound screen.
‘If he could smile and play and feel then despite his disabilities he deserved to enjoy whatever life he had left, no matter how short. Just because his life would be shorter or different, didn’t mean he didn’t deserve to experience it….
I was told he would never walk or talk yet the scans showed him constantly wriggling and moving.
‘As I watched I knew that while I was carrying him he still had a quality of life and it was my duty as a mother to protect that no matter how long he had left, he deserved to live….
‘I researched all his disabilities to prepare myself fully for his needs. I never had a moment of doubt. I only had to look at the scan pictures of him enjoying life in the womb to know I was doing the right thing by giving him a chance.
‘Not knowing how long he would live meant we were determined to enjoy him for as long as we could. We learned he loved the shower and would kick when I sprayed the water on my tummy.
‘As he grew bigger I could see his little feet and hands prodding through my bump when he wriggled. He may not have been born but he was already our son and I took each movement as a sign we had done the right thing.
‘I would talk to him and play him music because I wanted him to experience as much as possible.’
Lucian could not swallow amniotic fluid like a normal baby, so Katyia had to submit to painful procedures to drain the fluid. However, she never wavered in her desire to give birth to her son.
‘It was agony and I knew some people questioned if it was worth putting myself through all this for a severely disabled baby that may not live for long.
‘But I never ever thought like that. As a mother you will do anything for your child and for me I became a mother as soon as I fell pregnant, that job had started already.’
When Lucian was born, the doctrs placed him in her arms.
“It was without doubt the happiest moment of my life. Lucian could have died at anytime in my womb but he held on long enough for us to meet properly.
‘My son looked utterly perfect.
‘The love and joy I felt the moment they put Lucian in my arms told me it had all been worth it.’
… ‘I thought I didn’t want to be a mother but Lucian taught me it is the most wonderful job in the world and I will always be grateful for that.’
Larisa Brown “The 3D scan of a disabled baby’s smile that convinced his mother not to abort him – and why she is grateful she was able to cuddle him with joy for a few precious hours” Mail Online, Jan 14, 2013
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