I will always remember the day I first met Sarah. She was coming in for her second pregnancy checkup, having faced a heartbreaking miscarriage during her first attempt to conceive. After months of fertility treatments, she arrived at my office visibly uncomfortable and anxious, her body showing the signs of pregnancy in ways that made her feel miserable.
“Have you taken a pregnancy test?” I asked her as she settled into the examination room. “You must be pregnant!”
When Sarah handed me the test stick, it was barely damp before two lines emerged. Tears welled in her eyes as I announced the news, and the joy in the room was palpable. The waiting area erupted in applause, and it felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders.
At five weeks, the excitement grew when we discovered she was expecting twins. By twelve weeks, we confirmed both were boys, and at sixteen weeks, we captured their profiles in clear ultrasound images. Sarah hung those pictures at her workplace, constantly gazing at them, but I noticed a subtle tension in her expression.
During the twenty-one-week ultrasound, I focused on Baby A’s healthy growth. Everything seemed perfect until I turned my attention to Baby B. My heart sank as I realized he had a complete bilateral cleft lip and palate. I proceeded to discuss the diagnosis with Sarah and her partner, Tom, but I could see the shock on her face. Her instincts about Baby B had been right.
Tom, who was studying to be an oral surgeon, tried to explain the condition further. A cleft lip and palate occurs when the roof of the mouth and the sides of the upper lip fail to fuse during early development—a detail that can be alarming for expecting parents. The CDC reports that nearly 4,000 babies are born with some form of cleft lip or palate each year in the United States.
The challenges didn’t stop there. Sarah was already experiencing contractions, and I advised her to go on bed rest. What should have been a joyful pregnancy quickly turned into a whirlwind of anxiety.
As she recuperated on her couch, Sarah cried for days. Tom attempted to reassure her about their baby’s future, but the uncertainty weighed heavily on both of them. We arranged a visit to a pediatric cardiologist to ensure there were no heart defects associated with Baby B’s cleft, which was a common concern. Fortunately, the ultrasound showed his heart was healthy, but the doctor would be on standby during the delivery.
When the day finally arrived, the twins were born five and a half weeks premature. After Baby A came out and was taken to the NICU, I prepared for Baby B’s delivery. After a tense three hours, he finally arrived, and despite his condition, he was stunning with bright blue eyes and a petite face that bore the sign of his cleft.
In the following weeks, the family faced numerous challenges. Baby B struggled to nurse due to the cleft, and Sarah often encountered stares and questions when out with her twins.
Now, at twelve years old, Baby B has undergone multiple surgeries to address his clefts and will continue to receive care as he grows. Genetic testing revealed a deletion on one of his genes as the underlying cause of the cleft, a piece of information that was wholly unexpected.
What once felt like an overwhelming burden has transformed into a profound blessing for Sarah and Tom. Their son is a remarkable young man, full of strength and resilience. He has taught them both compassion and empathy, enriching their lives in ways they never anticipated.
For more insights on navigating challenges during pregnancy, I recommend checking out resources like Kindbody’s blog and this informative post on understanding the emotional aspects of home insemination. For those looking to boost their fertility, Make a Mom offers excellent advice on supplements that can help.