Lucia's Story
Lucia’s Story
“HAVING A BABY AT YOUR AGE PUTS YOU AT HIGH RISK. THERE IS INCREASED CHANCE OF ABNORMALITIES, INCLUDING DOWN’S SYNDROME. YOU’LL NEED SPECIAL TESTING.”
Lucia’s doctor offered an amniocentesis test to check for fetal abnormalities. Lucia was willing to have a blood test performed, but she did not want an amniocentesis. Anyway, her insurance wouldn’t cover the procedure. The cost would be $900. Lucia was told that she could make payments
Lucia had two other children, sons ages 15 and 8 that she had to provide for. The father of Lucia’s twins would not be of much help. This was going to be tough. Weeks earlier, Lucia came to Women’s Life Care Center. At 40 years old, she was not planning on having more children. Her birth control had failed. She was early in her pregnancy, carrying twins. Lucia immediately enrolled in the Learn and Earn pregnancy education program at Women’s Life Care Center. She was an enthusiastic participant. She juggled her complicated pregnancy with her job as a personal care assistant at a facility for the elderly. Her work was physically demanding but she loved her job.
As Lucia’s pregnancy progressed, so did her doctor’s insistence about the amniocentesis: If the test were to uncover that one of the baby’s was ‘compromised’, and ‘next steps’ could be considered. As Lucia continued to resist, the doctor enlisted the support of another physician at a lab testing center. That doctor continued the campaign: Have the test. Lucia could undergo ‘fetal reduction’ if one of the babies is not normal. It would be uncomplicated to abort one baby and leave the other one in the womb. “It’s so stressful when a professional is telling you that, over and over again, and calling you – not once, but several times. . . My babies are moving! How could I say ‘You are the better one, you get to live . . . And then say to the other one, you have to die.”
One Saturday morning, Lucia became extremely anxious about the doctors’ persistent recommendations, and she emailed her advocate at Women’s Life Care Center, stating that she was feeling very discouraged and upset. The advocate called her back immediately, and the search for a new doctor for Lucia began. Lucia’s advocate at Women’s Life Care Center was able to locate a pro-life ob-gyn doctor near Lucia’s home that made room for Lucia in her schedule. That doctor performed a blood test that indicated no abnormalities – in either of Lucia’s twin boys.
“MY BABIES ARE MOVING! HOW COULD I SAY ‘YOU ARE THE BETTER ONE, YOU GET TO LIVE . . . AND THEN SAY TO THE OTHER ONE, YOU HAVE TO DIE.”
The remaining weeks of Lucia’s pregnancy included several emergency visits to the doctor and the hospital. Lucia experienced dizziness, water retention and high blood pressure and a severely weakened appetite due to the positioning of one of the babies. On August 3, Lucia’s infant sons were born, weighing 3-1/2 pounds each -- small but healthy. They will spend the first few weeks of their brand new lives in the hospital, with their mom there with them every day.
“I am so grateful that they are finally here,” says Lucia. “They are worth every hardship I had to go through. . . so worth it.”
To help with Lucia’s transition, Women’s Life Care Center staff were able to find a postpartum doula who is willing to help Lucia -- on a volunteer basis-- when the babies come home from the hospital. (A postpartum doula is a trained professional who provides emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother who has recently given birth.) The doula, Beth, will help with caring for the babies, meal preparation and household work. Lucia’s advocate at Women’s Life Care Center will continue to stay in contact, offering encouragement, material assistance and referrals to community resources. “What has been awesome about working with Lucia is that she is so open to help and honest about the kind of help she needs,” said Sol, the staff member at the center who worked most closely with Lucia. “She is refreshingly open to the mystery of life, no matter what it demands of her.”