Katie Johnson, a British mother, was saddened by the news. The lives of her pregnant triplets were in ᴊᴇᴏᴘᴀʀᴅʏ, and physicians recommended ᴀʙᴏʀᴛing one or two of them so that the other might live. According to The Daily Mail, Johnson and her husband, Patrick, chose life for all three of their children. Oliver, Aurelia, and Oscar, thankfully, all survived. According to the article, the London triplets were released from the hospital in time to spend Christmas with their parents at home. During her 12-week ultrasound exam, Johnson claimed she learned of the ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛ to the triplets’ life. Doctors informed her that the triplets were not sharing the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ evenly and that one of the babies was receiving less nutrition than the others.
“They were all in ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ,” she explained. “Oliver was 25% smaller than his sibling, and his ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ flow wasn’t as good as it should have been. Oscar may have ᴅɪᴇᴅ if Oliver had ᴅɪᴇᴅ.” Doctors recommended that she terminate one or two of the unborn infants, as is common in such instances. When there is a medical condition, many doctors now urge or even persuade expectant mothers to terminate their unborn offspring. It’s sometimes due to the mother’s ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ. Other instances, it’s because the unborn child has Down sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ, spina ʙɪfɪᴅᴀ, or even a ᴄʟᴇfᴛ lip and palate. Parents with ᴅɪsᴀʙʟᴇᴅ children regularly say they are forced to seek ᴀʙᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴs.
It’s a difficult situation for expectant moms, and it’s one that they shouldn’t have to go through. Doctors are meant to be relied upon medical specialists who can cure and save lives. And moms, who are already dealing with the health issue, now have to choose between trusting a medical professional’s opinion and giving their unborn child a chance at life. Despite the ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀs, the Johnsons declined to have any of their unborn children ᴀʙᴏʀᴛed. “…we couldn’t afford to ᴋɪʟʟ one or two infants.” Their mother explained, “We had to give them all a chance to live.” During the following few months, doctors constantly examined Johnson and her unborn children.
“It was nerve-wracking as they were examined every week, and Oliver’s condition wasn’t improving,” she recalled. “At 28 weeks, we were told he had entirely stopped developing.” Doctors, on the other hand, stated they would leave him in the ᴡᴏᴍʙ as long as the ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ flow continued to reach him.” According to the article, the triplets were delivered via ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄ-section three weeks later. Oliver weighed the least, at 2 pounds 15 ounces, followed by Oscar at 4 pounds and Aurelia at 3 pounds 15 ounces. “It was reassuring to learn that they had all arrived safely. “Oliver was a teeny-tiny baby,” their mother remarked. The triplets stayed in the hospital for four weeks before doctors cleared them to go home. The Johnsons expressed their gratitude for being able to bring their children home in time for Christmas. It was an “amazing present,” according to their mother.
