Loralie’s Story

On June 27, 2023 we learned we were expecting our sweet angel baby, Loralie. She has two older siblings: a 2-year-old brother named Everette and a 1-year-old sister named Rilynn. My previous pregnancies had been uncomplicated, and this time seemed no different.

On September 28, 2023, I went for my routine anatomy scan, a day early at 19 weeks and 6 days. The doctors assured me throughout the scan that everything looked great. We asked them to not tell us what we were having and put the baby’s sex in an envelope because we hadn’t shared the news with our family that we were pregnant. Given the closeness of our pregnancies, I was anxious about the reactions and potential negative comments.

A few days later, my OB called, mentioning some unusual findings in the scan that could indicate trisomy 21. They hadn’t mentioned anything during the appointment so this seemed odd. They offered bloodwork, which I scheduled for my next routine appointment on October 13. Knowing that trisomy 21 wouldn’t affect my love for my baby, I wasn’t overly concerned.

We finally shared the news with my in-laws on October 3 by having Everette and Rilynn color pictures that said, “I’m a big brother” and “I’m a big sister,” while I colored one announcing, “Baby #3 on the way.” They were thrilled. We announced our surprise on social media the following day. Eager to …