Stories of Prenatal Diagnosis: Jacquelyn Smith

A prenatal diagnosis is often accompanied by the pressure to abort, leaving most parents feeling unsupported by the medical community and society at large. In our series “Stories of Prenatal Diagnosis,” we share testimonies of parents who received a diagnosis while pregnant and their personal experience in handling it. Today’s story is from Jacquelyn Smith. A few small changes were made to improve clarity and flow.

If you are interested in sharing your experience with prenatal screening, please complete this survey.

What conditions did your screening results indicate?

The sonogram indicated chromosomal abnormalities, which they believed to be trisomy 13 or 18.

Did it turn out to be the case that your child had these conditions?

The amnio revealed full trisomy 18.*

Please tell your story of your experience in your own words.

At our 20-week sonogram, with my other six kids in the room, we found out that baby #7 had a chromosomal abnormality, and the doctor recommended termination or comfort care. My response was that we give birth to our babies and weren’t ready to discuss comfort care. It took a month, but we were able to set up life-affirming care for myself and advocated for the same for our baby Gemma. We used the services of Be Not Afraid to assist us on our journey. We had 37.5 weeks with Gemma in the womb and 28 hours outside the womb. We have no regrets about any of the choices we made, even though the journey was far from easy. Every moment with our daughter was precious.

I have given my testimony at the 2024 Texas Rally for Life in Austin, Texas, and our story was told in an article in The National Catholic Register.

What aspects, if any, did you like about the way your medical team handled the situation?

Once we found life-affirming care, I liked that abortion was never mentioned again. The team took our birth plan seriously and followed it exactly. I still had to push and advocate, but once I explained that our goal was corrective care so that Gemma could hopefully thrive, we were given the attention we needed.

What aspects, if any, did you dislike about the way your medical team handled the situation?

Abortion was offered less then 30 seconds after breaking the news that our baby was far from healthy and normal. I had to search for life-affirming care. I was lucky because I work in the pro-life movement and had connections, but other families would be at the mercy of the lack of hopeful options presented in the sono room. When we were seeking care in Oct 2019–Jan 2020, the hospital’s standard of care was to offer fewer options to Trisomy babies. I had to push. Usually I could get the info I needed, but only because I knew more was possible than they were offering.

What recommendations do you have for medical providers who are giving parents prenatal screening results?

Informed consent is very important, but the moment families first receive the news might not be the best time to overwhelm them with a fire hose of facts and info. Give them time to process the news. Don’t sugarcoat the details, but also don’t forget to offer hope. Congratulate them on their youngest family member, who will always be part of their family. Lead with love.

What recommendations do you have for parents who are receiving prenatal screening results?

Being open to life means being open to the mess that is part of life. Look for life-affirming medical teams, and find a support group that can walk this journey with you.

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