From Love to Life

We all carry hopes and dreams for our children, picturing peaceful beginnings and gentle days. But sometimes, life takes us on a different journey—one that is harder, but also filled with moments of deep love, quiet courage, and unexpected hope. This is the story of how we welcomed our daughter, Imani, into the world.

I always dreamed of a house with a garden, and a child.

And then I met the love of my life. From the very first moment I saw him, I just knew — he was my person. The one I would build a life with. The father of my children. And that’s exactly how it all happened. We got married, and not long after, we were expecting our baby girl.

My pregnancy went beautifully. I wasn’t very nauseous and honestly enjoyed every single moment of carrying her. Like people always say — my husband and I were over the moon.

We chose her name early on: Imani — it means “have faith.”

Each month at my check-ups, everything looked great. Imani was growing well, her heartbeat was strong… everything seemed perfect. My belly was quite large for how far along I was, but since my gynecologist wasn’t concerned, neither were we.

Around 20 to 28 weeks, I started having some painful Braxton Hicks contractions. They weren’t regular, so I tried not to worry. It turned out I had a lot of amniotic fluid.

Then at my 28-week scan, they noticed Imani’s stomach wasn’t filled with amniotic fluid. The doctor still wasn’t alarmed but scheduled a more detailed ultrasound — just to be sure.

At 29 weeks, the contractions got stronger and more regular. This time I really was scared — there was a serious risk of preterm labor. I went to the hospital and got medication to stop the contractions, but because of the risk, I was transferred to a university hospital for close monitoring. That’s where they did the detailed scan. And that’s when everything changed.

In an instant, we fell from our happy little cloud. Everything we thought we knew, everything we had hoped for, suddenly felt uncertain. The scan showed what they called a “double bubble” — duodenal atresia. I couldn’t believe it. We were so close — and everything had seemed fine. My husband and I, in shock, did what most people do — we Googled it. Such a mistake. The things we read absolutely terrified us.

I was on bed rest now, and the emotions were overwhelming. I cried so much. No parent ever wants this for their child. It was heartbreaking.

What gave us a little hope was hearing from the surgeon. He told us that it could be corrected with surgery, and that afterward, she could live a normal life.

From then on, I had weekly scans to check for any new changes. At 32 weeks and 5 days… the news got worse. They found fluid around Imani’s organs. I was terrified. Each scan seemed to bring more bad news — how was I supposed to stay calm and avoid early labor? I couldn’t. I was an emotional wreck.

That night, an OB assistant stayed in my room for hours, trying to calm me. But how could I stay calm when they started talking about possible termination — at 32+ weeks? I called my husband. He tried to reassure me, but I couldn’t stop crying.

In my heart, I knew: I was going to give birth soon. And that’s exactly what happened.

My water broke — so much fluid poured out. The midwives rushed in. Everything moved so fast. Because of the amount of fluid, there was a risk the umbilical cord could become trapped, cutting off oxygen to Imani. I was put on the monitor — and I heard her heart rate drop. Was I the only one hearing this? It felt like time was standing still. The midwives were calmly getting things ready — but in my mind, I was screaming, “Do something!”

Being a midwife myself, my instincts kicked in. “Start an IV! Call the doctor! The cord is trapped!” And it was. I also had a placental abruption — everything had to move quickly. I was rushed into an emergency C-section under full anesthesia. Luckily, my husband made it in time to witness our daughter’s birth — at least one of us could be there for her first moments.

But this was not how I had pictured it. Not a C-section. Not under full anesthesia. Not missing the birth of my child. It was a nightmare.

When I woke up in recovery, the first thing I saw was my husband’s face. The relief I felt… I can’t even describe it. He showed me a photo of our sweet Imani. So tiny. So perfect. The most beautiful little girl I had ever seen. I was beyond relieved that there were no visible abnormalities.

But then… my husband told me something that broke my heart all over again. After birth, they had discovered that Imani also had esophageal atresia. She was taken straight to the NICU. That’s where I saw her for the first time.

The moment I laid eyes on her, I fell in love. Instantly. Completely. But the tears wouldn’t stop. So many fears. Would she survive? What would happen next?

She was so tiny — but oh, so strong. ❤️

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. By sharing Imani’s journey, we hope to bring comfort and hope to other parents who may find themselves on a similar path. If our story touched you and you wish to support us, you can visit our shop where we share the products that helped Imani in her development and daily care.