When I first found out that I was pregnant with my son, I was so scared, In 2006 I had given birth to a little girl at 38 weeks, she was stillborn and after an autopsy they could not put a defiant reason to why she had passed away. They had juggled a few ideas but nothing was for definite and gave and probable reasons.
 
At our 13 week scan I was so scared, for some reason I knew there was something wrong, during the scan my partner and I were told to be prepared to have a child who may have Down syndrome. I was absolutely devastated I just wanted one pregnancy to go right.
 
Time went by and we had spoken to family, friends and doctors about what our best options where, to abort or to continue with the pregnancy. We decided to continue with the pregnancy, knowing that we were given this child for a reason, and one day we’ll find out why.
 
At 14 weeks we had another scan, during the scan we found out that the baby had a large and odd looking growth on the neck. We were told that our baby would have no chance of living, and if the child did survive the pregnancy the chances of the child getting to 1 years old is very slim. Another doctor told us that they child may live but the chances of the child being able to live a normal life is very slim, we got told that our child would not walk, would have extreme learning difficulties and probably won’t be able to communicate with us. In another words our unborn baby was going to be a vegetable.
 
This broke us even more. We decided that to terminate the pregnancy would be better for the three of us. We made funeral plans…again, we had appointments at the mater hospital for scans for a second option for our doctors on the Gold Coast, we were told the same things again. So the terminated appointments were to go ahead, we then had to make the calls and visits to family and friends to inform them of the horrible news.
 
The day before I was to be admitted into hospital to be induced we went to the hospital and were given forms to sign and given so much information for what we would need to expect during the birthing process. During the time we were discussing thing I kept getting very strange feelings of hope, I told my partner and he told me that he will support me in anything I choose to do with this pregnancy and that no matter the outcome of this child he will love him because he is his child. We discussed my feelings with my doctor and he supported my decision but wasn’t sure that we were making the right one. 
 
Again we had to tell family and friends the new news. They weren’t so sure either. I told them my reason of continuing the pregnancy is that if he wanted to give up I would cope with that but if he wants to fight this than I am going to help him fight it and we will do everything in our power to help him fight.
 
I was referred to have MRI scans on the gold coast and than in Brisbane. Gold coast performed the test where they took the fluid from around baby to test for any other abnormalities.
 
All test came out clear, so did the MRI scan, so far we were being told by MRI scans that baby had no other brain abnormalities, things were slightly out of place. Still we were told that we may have all sorts of problems with the child and there was still time to terminate the pregnancy. I refused.
 
As weeks went by baby grew inside me, he kicked like jett lee he had such great power and strength in there.
 
Just after Christmas although the health of baby was fine my health was not so good. My feet were swollen my hands and my arms and my face. I was having head ache after head ache and was so tired. I was admitted into hospital at 32 weeks. Then transferred to the Mater hospital. They took extra special care of me up there. Days felt like weeks being so far away from my family and friends I was being driven in sane by boredom and had nothing better to do that to think about the daughter I’d lost, my emotional state started to suffer.
 
I was put on two different types of blood pressure tablets had special eye on the baby’s movements and had doctors watching my type 1 diabetes every day.
 
At 36 weeks I had been appointed for a c-section, I would be the first one of the day. Before we went to theatre I fell into labour contractions started to get worse. They prepped me up and began to get baby out. After all the months that went by all the doctors that didn’t believe this day would come we heard the little cry. I couldn’t help but think I was dreaming!
 
Rohan James Cracknell was born on the 26th Feb 2008 at 9:47AM weighing at 8pound 13 ounces. He was born with a deformity called a Meningocele, His meningocele was about roughly the size of a closed fist.