Though plenty of parents-to-be choose to wait until birth to find out the sex of their baby, I just know that I'll be one of those moms who is dying to know whether it's a boy or a girl early on. That's why I was shocked to learn the story of British mom Emma Sohrabian, who was initally told she gave birth to a baby girl…only to have the doctors change their minds later! Huh?
The confusion first started when Sohrabian gave birth to a little girl named Aolani (who is now 14 months old) almost three months prematurely. Unfortunately, she faced complications and Aolani had to be resuscitated by medics. That's also when doctors told Sohrabian that they weren't sure which sex her baby was–even after she was born!–and that they wouldn't know for sure until the child was three months old!
So what exactly was the problem? Apparently, the baby was showing signs of having a rare genetic condition called Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, a potentially life-threatening hormonal disease that can cause enlarged genitals–making it very difficult for doctors to distinguish the sex of the child. Wow…I can't imagine how bizarre it must have been for that mother to hear that. Imagine not knowing for sure if the baby you hold in your arms is a boy or a girl?!
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Of course, the 35-year-old was left astounded, especially since she had already happily shared the news of having a girl with others and decorated an all-pink room! And she was even more devastated to learn that her child had to spend her first three months in the intensive care unit. Now, Sohrabian is still waiting to find out if her child does in fact have the condition that initially caused confusion over the gender.
What a crazy story! I guess no woman can ever really predict what's going to happen during their pregnancy or birth, but it still must have been hard for Sohrabian to have faced so many complications and unanswered questions. I'm personally just relieved to hear that after all they've been through, both mom and daughter are okay and that Aolani will be able to be treated should she be diagnosed with the condition. It's clear that no matter what happens, Sohrabian will be there for her child…and at the end of the day, isn't that all that really matters?
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