Christina Milian's sister Danielle proves that the hope, strength and love of a mother runs deep. Back in March, the 29-year-old reality star's unborn child was diagnosed with omphalocele, a rare birth defect in which the baby's abdominal organs are grown outside of the body. One out of every 5,386 babies born in the U.S. a year are diagnosed with this condition, according to the CDC. Doctors advanced Danielle to terminate the pregnancy, but she refused and believes are baby deserves a fighting chance at life. She spoke out about her decision and her words are truly heart-wrenching and inspiring.
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Danielle described her sonogram visit when she was first told about her baby's condition. She told Us Weekly, "The tech said, 'I can't see the sex…because I am seeing…intestines.' " Her heart must have sank at that very moment. She explained that the baby's stomach, gallbladder, spleen and liver could be seen outside of its body during the visit. As a mom-to-be, I know firsthand that those sonogram visits are equally as precious as they're nerve wracking. All you want to hear is that your baby is healthy and developing properly.
Danielle was told that her baby had a 53 percent chance of mortality, but doctors also urged her to terminate the pregnancy. She and her husband Richard made the tough decision to keep the pregnancy. She explained:
I said to [Richard], 'Could you live with this?' Because I know I can. I know I could be in a hospital every day. As a mother, I will do whatever it takes for my child. I said, 'I could spend two years in a hospital. Can you live with this?' and Richard said to me, 'Will he be able to fall in love?' and 'Will he be able to get a job?…If his disability would not affect his ability to fall in love, then there is absolutely no reason he doesn't deserve life.'
Now that's a Latina mom! She's a fighter and willing to do whatever it takes to make sure her baby is protected and has a fighting chance at life. Danielle is due in September, one month before my due date, and I'm hopeful that her little one will be just as strong as his mother. "No matter how long he has in this world, I could not imagine taking his chance away," she said. Complete recovery after treatment is expected in most of these cases so I believe Danielle's little one is going to be just fine.
Images via Danielle Milian/Instagram
