Shannon and Kip Brooks, like many other expectant parents, are anxiously awaiting the birth of their daughter. Unlike many other expectant parents, however, the North Carolina couple know that their baby's birth will be closely followed by her death.
Shannon and Kip went for a routine ultrasound when Shannon's pregnancy was four months along. What followed was an agonizing time of decision making -- to terminate the pregnancy or continue it -- knowing their daughter had a condition "incompatible" with life. Baby girl Brooks has a rare condition known as anencephaly which occurs when the brain fails to develop in the earliest stages of embryonic development. The Charlotte Observer reported on this couple's early process of decision making and I hope the paper will continue to follow this couple as they journey down a path that will surely be sorrowful but also very precious.
Shannon and Kip ultimately decided to continue with the pregnancy and meet their precious little girl whom they have named Skylar Tianna. I hope the couple is connected with a perinatal hospice program in their area. Perinatal hospice helps parents like Shannon and Kip through their pregnancy and the infants subsequent death, ensuring that meaningful memories are captured and that the family has adequate support in their grieving process. More information on perinatal hospice can be found on this site.
I hope that i never have to experience anything like that in my lifetime. I really hope that the couple ended up doing ok even though they had to face that difficult challenge. It takes a lot of guts and heart to do something like that.