6 Heart-Wrenching Birth Stories That Will Make You Shed a Tear
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Although the birth of a baby is certainly a joyous occasion, sometimes tragedy steps in and changes everything. These six families experienced heartbreak when the births of their babies didn't go as they'd hoped.
From babies stillborn to those who died shortly after being born, each story has its own touching moments and beautiful photos to go along. Scroll through to see and read them all.
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The twins who were hugging before one died
Twins Mason and Hawk Buchmeyer were born on Aug. 18 in Gainesville, FL, and shortly after got the attention of thousands of people through a Facebook photo of them hugging 11 days after their birth. The sweet photo, which features a smiling Mason with his arm draped over Hawk, is now heartbreaking to look at, as a few days after the photo went viral Hawk passed away.
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The twins with twin to twin transfusion syndrome
At just 25 weeks pregnant, Charmaine Winsor found out her twins were suffering from twin to twin transfusion syndrome. Despite Charmaine's fears of the effects of a premature birth, Connor and Levi were born two hours after she was admitted to the hospital for an emergency C-section. Seven days later, Connor passed away, but after a 156-day fight in the NICU, Levi was eventually able to go home.
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The baby born at 23 weeks
Sarah went into labor at 23 weeks, and the doctors gave the baby a five percent rate of survival. Sarah's baby boy was delivered via C-section, and two hours later, Sarah's husband, Bryan, and photographer Amber Fife were able to see him. Sarah and Bryan's sweet little boy lived for six-and-a-half hours, and Amber photographed his last minutes with his mom and dad holding and kissing him.
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The baby born with a fatal genetic disorder
During her pregnancy with her seventh baby, Julie found out that her little one had either trisomy 13 or 18 — both genetic disorders with fatal diagnoses. Julie delivered baby Lily at 36 weeks, and she lived for two-and-a-half days in the NICU. She passed away peacefully — tube and wire free — in her mother's arms.
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The stillborn baby who was full term
Emily McClearen had had a normal pregnancy, but on one ordinary morning, she was concerned about a lack of fetal activity. She drove herself to the hospital, where they put her on a monitor. The nurse was unable to find a heartbeat. An ultrasound revealed that the umbilical cord had wrapped around the baby's neck and that she was no longer alive. She delivered Monroe Faith Stanley the next day via C-section.
The mom who urged other parents to be grateful
In the days leading up to the nine-month mark of her pregnancy with her second child, Natalie Morgan knew something wasn't right. Unfortunately, her suspicions proved to be true, and her daughter, Eleanor Josephine, was stillborn after several hours of labor. In a post to Facebook, the mom shared her pain and encouraged all other parents to be grateful for everything — including the tough moments with their kids.