We were scared this would happen

@alexkennedyirl

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Why it worked

The video resonates due to its raw emotional honesty and vulnerability in sharing a difficult personal journey. By openly discussing a life-limiting diagnosis and the associated fears, the creators foster a strong sense of empathy and connection with their audience, encouraging support and engagement.

Summary

A couple shares an update on their daughter Haven, who has Trisomy 18, a life-limiting condition. They discuss her current measurements, which show she is significantly behind in growth, and the disproportionate size of her heart. The parents express their fears and the emotional toll of the situation, while also thanking their online community for their support.

Structure

1Sharing the difficult news from the 32-week scan
2Explaining the baby's growth and heart condition
3Discussing the risks and potential outcomes
4Expressing the emotional impact and need for realism
5Asking for prayers and support from the community
6Thanking followers for their encouragement and help

On-screen text

We were scared this would happen 32 week scan with our daughter who has a life-limiting condition *meant to say 2/3 the size of the chest cavity, so much larger in proportion to baby size*

Original caption

32 week ultrasound update with our daughter, Haven who was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a life-limiting chromosomal issue. 💔 This appointment was really heavy. We had a more positive video planned and filmed that morning on our way to the appointment, but wanted to show behind the scenes from parents that don't always get amazing news at these appointments. Ultrasound details: She is now measuring about 4 weeks behind and weighs 2 lb 1 oz. They were able to confirm a TOF (Tetralogy of Fallot) heart defect, which is made up of multiple heart issues, including a VSD, pulmonary stenosis, an overriding aorta, and thickening of the right side of the heart because it’s having to work harder. She also has an ASD, another blood vessel in her liver that is not flowing properly, and her umbilical cord is pulsing instead of having continuous flow. Her heart is enlarged and takes up about 2/3 of her chest cavity. From what they explained, her heart is growing normally in size, but her body is not growing at the same rate. Because there is so much blood flow going to her heart, it’s causing backflow elsewhere, which is affecting the growth of other organs, including her lungs. I just say she's got a big heart like her mama. The Positives: Her head is down, her amniotic fluid looks good, and they did see her practicing breathing which confirms she is receiving enough oxygen and successfully developing the muscles required for life after birth. But the hardest part was hearing that, from what they’re seeing, she most likely won’t make it to 37 weeks, and her chance of stillbirth is high. Which means Sarah will most likely have to be induced early. We were hoping for better news, or even just the same news. But instead there were more findings, and her prognosis has decreased. Right now, what we are praying for is that Sarah goes into labor on her own before Haven passes. We just want to meet our baby girl alive. ❤️ #pregnancy #faith #trisomy18 #lifelimitingbaby #babygirl

More from @alexkennedyirl

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This is all like still like super fresh, so. Yeah, it's like super emotional. So we just had another detailed ultrasound with our MFM doctor. Here's kind of where we're currently at. She weighed about two pounds and one ounce, which is about four to five weeks behind. So she's very tiny. And since she is so tiny, unfortunately, her heart is two thirds the size of what it's supposed to be. Typically, a heart takes up about one third of the chest cavity, but it's currently taking up two thirds, which means basically the doctor said that the heart is appropriate with gestational age, whereas her body is not. So her heart is growing appropriately, whereas her body isn't. So that's why there's not a good balance between the two. So with all that said, she did say that there's a very high chance that Haven will pass before 37 weeks, just due to complications with the heart, with her size being four weeks behind. Now, we're kind of mentally preparing for the possibility that we won't even meet her alive, could one day just up and she may not have a heartbeat at all. If you guys want to know full details of our current ultrasound findings, I put it down in the caption below. We came on here to kind of show you guys the behind the scenes looks like for parents that have children with life limiting diagnosis. It's not always rainbows and sunshine. We still want to find ways to find joy through these moments and take in and soak in every single day. But we also want to be realistic and just show you what is going on and kind of our thought process through it. There's been some people that have asked for. And so Alex and I just ask for specific prayer for her heart rate that it continues to be, um, that we can make it to 37 weeks and meet her alive, whether that be for 20 minutes, an hour a day. That's just like our biggest ask. We want to thank you guys so much for all of the support. Without social media, we wouldn't have been able to connect with so many amazing organizations that have helped us through this process, as well as just offered a hand of help or offered some advice or just encouragement prayer. It's honestly been overwhelmingly amazing. So thank you guys so much. As hard as it is going to keep you guys updated on everything that's going on. So thank you again for the prayers and follow along for the journey.