Great News!
When most women find out that they are pregnant, they are ecstatic. Many women try for a while to get pregnant, and they are thrilled when it finally happens. Other women find out that they are pregnant, and they are excited by the surprise. Being pregnant requires plenty of visits to the doctor, tests, and ultrasounds. Most women cannot wait for their ultrasound so that they can see their baby on the screen, and hear the precious heartbeat. Many women choose to find out the sex of their baby so that they can plan accordingly. Unfortunately, there are times when the ultrasound doesn’t bring happy news. This is something that Alexis Marrino understands all too well.
Devastating News
Alexis Marrino was thrilled when she found out that she was pregnant. She always wanted to be a mother, and finally, her dreams had come true. She scheduled her ultrasound, and she couldn’t wait to see her baby on the screen. Sadly, her excitement turned to devastation when the nurse broke the devastating news about her pregnancy. She saw something on the ultrasound that determined that the baby was unlikely to pull through. Alexis was given the option to terminate the pregnancy, but she didn’t want to. As difficult as she knew it would be, Alexis wanted to be able to hold her child, even if it was for just a few minutes.
The Baby Is Born
Alexis went into labor, and on July 29, 2019, she gave birth to a baby girl named McKinleigh Jade Marrino. The doctors told Alexis that her daughter was born with a condition called anencephaly, which she developed in the womb. The disease affects parts of the brain. The skull bones fail to fuse the way they should early on in the pregnancy. To make matters worse, her daughter was born with part of her brain missing. The doctors told Alexis that she didn’t do anything to contribute to her baby’s condition. She was told that it was nothing that she did, and there was nothing that they could do for her baby. Jessica understood and was happy that she chose to carry her baby to term.
One Hour and Ten Minutes
When McKinleigh was born, Alexis was able to hold her. She says that the baby was soft and warm, and she treasured every moment that she was able to spend holding her. Alexis says that it was the most precious hour and ten minutes of her entire life. She held her baby close to her until she took her last breath. Alexis says that she wanted her baby to feel loved until the end.
Alexis’ Plan
After her baby died, Alexis could have slipped into a deep depression and spent months in bed. She says that this isn’t something that she wanted to do. Her daughter wouldn’t have wanted that for her. She wanted her daughter’s life and death to mean something, so she came up with an idea. When she first found out she was pregnant, she planned to breastfeed her baby. Not only is it the most cost-effective way to feed her baby, but breastfeeding has plenty of health benefits. Also, she wanted to bond with her baby, and she knew that breastfeeding was the way to do this. Now that her baby was gone, she wanted to do something special in her honor, so she came up with a plan.
Breast Milk
After A Mom Tragically Lost Her Newborn, She Knew Exactly What To Do With Her Breast Milk. Just because Alexis’ baby died, it didn’t mean that she stopped producing milk. Her body didn’t know that she had experienced the most significant loss of her life, and her body continued to produce breast milk. She decided that she would pump the milk and donate it.
Mothers In Need
Jessica understood that mothers who were sick or stressed wouldn’t be able to produce breast milk to feed their babies. Alexis didn’t think that it was fair that these babies wouldn’t have the benefits of breast milk, so she decided to help. She was going to pump her milk and donate it to mothers in need. She thought that it would be an amazing way to help out, and a beautiful tribute to her later daughter.
Alexis’ Donation
For Alexis, pumping her breast milk was emotionally painful. Each time she pumped, she couldn’t help but think that the milk she was pumping should have been for her daughter. There were times when she thought about how unfair it was that she wasn’t ever able to feed her daughter. She went through a slew of emotions each time she pumped. However, she didn’t let her sadness stop her. Within two months of pumping, she was able to donate 1,130 ounces of breast milk to mothers in need. She created a post on Facebook about what she was doing for these mothers, and she wrote, “How is it fair that I’m doing this for someone else’s baby instead of mine? But I wanted to make McKinleigh proud, and I’d like to think I did. Jessica’s gift to these mothers is incredible.
