I am pregnant and have been told to abort the baby, but I will carry the pregnancy to term even if it kills me

A mother of seven is risking her life by enduring a potentially fatal pregnancy, despite calls from doctors to terminate the pregnancy.

Alex Gooding, from Arizona, is currently 18 weeks pregnant with a baby she has named Chloe.

But pregnancy is one cesarean section ectopic pregnancy (CSEP), in which the embryo has implanted in a deep scar in the uterus.

Doctors have repeatedly urged Ms Gooding to end treatment, warning there is a high risk to both her and the fetus, including future infertility and death.

They say pregnancy can cause severe internal bleeding if the scar tears open as the baby grows or if the placenta ruptures because it is implanted in the wrong place.

But Ms Gooding, who is pro-life, has rejected the advice and says she will carry her pregnancy to term.

Mrs. Gooding is Christian Orthodox and has lost six fetuses to miscarriages or complications.

She wrote on Instagram: ‘The general consensus among the medical community is to terminate these pregnancies due to high maternal morbidity and mortality.

“But there is a growing community of advocates for these CSEP babies to manage the pregnancy conservatively and hopefully reach the surviving side (both mother and baby), which is the choice we made.”

Ectopic pregnancies occur when fertilized eggs implant outside the uterus. There are several types of ectopic pregnancies, some of which implant in the ovary or fallopian tube.

About one to two percent of all pregnancies in the US are ectopic, and the fetus has “virtually no chance of survival,” doctors say.

CSEP is rare and occurs in approximately 0.05 percent of all pregnancies, according to 2019 studyalthough that number is rising as more women have C-sections.

Doctors say that these pregnancies are usually no different in appearance from normal pregnancies, but they do carry a high risk of complications.

This includes placenta accreta, when the placenta – a temporary organ that forms in the uterus and connects the mother and fetus – grows too deeply into the uterine wall, which can cause heavy bleeding.

Another is placenta percreta, where the placenta grows through the uterine wall and fuses with other organs such as the bladder, requiring surgery to remove it.

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, which sets standards for maternal and child health, recommends against pursuing a CSEP because of the risks.

But women can reject this advice, as long as healthcare providers first make them aware of the risk.

Ms Gooding’s fetus is currently growing behind the placenta, according to her Instagram posts, and has a heart rate of 154 beats per minute – within the expected range at this stage of pregnancy.

Her page, which has more than 159,000 followers, has received a flood of negative comments about her decision to continue the pregnancy.

One user wrote: ‘Your living children should come first. You’re risking your life and your babies.’

A second said: ‘There is nothing pro-life about risking your life like this and leaving so many motherless children behind.’

A TikToker also posted about her, describing her decision to carry the pregnancy to term as selfish towards her children.

But there is also some support for her position online. Commenting on one of her posts, a user wrote, “I’m so proud of you for sticking to your beliefs.”

Another said, “I really believe God favors you because you didn’t kill your baby.”

Mrs Gooding discovered she was having a CSEP when she was five weeks pregnant and quickly sought the opinions of four doctors – all of whom told her she should stop.

She also said a doctor told her husband to convince her not to continue the pregnancy.

Ms Gooding posted on Instagram: ‘The day we found out Chloe had implanted in my caesarean section scar and was therefore an ectopic pregnancy was very difficult.

‘The maternal-fetal medicine (specialist) I went to immediately after the first ultrasound from the obstetrician told me I had to stop.’

However, Mrs Gooding and her husband decided not to terminate the pregnancy and continued with the pregnancy despite medical advice.

She posted, “Choose hope and choose life! Fighting every day for our sweet Chloe Marie after 18 (weeks) + 3 (days) cesarean section scar ectopic pregnancy.

“To anyone who continues to claim that there are no survivors for these types of ectopic species, you are simply wrong and I would be happy to prove it to you any day of the week.”

Despite her situation, the pregnancy has been normal so far, with Ms Gooding saying she suffered from morning sickness and had gained about 15 pounds.

Asked about Ms. Gooding’s case, Dr. Veronica Gillispie — an obstetrician in New Orleans who has not seen Ms. Gooding as a patient — said, “The recommendation from the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine is that they recommend that expectant mothers not to carry out pregnancies. due to the risk of serious morbidity.

‘Having said that, I do believe in the autonomy of the patient. If she has been given adequate advice about the risks and benefits and she understands them, then it is her right to continue with the pregnancy.

“The healthcare team should just be ready in case something happens during pregnancy, and take into account the timing of delivery and all those things.”

There is little anecdotal evidence to show that it is possible to implement a CSEP.

In one studies at King’s College LondonIn Britain, researchers followed ten women with CSEP, all of whom were diagnosed before week 12 of pregnancy.

None of the mothers died and all had babies between 26 and 38 weeks. (This is just below the average of 40 weeks. A fetus can be viable outside the womb from 24 weeks).

But half of the women had to have their uterus removed due to bleeding, while two also had premature births after the gestational sac – which contained the fetus – protruded outside the uterus.

Mrs Gooding has acknowledged the risks but is choosing to ‘conservatively manage’ her pregnancy.

She wrote: ‘CSEP is associated with high morbidity and high mortality for mother and baby.

‘The majority of women who choose to carry on with their CSEP babies (many of these). This in no way downplays the risk. These are real complications that many face with these types of ectopic pregnancies.

“We chose to manage my CSEP with Chloe conservatively and give her and I a chance to come out the other side alive after a visit to a second (maternal-fetal medicine specialist).”