Doctors Tell Pregnant Mom Her Baby Will Be Stillborn, She Refuses to Give Up

Doctors told a 30-year-old pregnant mother of one that her baby would be stillborn or she would have to give birth early and give her baby only a tiny chance of survival. She and her husband had a difficult decision to make about their baby.

Jordyn Smith realized one day that her unborn son was not moving. She instinctively knew something was wrong and needed to see a doctor to discover why her baby was not moving.

When Jordyn and her husband, Eric, visited the doctors, they told them their son was in distress, and his heartbeat was faint. Jordyn was only 26 weeks pregnant then, and her baby did not have a good chance of survival.

After her baby stopped moving, Jordyn knew that she needed immediate medical attention and was scared of what would happen when she arrived at the hospital to check on what had happened with her baby.

Doctors told Jordyn and Eric that they had two options. Jordyn could have an emergency cesarean section, leaving her son with only an eight percent chance of survival, or she could carry the pregnancy to term. Still, his chances of survival were even slimmer. Jordyn admitted:

“We were given an impossible decision.”

After being told their son might not survive, either way, Jordyn and Eric mentioned they went into survival mode. Jordyn had no idea that a baby at 26 weeks gestation could survive and didn’t realize until later how dangerous the cesarean could be.

Jordyn and Eric knew it was a difficult choice, but ultimately decided to bring their baby into the world early. He was born 24 hours later and weighed under one pound. He was not breathing when he was born, and doctors needed to revive him.

The medical staff then immediately put him in an incubator and given less than a ten percent chance of survival. Jordyn admitted:

“It was a wait-and-see moment to see if he would live or not.”

He spent 28 days on a ventilator and suffered a brain bleed, during which time Jordyn and Eric could not hold him.

Despite doctors not believing that he would survive, baby Jay spent over 170 days in the hospital, and doctors then deemed it safe for him to go home and for his parents to enjoy him outside of the hospital.

However, six days later, Eric and Jordyn were again thrown into turmoil when baby Jay stopped breathing. An ambulance then transported baby Jay back to the hospital, where doctors discovered another obstacle.

Baby Jay was diagnosed with liver cancer, which doctors confirmed was related to his premature birth. He had to spend another three weeks in the hospital, where he had an operation and underwent chemotherapy. Jordyn lamented:

“He has just got out of the hospital and is now fighting another battle – it doesn’t seem fair.”

Jay began chemo in October 2022 and underwent three rounds, ending in December 2022. Doctors also removed half his liver and his gall bladder and found a way to clear his entire tumor throughout the four-hour operation.

Although the family faced many hardships after baby Jay was born, they didn’t expect their journey to be so difficult. Jordyn fell pregnant in November 2021, and at her 20-week scan, baby Jay was measuring small.

Doctors reassured Jordyn that it was nothing to worry about because her daughter had also been a tiny baby. However, when Jay stopped moving over the weekend, Jordyn was immediately frightened.

Baby Jay spent another four days in the hospital after his four-hour operation to remove the tumor. Finally, on Christmas Eve last year, he was discharged from the hospital for the last time in his short life.

Jordyn was overjoyed that baby Jay would finally be able to come home for good and spend time with his sister. She confessed:

“It was a magical day. All I ever wanted was to have my kids together.”

In January this year, baby Jay had a final round of chemotherapy, and then, much to the family’s delight, he went into remission. However, the treatment has left him with permanent damage to his hearing.

Other than his hearing being slightly impaired, Jordyn says baby Jay is a social butterfly and is curious about his surroundings. Jordyn says he is happy and silly, which she finds impressive considering his tough start in life.

For Jay’s first birthday, the family had a superhero. Jordyn said it was amazing to be able to celebrate a day that they didn’t know if they would get considering his dire prognosis when he was born last year.

Aside from family and friends, who came to celebrate Jay’s big day, the nursing staff who helped heal baby Jay when he was in the hospital for most of the first year of his life also came out to share in the joy. Talking about their family’s resolve for the future, Jordyn said:

“He is monitored very closely. We are praying that a relapse doesn’t happen.”

Baby Jay celebrated his first birthday on March 29, 2023, surrounded by those who love him most. He did not have an easy start in life, but he is now home, cancer-free, and able to enjoy time with his loved ones.

After almost a full year spent in the hospital, where doctors treated him for all types of medical emergencies, baby Jay is finally living the life of a typical toddler. His family is overjoyed that he is finally able to enjoy his life.

Baby Jay’s story is incredibly inspirational, but he is not the only child who suffered a difficult start to their life. These twins suffered rare cancer that left their parents severely worried about their children; their story is also inspirational.