Cover medical bills of doomed pregnancy

Update 9/2: we went ahead with the procedure. On 8/24 we stopped our baby’s heart, the most heartbreaking experience I’ve ever had. It took about 10 minutes of having a needle in my belly, watching the doctor watch the heart rate slowly decline. I wouldn’t wish those 10 minutes on my worst enemy. 

After that we were walked over to the maternity ward where we had a room waiting. Of course it was set up with the warming bed and blankets for a baby. The nurses were wonderful. They let us watch the storm outside as tornados ripped through the city (we were thankfully spared). They put up with my profanities as the epidural didn’t take after 3 attempts. They gave me no joke at least 30 blankets throughout the night to combat my fever. The food was actually really good, I had French toast for both dinner and breakfast. Around 2:30 am I delivered the baby. At one point I asked the nurse if I was going to die, the pain was so intense. 

None the less, the next morning I was wheeled out of the maternity ward, empty handed, with nothing to show for the mental, physical, and financial pain. What a joke our healthcare system is. 

I thank each and every one of you for the help. We still have a long road ahead of us. But you’ve smoothed over a couple bumps. Thank you. 

We have a deadline of August 30th to make a decision or have the decision made for us.

We are heartbroken to share that Hayley will not be a big sister this Christmas. After 22 weeks we got the news that the baby does not have a stomach or bladder, is likely missing both kidneys, and has a thick layer of fluid between the skin and muscles. The heart rate is ranging between 90-140. The size of its head is in the bottom 3 percentile. The weight is extremely low. There are zero pockets of amniotic fluid, meaning the baby can’t grow or develop lungs like it should. The doctors have given it zero chance of surviving outside of the womb. At this point we are waiting for the heart to stop. Problem is, it might not stop until I give birth at full term in December. That means living with a dying baby inside for the next 4 months, knowing it has zero chance of a life. Also putting me at risk for preeclampsia, diabetes, and high blood pressure like I had with Hayley. While these risks to my health are dangerous and the baby has zero chance, insurance does not see it as a reason to stop the heart and induce labor early. It is an entirely out-of-pocket procedure, and not something we can afford at this time. We are spending $1000 so far just on genetic testing for John and I. It may not give us answers. Doing this procedure would allow for an autopsy to maybe provide insight as to why the kidneys didn’t form properly and what went wrong. The genetic tests could show nothing.

Any funds we can raise would be appreciated. Even if we don’t get the $13k by week 24 (cutoff for state of Michigan), we’re in for a long haul of follow up appointments to check weekly if the baby still has a heart beat and medication to help with complications either of us may face.