想知道她孩子的性别, she learned of a serious heart defect

拉蒂莎·威尔伯恩很兴奋. 她和丈夫为了怀孕已经努力了一年, and now, 怀孕20周, she was at a doctor's visit with her two sisters where an ultrasound would determine if she was having a girl or boy. 几天后，庆祝这一消息的派对就要举行了.

The happy mood changed when the doctor told Latisha they detected a problem with the baby's heart.

“我不喝酒. 我不抽烟. I don't do any of those things, so how could this happen," the 34-year-old from Baltimore said. “就在那时，我被告知，100个婴儿中有1个, 有时候心脏就是不像它应该有的样子."

至少有一些好消息:拉蒂莎怀了一个女孩. She would round out the family, which already included a son, Ronald, then 10.

拉蒂莎打电话给丈夫德里克，抽泣起来. He tried to calm her down after she told him the baby might have other defects, too. He reassured her they would get all the facts and talk to the doctor together.

Meantime, they put on a brave face for the party revealing the baby's sex. 这一天正好是拉蒂莎的生日派对. “我非常沮丧和悲伤，但这并没有阻止我们，”她说.

当拉蒂莎怀孕八个月的时候, doctors got a good look at the unborn baby's heart and determined she had a severe type of congenital heart defect called tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. Babies born with this condition have multiple defects that are treated surgically.

大约在那个时候, 脱口秀主持人吉米·坎摩尔宣布他的儿子, Billy, 生来就有同样的病症.

"It gave us hope that we were not the only parents out here dealing with this,德里克说。. "It gave us hope that technology has improved in such a way that our child will have a fighting chance."

婴儿贝拉在预产期当天通过剖宫产降生, a day after her brother's birthday so each could have their own special day. 这对圣诞节出生的拉蒂莎来说很重要.

Bella looked fine and had no blue coloring associated with some babies struggling with low-oxygen blood. 她一边哭一边吐泡泡. 除了心脏问题，她没有其他先天缺陷.

Bella stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit for a week, then went home. 她在4个月大的时候做了第一次心脏直视手术.

Since then, Bella has had several heart catherization procedures to help improve blood flow and two more open-heart surgeries, 最后一次是在2020年2月.

Now 2, 贝拉是一个活跃的, happy child who takes dance classes virtually because of pandemic restrictions. 人们很容易忘记她的心脏有问题.

"I have to fight with myself to tell myself that even though she looks like a normal child, 看起来不错, 她还是有心脏病。,德里克说。.

The Wilbornes help educate their community and raise awareness and about Bella's condition by participating in the 美国心脏协会's annual Heart Walk.

"I know when we first did our Heart Walk (in and around) the University of Maryland, it really showed me that this is real when I saw her picture up on the (Oriole Park at) Camden Yards big screen,德里克说。.

拉蒂莎写了一本书来帮助那些有类似经历的人. She talks about how she copes with the ups and downs of fears, anxiety, hopes and hardships.

“致所有正在经历类似情况的妈妈们," she said, "I just want you to know there will be light at the end of the tunnel."

发自内心的故事 chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.

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