Lauren was excited. After a long and exhausting labor, she now could finally hold her baby girl. She couldn't wait to count her tiny fingers and hug her kid.
However, once the baby stretched her tired arms towards the doctor, his face creased with worry. He kept silent for a while and then told Lauren shocking news. After hearing the doctor's words, the young mother tried to talk, but all she could do was quietly burst into tears...
A Love That Grows
Lauren and Ben met each other at a Red Hot Chilli peppers concert. The couple locked eyes across the room and Ben crossed the room instantly. When they first started to date, the couple had so many things in common. They could talk for hours and quickly fell in love.
Lauren had one serious goal that she had dreamed about since she was a little girl. She was nervous to bring it up with Ben, but she was desperate to know what he thought about one thing in particular. It would be the conversation that would make or break their relationship.
An Only Child
Growing up, Lauren was an only child. She always dreamed of having a big family, and when she met Ben she knew this was her future husband. While the young couple talked about a lot of things, Lauren couldn’t tell if Ben wanted children.
She didn’t want to bring it up too early but as their relationship got more serious, it was all she could think about. Lauren knew Ben was her perfect match, but would he also be a perfect father? It was only a matter of time before she would get the answer.
A Delicate Discussions
Lauren knew she had to approach this conversation with Ben carefully. He was an incredible man and she didn’t want to scare him off. Lauren had known from a young age that she wanted to be a mom, and if Ben didn't have the same goals it would be a deal-breaker.
The couple usually agreed on everything. As she stared into Ben’s eyes and asked him truthfully how he felt about children, Lauren couldn't help but hold her breath. Ben’s reaction was the opposite of what she expected.
They Were At A Crossroads
When Ben heard Lauren ask if he was ready for kids, he paused. His whole body went tense. He had never thought about having kids and he felt too young to be worried about a family. He knew Lauren wanted the truth, but when he stared into her eyes his mouth went dry.
Could Ben really pass up a lifetime with Lauren over something he wasn’t sure about? He wanted to be honest but couldn’t risk losing the love of his life. Ben grabbed Lauren’s hand and took a deep breath. The next words would change both their lives.
A Life We Make Together
Ben told Lauren he didn’t want children today, but he wanted a future with her. He was open to having a family, as long as they did it together. He held his breath while she thought over his answer.
Based on this conversation, Ben was ready for the next step in the relationship. It was a massive leap of faith, but he knew it was time to show the world how serious this relationship was. Ben was going to plan the perfect day, but what would Lauren think when she saw it?
A Magical Engagement
Ben told Lauren to meet him at his house for dinner. When she arrived the apartment was full of candles and flowers. Lauren’s heart was racing as she called Ben’s name and found him waiting for her.
Ben took a deep breath and asked Lauren the biggest question of his life. He knew he would do anything possible to make her the happiest woman in the world. The relationship was marked from the beginning as a fairytale, but soon a nightmare would begin.
A Fairytale Wedding
Surrounded by family and friends, Lauren and Ben said their vows and promised to love and cherish each other for the rest of their life. Lauren stared into Ben’s eyes and she knew he was her perfect match.
They danced the night away and excitedly told family and friends their big honeymoon plans. The young couple had saved up to go to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. As they boarded the plane, they didn’t realize it was chartering a course for disaster.
The Honeymoon Horror
While everything started off perfect, Lauren woke up with stomach pains on the third morning. She woke up Ben and he was terrified to find his wife grabbing her stomach and sweating from an intense fever. Soon a doctor arrived from the resort but Ben had to jump over language barriers.
Frantic for clarity he ran back to the front desk and found an employee who could speak English. Lauren was withering on the bed in pain, her skin was pale and Ben barely recognized her. Just as their life was beginning, would it be cruelly snatched away?
A Bacterial Infection
The hotel employee listened closely as the doctor let him know what was happening. When he turned to Ben, he wished he had better news. Lauren had picked up a bacterial infection. She needed medication and rest for the next week. It would also make eating any food difficult.
Lauren moaned in pain from the bed, and Ben knew he had to take her home. Would this honeymoon have long-term implications? Everything had been so easy and smooth up until this point, how would the couple handle the stress and medical expenses?
What Did This Mean For Their Future?
Lauren’s family doctor cleared the bacterial infection quickly but found a concerning complication. The infection had possibly damaged Lauren’s reproductive organs. The doctor told the couple they needed to start their family sooner rather than later or risk a childless future.
It was Lauren’s worse nightmare. She turned to Ben and was relieved that he was also stunned. Even though he hadn’t wanted children right away, the thought of not having a family was terrifying. The couple wanted to begin right away and got surprising news a few weeks later.
Their Dreams Were Coming True
A few months later, Lauren was having breakfast and suddenly ran to the toilet. The memory of being sick in Mexico was fresh in her mind, but something felt different. As a joke, Ben said she should do a pregnancy test. When the blue plus sign appeared the couple could not believe what they were seeing.
From battling a bacteria infection and fertility concerns, finally starting a family felt euphoric. Lauren wrapped her hands protectively around her belly and promised to do anything to protect her child. Little did she know the danger was already growing inside her stomach.
The Seven Week Heartbeat
The couple excitedly counted down the days to their first doctor’s appointment. It was April 2020 and a medical pandemic was striking the United States. Due to new restrictions, Ben couldn’t come to the appointment but Lauren promised to call him right away.
As she lay down and lifted her shirt, Lauren’s heart was racing. The cold ultrasound gel spread across her skin and she braced herself for the sweet sounds of life. When the room stayed eerily quiet, Lauren glared at the nurse for answers. There were no words that would console this expectant mother.
Don’t Panic…Yet…
The ultrasound technician looked into the expectant mother’s eyes and said they could see the fetus but it was normal to misjudge the first appointment. They booked Lauren in for a follow-up appointment in two weeks and told her to “relax”.
It was exactly what Lauren couldn’t do. She called Ben from the car and broke the news to him. While Ben was confused, there was nothing they could do besides wait. The next fourteen days felt like the longest of the year, yet the big news would make time speed up!
Trying To Stay Positive
The one fear Lauren had was, what if it was still a silent womb? She couldn’t imagine sitting with the nurse again in the silence and finding out that she was no longer pregnant. All of these worries disappeared when a strong heartbeat loudly pumped through the speakers.
When Lauren called Ben after this appointment, both of them were in tears. They couldn’t wait to meet their little one, but what about the big challenges this would bring into their marriage? It felt like time slowed down but the biggest surprise had yet to be revealed.
The Big Day Arrived
Lauren was nervous for the first time she would go into labor. Restrictions were getting worse with the 2020 pandemic and she was bracing herself to be alone in the delivery room. As the doctors and nurses coached her through the pain, she suddenly heard the most beautiful sound in the world.
Lauren wished Ben could hear it, and all she wanted was to hold her baby. As the doctor started to clean the healthy newborn, he gasped in surprise.
What Did It All Mean?
Lauren asked repeatedly for her daughter. All she wanted was to hold her in her arms, but the nurses kept pushing her away. The tiny baby was being passed around and inspected by all the doctors. No one had ever seen anything like it.
Finally, Lauren yelled out for someone to give her her daughter. A nurse quickly rushed her over and pointed out something truly magical to the first-time mom. The ultimate symbol of everything Lauren had endured up to this moment was permanently on her daughter’s skin.
A Truly Adorable Birthmark
As Lauren held her daughter for the first time, she saw a perfect human being. It was surreal after growing inside her body that now she was in her arms. Lauren counted ten perfect toes and fingers and wished that Ben was next to her.
Finally, a nurse pointed out to the new mom what everyone had been staring at. On the baby’s thigh was a unique birthmark unlike any other. It was clear that this child had been conceived out of love, to the point that her body had a permanent marking.
A Love Unlike Any Other
Ben and Lauren named their daughter Luna and her tiny heart-shaped birthmark just added to the miracle she represented. They could spend hours looking at the beautiful baby and planning her future. While the world was going more chaotic with the medical pandemic their tiny family was a pulse of love.
Ben had spent the last nine months building the ideal nursery for her daughter. When she finally came home from the hospital, he didn’t know why he had even considered not having a family. What would Luna’s relatives think of her unique marking?
Future Family Dreams And Hopes
It was clear to anyone that met Ben and Lauren that they were a couple madly in love. When their friends and family found out Luna had been born with a heart-shaped birthmark, they knew it was a symbol of something even bigger.
Luna was born into a family with a love that would last until the end of time. Her parents vows also represented trust and honesty. The family is excited to welcome a sibling for Luna in the future, but for now, everyone’s hearts runneth over.