I had a D&X abortion about 5 months through my pregnancy. It was a much wanted pregnancy, so the 19-week sonogram showing brain and extremity deformities broke my husband’s and my heart. The following weeks of tests resulted in more bad news. The fetus was missing at least one part of her brain and had other brain malformations; she had bilateral club feet and extraordinarily short arms and legs; and to top it off she had a heart defect. My husband and I agreed that abortion was the best option for the fetus and for us.
The D&X procedure was very safe, but it was physically draining and painful due to the two-day dilation process of stretching and prodding my cervix with alien objects and the cramping and pressure that resulted from that. Imagine my relief and contentedness when the three-day procedure was over! The medical community simply must research better methods of later term abortions, instead of bowing to pundits and abandoning safe methods of so-called “partial-birth abortions”.
The first few months after the abortion were emotionally tumultuous. The feeling of relief that the abortion offered us never departed, but the grief of losing a wanted pregnancy compounded by practical concerns like health care coverage and taking leave from work were overwhelming. Each month, my husband and I regain more of our old spirit and zestiness, and I already wonder how I thought this experience would scare me negatively for life.
