“When Jessica Bernardo found out she was pregnant, it was reason to celebrate. Bernardo and her husband had struggled for two years to conceive, and when their fetus was diagnosed with Down syndrome, they continued to celebrate, naming her Emma, which means “whole.”
Emma’s health continued to deteriorate until it became clear she would not survive birth. Bernardo, too, was at risk—she was in danger of developing mirror syndrome, a rare condition in which the fetus has an abnormal buildup of fluid, and the pregnant person has high blood pressure, or preeclampsia. The diagnosis comes with a high fetal mortality rate and maternal morbidity rate…”
