00:00I did not love Tyler. When I was pregnant with her, I didn't buy her no clothes. I almost didn't.
00:05want to have a baby shower either. The doctor didn't say it was a 50-50 chance. It was a
00:10very high chance that she would have Down syndrome. My OB and my high-risk doctor at the hospital
00:15both presented the option for abortion. Her dad and I were both feeling a bit embarrassed because
00:20this would be the first child on both sides of the family that is born with a disability. Mom
00:25faced serious doubts during the pregnancy and time to make a decision was running out.
00:30That's exactly why I didn't want to do a maternity shoot. I didn't feel like there was anything to be proud of.
00:35It was always in my head, like, am I going to want to take pictures with her? Am I going to want to show her all?
00:39I was getting all...
00:40I had a lot of surgery sounds every week, my third trimester. I was going to the hospital twice a week. Once for the...
00:45ultrasound, the next, like, later on in the week was for an NST. And during all those ultrasounds...
00:50she said everything looked fine. Her heart looked okay. She didn't even have markers for Down syndrome.
00:55But then, when the baby was born, they quickly realized that what these ultrasounds had...
01:00applied couldn't be further from the truth. We could not believe it at all. We were in...
01:05that NICU every single day, twice a day. We would be there for morning rounds and night rounds because we...
01:10wanted to hear it at the doctor's mouth about our daughter because the nurses couldn't answer every question we had. Not...
01:15everybody can take care of a special needs child. It is mentally draining and it could be...
01:20financially draining. It's a lot. Her daughter has complex needs and disabilities.
01:25including two heart defects and a failing liver. Shea has had to go above and below...
01:30beyond to protect her daughter's health. My daughter has physical therapy, cardiologist appointments...
01:35hematologist appointment. Like, she has all these appointments. Everybody cannot handle that.
01:40stuff. And it can be expensive. It's not for everybody. Hi Pumpkin!
01:45Yeah! You're so happy!
01:49Then my school...
01:50Sweet girl!
01:51After spending time in the NICU, she was...
01:55She was finally well enough to come home. And she's continuing to grow and overcome.
02:00It's gonna be two in September. She can't walk yet. All she says is mama and dada. She crawls...
02:05She climbs up on things. You know, her and her brother chase each other around, bully each other. Even though she...
02:10She can't really talk. She understands a lot. Shea is using her platform to show support for other parents...
02:15...who are dealing with the complex emotions, including guilt, that can come with being a parent...
02:20...of a child with special and additional needs.
02:23I feel bad for having those feelings, but I'm more so...
02:25Like in this video to let parents know that have a special needs child or pregnant with one, that it's okay to have...
02:30...those feelings. It's normal. Whether you want to admit it or not, a lot of parents that have these feelings, but no...
02:35...nobody speaks on it because they're afraid of what people might think or whatever.
02:38I am pro-choice. I don't judge...
02:40...any woman that decides to terminate a pregnancy due to a disability at the end of the day...
02:45...and a child with a disability. It's very hard mentally. I want my page to be a safe space for...
02:50...women to come and talk to me if they have questions. I don't judge and I don't want anyone to feel alone or scared.
02:55My daughter is almost two. She's thriving. She's loved and she's just perfect. Like that's literally...
03:00...my bestie. Mwah!
