A pregnant woman who was warned to expect the worst after a tragic diagnosis was stunned to see her baby give a 'thumbs up' during a scan. Chloe Rooker's daughter Daisy is now a happy three-year-old after defying all the odds, with her mum convinced she gave her a 'definite sign' everything would be all right.
A devastating diagnosis
She found out she was expecting a girl in 2022 and had chosen the name Daisy. But at the 20-week anomaly scan, concerns were raised about the baby's brain. She was urgently referred to the neonatal consultant, where further investigations confirmed the foetus had ventriculomegaly – an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the brain – alongside duplex kidneys.
Chloe, 27, was told that the likelihood of Daisy making it to term was reducing daily and that if she did make it, she would be born in a lot of pain. A late-term termination was discussed, the thought of which still 'haunts' her to this day.
Feeling 'an extreme numbness,' Chloe went into 'survival mode' and asked the people in her life not to talk to her about it. 'I just wanted to do what was best for her in every stage of the process,' she explained. 'I think I became very external in my locus of control, helpless and just in survival mode for most of that time.'
A 'definite sign' on the scan
For the next 15 weeks, Chloe underwent bi-weekly scans and MRIs to monitor the fluid in Daisy's ventricles. It was during one of these scans that she received a 'definite sign' that provided her with comfort.
While travelling to the appointment, Chloe spoke to her unborn child, telling her: 'You tell them, Daisy, you say go away, I'm fine.' During the scan, the consultant suddenly laughed as it appeared that the baby on screen was giving them a thumbs up.
'It was almost like a eureka moment and it did provide me comfort for some time,' Chloe said. 'Now I look back and view it as such an amazing definite sign from her that she was going to be okay. She basically directly quoted me, as far as an unborn child can do in someone's womb.'
A medical miracle
After Daisy was born, she had to go for an ultrasound through her fontanelle so her brain could be checked. In a medical miracle, pediatricians were left questioning 'if they had scanned the right baby' as Daisy's ventriculomegaly had completely resolved itself.
Chloe said: 'They were expecting to be scanning a very sick baby, and I think because of her differences in utero they were very careful to make sure her body was working properly, which I'm very, very grateful for.'
Daisy is now three-years-old. She had to undergo tests in hospital for the first year of her life, but they 'never found anything'. Chloe admits she does 'worry every day that something might come up' but adds that 'Daisy is absolutely perfect' and makes her prouder than she 'ever thought I could be.'
'I was deeply in love with her before she was born and once she was born it was like she was finally by my side where she was meant to be,' Chloe said.
Sharing the story to help others
Chloe wants to make clear that she isn't condemning the efforts of 'our wonderful NHS' and is not pushing an agenda or passing judgement on anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation. 'I couldn't find anyone going through anything similar when I was in the thick of it, and the more people I talk to about it, the more I realise how many people have a story to tell,' she explained.
She says the experience has made her more 'resilient,' with the psychology graduate taking on new challenges including a half marathon. She's even planning a sky dive in 2027 to raise money for parents who have lost babies. Chloe has also created the @cr_share community on Instagram to provide a place for people to talk and feel supported both during and after pregnancy.
'It was the worst time in my life but I think that's why I'm writing about it and trying to share the story to help others, because I can't let a bad thing stay a bad thing,' Chloe said. 'I have to turn it into something more positive and I don't want my pregnancy to be stored in my memory as a negative thing.'
