The Medical World Destined Their Pregnancy to End in Death – but God Had Other Plans…
‘An intensely personal, deeply moving story of hope in the face of despair. Carrying Hope will, I have no doubt, bring comfort, provoke reflection, and even save lives.’
Pete Greig, 24-7 Prayer
How would you feel if doctors told you there was something terribly wrong with your unborn child? This was what Beth Appleby and her husband had to face after a routine antenatal scan for their third child. A genetic abnormality had been detected and they were told that their child would be ‘incompatible with life’ – a termination was the ‘obvious’ choice.
Yet as Christians, Beth and her husband felt strongly that they should give their child every chance of life, however short and limited it might be, and so termination was never an option for them. Even as they prepared for the worst, they prayed and hoped their baby might live. Consulting with hospices and charities supporting families with severe genetic conditions – in the Applebys’ case, Trisomy 18 or Edwards’ syndrome – they wrestled with what life might look like, knowing only that unless God intervened it would be like nothing they had ever expected.
The pressure on families to terminate a pregnancy with a suspected genetic anomaly can be immense. A recent BBC News report highlighted the serious issues at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust around the poor care and guidance given to expectant mothers, and the heart-breaking consequences for couples. If it hadn’t been for their faith and trust in God, and a clear sense from Him that whatever the outcome they should give their child a chance, Beth and her husband would certainly have been another of these tragic stories.
Finding strength in God’s Word throughout the weeks and months of dispiriting appointments and bruising interactions with medical staff, with the future they had planned for crumbling around them, they resolutely carried on – in hope. And the outcome was beyond what they’d ever dared to dream.
‘This is a book I had to write,’ comments Beth. ‘I could not move on from the experience without sharing the story as widely as possible. First and foremost, I want to bring glory to God, for His kindness towards us, and to tell the testimony of what He did. Secondly, I feel compelled to raise awareness about the trauma of receiving a prenatal diagnosis of a life-limiting condition, and how a “termination for medical reasons” is often presented as the most logical option. A dream would be to challenge how the medical world treats infants with genetic conditions and their right to live. No baby is “incompatible with life” – and all babies are “compatible with love”.’
If you are facing a seemingly impossible situation, let Carrying Hope encourage you with how God can journey with you every step of the way, whatever the future may hold.
‘Powerful story of an inspirational family who were prepared to pour a lifetime of love into a very short life … a warning against the culture of negativity that underestimates the value of every child, however poor a diagnosis may be.’
Vicky Wall, Every Life Counts
Carrying Hope by Beth Appleby (ISBN: 9781912726905) is published by Instant Apostle and is available on 21st March 2025 from bookshops and online retailers. Christian Life, paperback, 256pp, £12.99.