Young mother refuses abortion for conjoined twins despite pressure from doctors

A young mom whose twin boys were diagnosed in the womb as conjoined has said she was “hoping for a miracle” when she refused to abort them.

Brianna Pereyda was just 20 years old when she welcomed her sons Josiah and Isaiah. She said she underwent a “spiritual battle” between “religion, science and numbers” during her pregnancy when she was told there was no chance that either baby would survive and that she should have an abortion.

“The doctors told me they were not going to survive,” she told The Daily Mail. “My mindset was that the babies would survive and God would save them. I kept saying, ‘No. God might give me a miracle.’ Even in the operating room, I had hope that I would see my babies cry and open their eyes.”

The boys had spinal abnormalities and concerns with their organs due to being conjoined. Doctors said they would not be able to breathe on their own after birth. Pereyda was also told that the pregnancy may pose a threat to her health and life, but she refused to abort her sons and aimed to give them every chance at life — even when doctors said they “did not approve” of her decision not to abort her babies.

“When I told them; ‘No, I want to continue,’ they just looked at me,” she said.

READ: Conjoined twins doing well one year after separation surgery: ‘God’s gift to us’

Even at 34 weeks, doctors pushed for her to have an abortion that would involve injecting the boys with a drug to “stop both the babies’ hearts.”

Pereyda held strong and doctors finally agreed to treat her pregnancy.

“They told me they would still help me, but that it would be best to not continue the pregnancy because of the risk of me bleeding out, losing blood, and dying,” she said.

Pereyda, a Catholic, “visited a Father for advice, and this priest … and I felt so comfortable with him. He told me it was still abortion, and it was going against God.”

She decided to trust her “faith and religion.”

When the boys were born on October 8, they survived for 27 minutes outside the womb, knowing nothing but love from their parents. Both babies lived long enough to be blessed by a priest and Pereyda did not suffer any complications.

“I saw them come out with so little life, and could not open their eyes,” Pereyda said. “When they snapped the umbilical cord, they were already declining. When the twins were given back to me, he [had] already passed. One still had a heartbeat. The other died right after.”

A GoFundMe was launched to help the family and more than $7,000 was raised to help pay for the funeral costs.

“It made me really happy to know my babies are getting so much love and touching so many hearts all over,” said Pereyda.

She added, “I think a part of us died that day. I especially feel empty because I carried them for so long.” Regardless, she’s glad she gave her children “a shot at life.”

“I would do it again. As a mother, if I had to sacrifice my body to save my children.”

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