Paralympian welcomes premature baby after experiencing complications

British Paralympic swimmer Jessica-Jane Applegate has welcomed a daughter, Alara, who was born at just 23 weeks and two days after Applegate experienced cervical insufficiency, in which the cervix begins to dilate too early in pregnancy.

Key Takeaways:

• Applegate said finding out she was pregnant was the most "incredible news," though she experienced complications early on.

• She bled for several weeks due to a hematoma, which resolved by 16 weeks.

• After she began bleeding again at 22 weeks, doctors realized her cervix had already begun to dilate.

• Applegate was transferred to a hospital with a Level 3 NICU and gave birth prematurely to her daughter, Alara, at 23 weeks.

The Details:

Jessica-Jane Applegate and her partner, Declan Jermy, learned in January that they were expecting a baby. She shared on JustGiving that finding out she was pregnant was "the most incredible news" and that they "couldn't have been happier." However, the pregnancy was not without its challenges.

"The early weeks weren't easy," she wrote. "I experienced bleeding for many weeks due to haematoma, but thankfully it resolved by 16 weeks. That same week, we found out we were having a little girl. We were over the moon and already had the perfect name picked out — Alara."

During an appointment at about 22 weeks, Jermy told doctors that Applegate had been experiencing bleeding again and asked them to examine her.

"While we were waiting, I had a very large bleed," she wrote. "After 48 hours in hospital waiting for the bleeding to settle, they discovered my cervix had already opened. By then, I was at a hospital that couldn't care for a baby born at 22 weeks."

She was already four centimeters dilated and doctors suggested a transfer to a hospital with a Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit that had the ability to care for Alara and give her a better chance of survival. Transferring would be risky, but they wanted to give Alara the best chance possible.

Once at the new hospital, Applegate was put on bed rest to try to delay delivery for as long as possible and she made it to 23 weeks and two days. Alara was born on May 29, weighing just over one pound. Her due date was September 23.

"She was placed on life support immediately after birth, and from that moment, our lives changed forever," she said. "We know Alara will remain in hospital until at least her original due date, possibly longer, as she continues her fight. We are incredibly grateful that she is receiving the specialist care she needs, even though it means being far from home. Thankfully, the hospital has kindly provided shared accommodation for parents so we can stay close to her."

Now about six weeks old, Alara has overcome surgery and blood transfusions, and continues to improve. She is also taking part in a research program in which doctors and researchers will study her progress to help improve care for future micro-preemies.

"We are now hoping she will soon be strong enough to begin spending short periods of time off the ventilator another huge step forward in her journey," wrote Applegate.

Why It Matters:

Pro-abortion media outlets have exploited stories like Applegate's to promote abortion on demand.

Emily Waldorf also suffered cervical insufficiency, and though her baby was just 17 weeks, the treatment she needed — even including early delivery — was not legally an abortion because the intent was not to kill the child. Waldorf's baby could have been delivered just as Applegate's was.

Whether or not a baby survives is not the determining factor in what makes action an abortion; it is the intent and goal of the action that matters.

The Bottom Line:

Cervical insufficiency, or incompetent cervix, causes up to 25% of miscarriages in the second trimester; though there are treatments, those treatments aren’t always successful, especially if labor has already begun. However, induced abortion — the intentional killing of the baby — is not one of those treatments.