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A mum of seven has shocked the world after revealing that she is planning to take her life-threatening ectopic pregnancy to full term.
Alex Gooding is currently 18 weeks pregnant with her baby girl, who she has named Chloe Marie.
But the pregnancy is a caesarean section ectopic pregnancy (CSEP) – the rarest type – where very few pregnancies survive. It has a high mortality rate for the mother and baby.
Alex was told the devastating news at just five weeks pregnant and was advised to terminate but, as a pro-life Christian, she refused.
Alex believes that “a baby is a baby no matter how small” and that she is giving her daughter a chance to live.
But the risks to Alex and Chloe are huge.
Speaking to Metro, Dr Lawrence Cunningham explained the severity of her situation.
“CSEP is where the embryo implants in the scar tissue left from a previous cesarean section,” he says. “This condition is particularly dangerous because the scar tissue is not designed to support a growing pregnancy.
“Instead, it can lead to severe complications such as uterine rupture, massive haemorrhage, and even maternal death. The risk is heightened because the pregnancy can grow into the bladder or other surrounding organs.”
But Alex’s strong beliefs mean she is willing to go ahead with the pregnancy, despite medical advice.
Writing on her Instagram she said: “The day we found out that Chloe implanted in my C section scar and thus was a C section scar ectopic pregnancy was very hard.
“The maternal-fetal medicine [specialist] I went to immediately after my first midwife ultrasound told me I needed to terminate.
“He told me that I would d!e and he already called the [gynecologist] and they would meet me at the hospital asap.”
But instead, Alex left the appointment and “cried the entire drive home” having chosen to keep her baby.
“At first it didn’t really hit as hard until I talked to my midwife and she said ‘Alex I saw the ultrasound pictures. It doesn’t look good’.
“When I finally saw the pictures it was very crushing. It was obvious that baby had implanted into my scar.”
Now months away from her due date in March 2015, Alex hasn’t wavered from her decision. She regularly posts to her Instagram page, and has said that there are “16 weeks or less until we hold this little girl in our arms.”
But many on the internet are stunned by her choices.
On Instagram, @calaveraqueen24 wrote: “Don’t understand why you would risk your life with seven other children who need you.”
Another, @mthomper, added: “Curious if you will share how you processed or weighed the risk to your own life leaving all your children with continuing this pregnancy? I can’t imagine having to make that decision.”
Other followers have raised the abortion debate that continues to cause tensions across the USA.
User @arzate_mailee said: “And this is why pro-choice is the way to go. May you and baby girl make it to 36 weeks!! And may she not need a long hospital stay.”
Since Roe V Wade was overturned in 2022, 20 states including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, ban or restrict abortion. Many of these states ban the procedure at six weeks or earlier. Some, but not all, have exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
While the termination of an ectopic pregnancy is not categorised as an abortion, they have become part of the debate. Confusing legislation has raised questions in terms of care for women with ectopic pregnancies, and doctors have even been known to withhold treatment due to their beliefs.
Two women in Texas have filed federal complaints against hospitals who they say refused to treat their ectopic pregnancies.
But Dr Cunningham, who is also medical contributor at Help & Advice, explains that, in his experience, the standard treatment needed for ectopic pregnancy is termination.
“This is to prevent life-threatening complications,” he says. “Treatment options typically include medication, which helps the body absorb the pregnancy tissue, or surgical intervention to remove the ectopic tissue.
“The choice of treatment depends on the size and location of the pregnancy, as well as the patient’s overall health and future fertility desires.”
For Dr Cunningham, a decision to continue with a CSEP could lead to “catastrophic outcomes”.
“While there are rare cases where both mother and baby have survived, these instances are not common and come with significant risks,” he explains.
“Any decision to continue should involve a multi-disciplinary medical team to evaluate the risks and manage the pregnancy closely.”
For Alex, she claims to have found a community of advocates to help manage the pregnancy and “hopefully make it to the survivor side (both mum and baby), which is the choice [they] have made”.
She is set to be induced at 34 weeks, if all goes well.
