Carried With Love :: The Story of Mia Rose

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carried with love - the story of mia faith - columbia sc moms blog

Courtney and Allen Tipping have been married for eleven years. They attend Midtown Fellowship (downtown campus) where Allen is on staff. In late 2008, the Tippings found out they were expecting sextuplets. Their babies, tragically, did not live, as Courtney went into early labor at twenty-one weeks.

Since the loss of their babies in March 2009, the Tippings have had the joy of welcoming two daughters into this world, Zoe and Sadie. A year and a half ago, at the age of three, Zoe was diagnosed with a Wilm’s tumor, a form of kidney cancer that was found to be at stage 4. After a year of treatments and surgery, a journey that Courtney shared in part on this blog last September, Zoe is in remission and doing well.

Courtney and Allen are now expecting again, their ninth child, a daughter they have named Mia Rose. They have a C-section scheduled for early November. Sadly, Mia is not expected to live, as she has been diagnosed with a condition called acrania. The Tippings have been very open about their journey with Mia Rose, and we are thankful they agreed to share part of their experience with us.

Tell us about Mia Rose.

We found out I was pregnant in April and at the end of May found out she had a neural tube defect called Acrania.

Tell us about deciding to carry Mia Rose to term.

I decided to carry full term because it is not my choice to terminate pregnancy. That is in the Lord’s plan and He is the ONLY one that knows the timeline of her life.

You have traveled a difficult road the last six years. How has it impacted your marriage? What is sustaining you?

Yes, the last few seasons of life had been extremely tough at times. The biggest thing is we know that God is good and near to us. We also know that good doesn’t mean easy. We have clung to community and the truth that this is not the end, that one day there will be no suffering and no tears in heaven. Allen and I know how differently we process yet are in constant need of grace for each other.

Talk to us about the balance of hope and sorrow you have carried the last several months.

This road of pregnancy with Mia is definitely a combination of hope and sorrow. Enduring it for such a long time has made me learn much more about persevering through, and Jesus being my only source of fulfillment.

How have you talked with your daughters about Mia Rose?

We are very open and transparent with our girls and from the get go we told them about Mia and what her time looked like here. And we have continued to talk to them all along and pray for Mia.

tipping family 2

How are you preparing for Mia Rose’s delivery?

Most of our preparation has been with the Compass Team at Palmetto Richland Children’s Hospital (palliative care team). They have helped with my birth plan and different things to help in the hospital.

What can you share with other couples facing a negative prenatal diagnosis?

I think for other families I would mainly encourage folks to talk to others and lean into community. Also the help from the hospital has been crucial.

How do you want people to pray for you?

My prayer is that God would be glorified through this whole season through the good the bad and the ugly. Also just pray for our family to regain strength.

All of us at Columbia SC Moms Blog are holding the Tippings in our thoughts and prayers in the days to come. A Caring Bridge page is established where you can follow their journey. For more information on carrying a baby with a negative prenatal diagnosis or for support during pregnancy and infant loss, especially locally, visit Naomi’s Circle.

Update: Mia Rose was born on November 11 at 1:14 p.m. She weighed 4 lbs 10 oz and measured 16″. She passed away at 1:23 p.m. after 9 glorious moments with her family. Her obituary and funeral arrangements can be found here.

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Kristi Bothur
Kristi is a pastor’s wife, mother, writer, and former public school teacher for English for Speakers of Other Languages. She grew up all over the United States as an Air Force brat, but moved to Columbia in the 1990s to attend Columbia International University, and has called the Midlands “home” ever since. Her days are kept full with the antics and activities of her children - homeschooling, church activities, American Heritage Girls, and Trail Life - as well as writing and leading her Columbia-based pregnancy loss ministry, Naomi’s Circle. Kristi is a contributing editor for “Rainbows and Redemption: Encouragement for the Journey of Pregnancy After Loss” (www.rainbowsandredemption.weebly.com) and a co-author of “Sunshine After the Storm: A Survival Guide for the Grieving Mother“ (sunshineafterstorm.us). She shares her thoughts about faith, family, and femininity on her blog, This Side of Heaven (www.thissideofheavenblog.com).

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