Pregnant mom told baby wouldn’t survive – now has a 2-year-old ‘warrior’

When Suzy Mack was told at just 17 weeks pregnant that her baby had no amniotic fluid due to a premature rupture of membranes, doctors offered two options: induce labor and terminate the pregnancy, or go to go home and wait for labor to start.

It was a grim and heartbreaking diagnosis, but the mother in Santa Barbara, California, decided to wait, and against all odds, her baby continued to grow without the life-sustaining fluid. Two years later, her son Ozzy is thriving.

Mack, 41, told Newsweek that the absence of amniotic fluid is a serious condition that seriously compromises a baby’s lung development.

“Normally, labor begins within hours or days after the waters break,” she said. “In our case, remarkably, our baby continued to grow despite the lack of fluid. However, this growth did not guarantee proper lung development, so we were unsure whether he would be able to breathe at birth. It was an unusual and worrying situation. , because babies rarely continue to develop without amniotic fluid.”

To mark Ozzy’s amazing story, Mack placed a reel on it Instagram on her account @yourstrulysuzy, which captures the moments she was told her pregnancy was not viable due to Ozzy’s surprising growth and development over two years.

In one of the photos in the film, Mack’s eldest son, Finn, is seen smiling and holding an ultrasound scan at 17 weeks old – a photo taken just two days before her water unexpectedly broke.

“This moment of joy quickly turned into a crisis as we were told, ‘This pregnancy is over,’ highlighting how quickly things can change during pregnancy,” Mack shared. Newsweek.

The decision not to end wasn’t easy for Mack. Initially, she thought the pregnancy would end naturally.

“However, when we returned to the midwife after two days, we saw our smiling baby on the screen with a strong heartbeat,” she said. “This powerful moment changed everything. When we saw him alive and apparently healthy, we couldn’t bring ourselves to terminate, regardless of the lack of amniotic fluid.”

The choice to continue the pregnancy was one she had to make repeatedly, weighing the risks with each ultrasound and check-up, which took place every two days. Each time the option to terminate was presented, but she chose to “let nature take its course.”

The night Ozzy was born was filled with tension and revenge. Mack woke up at 3 a.m. with a strong intuition that something was wrong. Despite her pain and pleas, the medical staff dismissed her concerns and insisted she was not in labor.

“As a woman of color, I was acutely aware that my experience reflected a broader, systemic issue,” she said. “Studies have shown that Black women are more likely to have their pain and health concerns dismissed or undertreated by medical professionals. This knowledge added another layer of fear and frustration to an already intense situation.”

Ultimately, the medical staff determined that she was 5 centimeters dilated. “This experience underscored the critical importance of listening to expectant mothers, especially women of color, and trusting their instincts,” Mack said.

When Ozzy was born via emergency C-section at 29 weeks and one day, he was immediately given oxygen. Doctors warned it could take years before he could breathe on his own, but Ozzy once again defied expectations.

He thrived at home and steadily grew stronger, surpassing developmental milestones.

“I call Ozzy my warrior baby because he really fought against all odds at every stage,” Mack said. “Ozzy’s journey, from a precarious pregnancy to his current thriving state, embodies the spirit of a true warrior. His ability to overcome challenges that many thought were insurmountable is a constant reminder of his incredible fighting spirit.”