A mum of eight who insisted on taking her life-threatening ectopic pregnancy to full term has given birth to a daughter.

Alex Gooding gave birth on February 4 to baby Chloe Marie via c-section, before undergoing a hysterectomy.

The Christian, anti-abortion mother, from Arizona, sparked controversy when she first announced her intentions to continue on with her pregnancy, against medical advice.

Alex had a caesarean section ectopic pregnancy (CSEP) – the rarest type – where very few pregnancies survive. It means the embryo has implanted in the scar tissue left from a previous cesarean section. 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 the 33-year-old insisted that ‘a baby is a baby no matter how small’.

The mum announced the birth on Instagram, saying: ‘The biggest relief was this moment.’

She added: ‘Her little life was worth every second of pain, fear and sacrifice.’

However, the risks to Alex and Chloe throughout her pregnancy can be underestimated.

According to the NHS, until recently, it was considered too dangerous to continue with a pregnancy of this kind. But there is now ‘some research available showing that these pregnancies can sometimes progress to term’.

Speaking to Metro, Dr Lawrence Cunningham explained the risks.

‘Scar tissue is not designed to support a growing pregnancy,’ he said. ‘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 religious beliefs meant she continued with her pregnancy.

She said on social media: ‘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 die and he already called the [gynecologist] and they would meet me at the hospital asap.’

Despite the ‘crushing’ news, she made it to 33 weeks, giving birth a week earlier than planned.

Alex knew there was a high risk of haemorrhaging and that she would likely have to have a hysterectomy.

‘My daughter Chloe was born screaming… then I was put to sleep for a four hour surgery to have a hysterectomy to save my life,’ she explained on her Instagram page @growinggoodings.

She was wheeled to the NICU to see her baby after the procedure. ‘We both made it to the survivor side of a high risk pregnancy,’ she added.

Although Chloe needed support to breathe and had to be fed through a tube, the mum said, after everything they’d been through together, ‘it was worth it’.

When Alex announced on Instagram that she was going to be continuing with her ectopic pregnancy, many on the internet were stunned by her choices.

@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.

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, explained that, in his experience, the standard treatment needed for ectopic pregnancy is termination.

‘This is to prevent life-threatening complications,’ he said. ‘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 explained.

‘Any decision to continue should involve a multi-disciplinary medical team to evaluate the risks and manage the pregnancy closely.’

For Alex, she says that it’s through ‘prayer, love and support from family and friends, that every day I’m strengthened and encouraged. I’m okay.

She added: ‘I’m grateful for my team. I’m grateful for their expertise and their dedication to continually getting better in this field. My pregnancy gave them more data on how to provide quality care that supports the end goal of living babies and living mamas.’

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