A Catholic wife and mother in Michigan recently took to social media to share her pregnancy announcement — but the news she shared was not something you hear every day.
The 24-year-old mother, Nicole LeBlanc, is expecting conjoined, twin girls who share one heart and other vital organs.
Nicole and her husband, Austin, spoke with EWTN News Nightly about their journey so far and their decision to choose life despite being advised to have an abortion.
Nicole explained that they were given the news when she was 10 weeks pregnant.
“Nothing ever would’ve prepared me for the ultrasound technician saying, ‘Your twins are very special because they are conjoined and they share a heart,’” said Nicole, who is now 29 weeks pregnant.
Doctors immediately deemed the pregnancy high-risk and suggested termination.
“They definitely pushed an abortion agenda on us and on our babies,” she said. “That is something that we were not okay with and something we are totally, completely against because even though I couldn’t feel them moving at 10 weeks, I could see them clearly jumping together off the side of my womb, jumping together, so it’s a human life.”
Austin, who became a Catholic in 2020, shared that this experience has been a test of faith, but through it all the couple has relied on praying the rosary together daily.
“We get together every night and we pray the rosary. That’s one of the biggest things … and just knowing that God has a plan for everything and there’s always a purpose for everything,” he said.
Several saints and biblical figures have also impacted the couples’ faith and inspired the names they chose for their twin girls — Maria Therese and Rachel Claire.
“We definitely want to have our babies be gifts to our Blessed Mother so, Maria, the Latin name for Mary,” Nicole explained. “And I’ve always had a special connection with the Old Testament story of Rachel so, Maria Therese and Rachel Claire.”
The young mother has been sharing her journey on social media and has received an outpouring of prayers and support from the pro-life community.
“The pro-life community is absolutely amazing,” she said. “They encouraged me to make a baby shower registry on Amazon and all of the things that I had were quickly purchased, even if they were to live for a day.”
She added: “I really think that the pro-life community is growing and I know that our testimony will be part of that, and I hope to do more work in the future as well.”
Nicole will undergo a Cesarean section in early June and said she will let “God be in control of the situation.”