Dudley mum who defied doctors who told her to abort her son 'determined to get him walking'

A mum-of-seven who was told to abort her baby as he would be born "brain damaged" defied doctors' advice and said she is determined to get him to walk.

Laura Whitehouse, 32, found out she was pregnant in August 2025.

During her first scan in October 2025 at Russell's Hall Hospital, in Dudley, England, a sonographer noticed a lump on the baby's spine.

Baby Samson was diagnosed with spina bifida myelomeningocele, a neural tube defect where a baby's spine and spinal cord do not fully close during pregnancy.

At the 18-week scan, Laura was advised by doctors that Samson would have no quality of life and that it would be best to terminate the pregnancy.

But Laura dismissed that advice and gave birth to Samson via C-section on March 10, 2026, weighing 5lbs 3oz at 34 weeks.

Samson has undergone multiple surgeries and will need weekly check-ups for the rest of his life - to monitor his growth.

Despite this, Laura said that she is determined to get Samson walking, and said he is the "perfect little boy".

Laura, a stay-at-home mum from Sandwell, West Midlands, said: "Doctors told me that it would be best to abort him as he would have no quality of life.

"Nobody should be told to do that to their own child.

"The doctor advised that we terminate the pregnancy as he would be born brain damaged.

"I told them I’m not doing that. I could feel him kicking inside of me.”

Laura found out she was expecting her seventh child in August 2025.

She said that she "knew something was wrong" after realising that Samson wasn't moving.

"As a parent, you get these gut feelings," Laura said.

"I could feel where he was lying, and it seemed like he was staying in the same position.

"It was weird that he wasn't moving."

On October 10, 2025, at her 12-week scan at Russell's Hall Hospital, the sonographer noticed a lump on Samson's spine.

Laura said they moved the screen away from her so she couldn't see, and that is when she realised that something was wrong.

She told Talk to the Press: “When they were doing the scan, they quickly moved the screen away from me.

“I asked her to move it back, and they told me he had spinal bifida.”

Six weeks later, Laura had another scan at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, and doctors advised Laura to terminate the pregnancy.

Doctors also revealed that Samson had hydrocephalus - a medical condition where excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up deep within the fluid containing cavities of the brain, creating harmful pressure on surrounding brain tissue and Arnold-Chiari malformation II - where the lower part of the brain pushes down into the spinal canal.

Laura said: “I’ve been through it all. For someone to tell me I need to abort my son puts me in this mode where I feel I need to protect him.

“People shouldn’t be told to abort their babies; he’s still got his brain, he’s clever, he’s smart, he’s perfect.

“He’s going to need a lot of help, but we’ll deal with it.”

Later scans showed Samson was moving his legs.

However, at 27 weeks, Laura noticed a huge bleed and was in and out of hospital for five weeks, during which she was fitted with a magnesium drip.

Laura said she wasn’t worried: “Whilst he was in me, I was protecting him, and I’m going to protect him for the rest of his life.”

Samson was delivered through a C-section on March 10, 2026, around 10am, weighing 5 lbs 3 oz.

Laura was even able to hold him for five minutes before he was taken to the NICU.

She said: “Everyone was so loving and caring; I was even allowed to hold him.”

“My last child was born prematurely at 28 weeks, and I never got to hold him, so this was really important.”

Samson had to have his back wrapped - to protect the exposed nerves - and then spent 19 hours in an incubator; he was kept in hospital for three weeks.

During that time he had two operations, one to close his back and to install a shunt in his brain - before Laura was able to bring him home exactly three weeks later.

Laura said: "It was a relief to bring him home. He’s a perfect little boy.

"He is so alert and clever. He is the cheekiest boy I have ever met.

“When I walk into a room, his eyes light up; he makes everything just feel so much better."

Samson is on multiple medications for the rest of his life; he is catheterised four times a day.

Laura was also told that Samson will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, and was recently informed that Samson has scoliosis.

Doctors are also testing Samson for cerebral palsy, but she said she is determined to get him walking.

"Samson is going to face lifelong challenges,” Laura said.

“He has a snowflake condition; other babies can stand up when parents hold them, but Samson can’t do that.”

“One day I’ll get him walking. One million per cent, he will walk one day; we’ll do anything.”

Claire Macdiarmid, interim group director of maternity said: "We would like to congratulate Laura on the birth of her son, Samson, and wish them both well.

“We recognise that receiving an unexpected diagnosis during pregnancy can be an incredibly distressing and emotional experience for families, and it is important that they feel supported, listened to and treated with compassion throughout their care.

"When this is identified during pregnancy, families are provided with information about the diagnosis, likely outcomes and the range of options available to them, enabling them to make an informed decision about their care.

“Our priority is always to ensure that families receive compassionate, individualised care, with advice based on the clinical information available at the time and in accordance with national guidance.

"We encourage Laura to get in touch so we can understand her full experience of our service.”