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Danielle Milian Reveals She Blamed Herself for Son’s Omphalocele

Danielle Milian
Christina Milian's pregnant sister Danielle "couldn't imagine" terminating her pregnancy, even though her son will be born with omphalocele, a life-threatening birth defect; read her exclusive Us Weekly interview.

Danielle Milian is staying strong. Opening up in the new issue of Us Weekly exclusively about her difficult pregnancy and her unborn son's omphalocele diagnosis, Christian Milian's sister is choosing to remain positive despite her devastating reality.

Related: PHOTOS: 2015's celebrity babies

From the time she found out about her unborn baby boy's life-threatening birth defect (his stomach, liver, spleen, and gallbladder are exposed) in March, Milian has pushed forward as best she could. Admitting to Us that she was embarrassed for taking her baby’s health for granted, the pregnant star of Christina Milian Turned Up dove headfirst into talking to doctors and researching her son's condition.

"I had never heard of [omphalocele],' Milian said. "You start taking personal blame, trying to figure out what you could have done to bring this upon yourself and to your baby. It took a lot of research and quite a few doctors reminding me that there is absolutely nothing you could have done."

The reality personality revealed that she keeps the baby's ultrasound on her refrigerator, though her son's defects are visible in the image. "It's a pretty large defect," she admitted, adding that it is hard to look at the ultrasound. "But I focus more on the photos of his face and you see this beautiful baby and you can't understand how anybody has given you a choice to do anything but give him a chance."

Milan is confident her son will pull through. After all, the Milian family has experienced omphalocele before, with Milian's niece, now 15 and healthy.

 

Related: PHOTOS: Famous families

Christina, Danielle's older sister, has been a welcome resource during Danielle's pregnancy. "My sister and I have definitely connected since we are both mothers and I think that as moms, she knows that you want nothing more than the best for your children," Danielle said. "[Christina] is a very strong believer that this is all going to work out, and with enough prayer, everything is going to be fine."

Related: PHOTOS: Celeb moms' words of wisdom

In addition to finding strength in her family, the mom-to-be has been encouraged by those parents who faced the devastating diagnosis before her. Leading up to her baby's birth, Milian is attending support groups with other pregnant women and patients who have overcome the birth defect.

"These support groups have been really important for me," said Milan, who is due in September but will likely deliver in August. "They have opened up my eyes [to realize] there is survival and that these children can thrive. I recently met a woman who's in her fifties who has survived this and doing well. That lets me know I've made the right decision."

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