Inconceivable : a medical mistake, the baby we couldn't keep, and our choice to deliver the ultimate gift

A medical mistake during an IVF procedure. An unthinkable situation . . . you’re pregnant with the wrong baby. You can terminate, but you can’t keep him. What choice would you make? Carolyn and Sean Savage had been trying to expand their family for years. When they underwent an IVF transfer in February 2009, they knew it would be their last chance. If they became pregnant, they would celebrate the baby as an answer to their prayers. If not, they would be grateful for the family they had and leave their fertility struggles behind forever. They never imagined a third option. The pregnancy test was positive, but the clinic had transferred the wrong embryos. Carolyn was pregnant with someone else’s baby. The Savages faced a series of heartbreaking decisions: terminate the pregnancy, sue for custody, or hand over the infant to his genetic parents upon delivery. Knowing that Carolyn was carrying another couple’s hope for a baby, the Savages wanted to do what they prayed the other family would do for them if the situation was reversed. Sean and Carolyn Savage decided to give the ultimate gift, the gift of life, to a family they didn’t know, no strings attached. Inconceivable provides an inside look at how modern medicine, which creates miracles daily, could allow such a tragic mistake, and the many legal ramifications that ensued with both the genetic family and the clinic. Chronicling their tumultuous pregnancy and its aftermath, which tested the Savage’s faith, their relationship to their church, and their marriage, Inconceivable is ultimately a testament to love. Carolyn and Sean loved this baby, making it impossible for them to imagine how they could give him life and then give him away. In the end, Inconceivable is a story of what it is to be a parent, someone who nurtures a life, protects a soul, only to release that child into the world long before you’re ready to let him go.

A medical mistake during an IVF procedure.An unthinkable situation . . . you’re pregnant withthe wrong baby. You can terminate, but you can’tkeep him. What choice would you make?

Carolyn and Sean Savage had been trying toexpand their family for years. When theyunderwent an IVF transfer in February 2009,they knew it would be their last chance.If they became pregnant, they would celebratethe baby as an answer to their prayers. If not,they would be grateful for the family they hadand leave their fertility struggles behind forever.

They never imagined a third option. Thepregnancy test was positive, but the clinic hadtransferred the wrong embryos. Carolyn waspregnant with someone else’s baby.

The Savages faced a series of heartbreakingdecisions: terminate the pregnancy, sue forcustody, or hand over the infant to his geneticparents upon delivery. Knowing that Carolynwas carrying another couple’s hope for a baby,the Savages wanted to do what they prayed theother family would do for them if the situationwas reversed. Sean and Carolyn Savage decidedto give the ultimate gift, the gift of life, to afamily they didn’t know, no strings attached.

Inconceivable provides an inside look at howmodern medicine, which creates miracles daily,could allow such a tragic mistake, and the manylegal ramifications that ensued with both thegenetic family and the clinic. Chronicling theirtumultuous pregnancy and its aftermath, whichtested the Savage’s faith, their relationship to theirchurch, and their marriage, Inconceivable isultimately a testament to love. Carolyn and Sean loved this baby, making it impossible forthem to imagine how they could give him lifeand then give him away.

In the end, Inconceivable is a story of what itis to be a parent, someone who nurtures a life,protects a soul, only to release that child into theworld long before you’re ready to let him go.

The in vitro fertilization mistake was simply stated: Carolyn Savage was pregnant with someone else's embryos. She and her husband Sean were forced to make a seemingly inconceivable choice: Either terminate the pregnancy, sue for custody, or deliver the baby--and relinquish it. The Savages decided to do what they would hope that another couple would do in a comparable situation. This is their story.--From publisher description "When Carolyn and Sean Savage learned in February 2009 that their fertility doctor had transferred the wrong embryos into Carolyn's body and she was now pregnant with another couple's child, they embarked on a journey unlike any other. Inconceivable is a riveting story of sacrifice, love, and the meaning of motherhood."--Back cover The new life in Carolyn's womb was supposed to be her miracle - a beloved baby conceived by in vitro fertilization after years of trying for a bigger family. But on the very day the clinic phoned to confirm her pregnancy, her husband broke the news: You're pregnant, but they transferred the wrong embryos.