Ohio Mother Shares Journey of Grief and Healing Through Twin Ultrasound

DeAnna Boughman, a mother in Ohio, has shared the poignant reason she kept an ultrasound image of her twins on her refrigerator for over three years after losing one of the babies. At 35, DeAnna is raising four children with her husband, Jeremy, 43. Their children are aged 22, 7, 5, and 3.

The family faced heartbreak when their daughter, Arabella, passed away. DeAnna recalled how she first learned she was expecting twins during a time she hadn’t anticipated pregnancy. Both families have a history of twins, making the news seem like a dream turned reality. The ultrasound became a cherished emblem of hope and happiness. However, after the tragic loss of Arabella, the image gained a somber relevance.

DeAnna told Newsweek, “They run on both sides of our family, and when I became pregnant during a time I never expected I could, discovering we were expecting twins felt like an answered prayer.” She added, “I couldn’t bear to take it down. Every time I walked into my kitchen and saw those two tiny babies together, I was reminded that God had been faithful before my world fell apart.”

She explained that viewing the ultrasound was a way to remember God’s faithfulness during challenging times. For DeAnna, leaving the sonogram in place was not about rushing grief or forgetting Arabella. Removing it signified her evolving understanding and management of her grief.

The moment DeAnna decided to remove the ultrasound was shared in a touching Instagram reel (@deanna.boughman), which went viral with over 360,000 views. While the ultrasound is no longer on the fridge, DeAnna keeps it stored safely, as it remains “incredibly precious.”

She expressed a wish that her experience brings comfort to others facing similar losses. “I’ve learned that grief isn’t something we overcome by loving less. We grieve deeply because we love deeply, and that love doesn’t disappear when the person we love dies,” she said. She emphasized that healing does not follow a strict timetable and that each person deals with grief in their own way.

DeAnna concluded, “If leaving the ultrasound on my refrigerator for three and a half years reminds even one grieving person that God is faithful in the valley and that they don’t have to force healing, then sharing our story will have been worth it.”