A mother has shared how a routine pregnancy scan led to an unexpected diagnosis that would change the course of her pregnancy.

Paige Adams, a mother of three, told Newsweek that her pregnancy with 7-month-old daughter Holland had been largely uneventful until a routine 21-week anatomy scan.

"Since it was my third pregnancy, I wasn’t worried about the anatomy scan at all," Paige said.

"I had morning sickness until about 15 weeks and was super tired and hungry despite having morning sickness."

The Scan

That sense of calm, however, shifted during the scan. After taking the usual measurements and images, the sonographer left the room to consult a doctor.

When the doctor returned, Paige and her husband Jaxon, 24, were told their baby appeared to be missing an arm.

"They thought it was her right arm at first, but then they scanned it again and determined it was the left arm," Paige said.

The diagnosis came as a shock. "I remember crying and asking if everything else looked OK," Paige said.

"We're just an average family, so it was hard to process that something like this could happen."

Searching for Answers

In the weeks that followed, Adams attended a series of appointments to learn more about her daughter's condition.

Doctors later told the family the most likely explanation was a blood clot that affected the arm during early fetal development.

Paige said there was no known genetic cause and no family history of limb differences.

Meeting Holland

Despite the uncertainty, Paige added that the diagnosis made her even more eager to meet her daughter.

When baby Holland was born, that moment brought both relief and joy.

"We were so happy and so relieved that she was finally here safe in our arms," Paige said.

"They couldn’t get very clear ultrasounds of her short arm, so it was a fun surprise to see what that looked like!"

She shared Holland's ultrasound pictures in a post on TikTok (@paigeadams.ut).

In the comments, users called her daughter "perfect" and "beautiful."

Challenges and Progress

As Holland grows, her limb difference presents some unique challenges.

"A big hurdle for her right now is crawling," Paige said.

"She wants to crawl and will tuck her legs underneath her body but doesn’t quite know what to do with the top of her body."

At 7 months old, Holland is thriving, according to her mother.

The family, which also includes Brea, 5, and Graham, 3, is now preparing to take the youngest child on her first trip to Disneyland.

Paige said her daughter is meeting her developmental milestones and growing into a "happy baby" who is "smiling all the time."