Patriots rookie, wife announce heartbreaking loss of newborn baby Peter James

Patriots Rookie tight end Elie Rairdon and his wife revealed in a heartbreaking Instagram post about the death of their newborn son, Peter James, after he was diagnosed with a terminal birth defect at 20 weeks in the womb. The Rairdons decided to bring their baby into the world despite the diagnosis, so that they could spend time with him before he passed.

The couple announced their baby's death in a joint Instagram post, saying that their son, Peter James, was born on September 11 and died shortly after birth. Their son was diagnosed with anencephaly, which is a severe birth defect where the brain and skull do not form properly. There is currently no known cure for the defect. He was their first child.

“When Eli and I went in for our 20-week anatomy scan, excited to see our sweet baby boy, our hearts were forever changed. Our little one was diagnosed with anencephaly, a fatal condition in which he would not survive outside the womb," the post read.



"While we are absolutely devastated that we were unable to bring our baby boy home, I am grateful to have loved him deeply, kept him safe, and had been his home for the past 9 months before he was called back to Heaven.

"I have often found it easy to glorify the Lord when life is going well, but it is in our deepest trials that we are drawn closest to Him. We may never understand the why behind this journey, but one thing we know with certainty is that God promises to care for His children. I believe our little boy was lovingly knitted together in the womb by God, knowing how deeply he would be loved by our families, our friends, Eli, and me. Though his time with us was brief, his life still precious, his purpose still meaningful, and he will forever be a part of our story," they added in the post.

The couple added scriptures to the post, including one from James and one from 1 Peter. The scripture from James 1:2-4 read: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."