Entertainment

Terra Gets Big Baby News on 'Little Women: LA'

by Allison Piwowarski

When the big news broke that Little Women: LA star Terra Jole was pregnant, every woman on the show was shocked. Terra and her boyfriend, Joe Gnoffo, weren't necessarily expecting the news, but they welcomed the idea that they would soon be parents. On Wednesday's episode of Little Women: LA , Terra and Joe attend their first OBGYN appointment, which leads to some worrying news regarding the pregnancy.

Throughout the episode, the expecting couple talked about the baby and the challenges he or she could face once born. Joe says that he hopes to have an average-sized child, to avoid surgeries that the child would potentially have to go through. Thinking back to when we learned about Punnett squares in high school, the baby has a 25 percent chance of being an average-sized person. The flip side of that number is the 25 percent chance that the baby could have a double dominant gene, something that worries Terra and Joe.

During their OBGYN appointment, Terra and Joe learned that there is a chance that the baby could carry two dominant genes for dwarfism, which could cause serious health issues. The couple was under the assumption that because they are of different types of dwarfism, the double dominant risk was not relevant, but the doctor they met with quickly negated that thought. If the baby is of the 25 percent square that is double dominant, as the doctor says, the baby could very well not survive.

There are two options Terra and Joe are given in this situation. After testing to find out if the baby is double dominant — which they can do at 17 weeks, Terra is only 12 weeks along as of present — Terra and Joe can decide to terminate the pregnancy or carry to full-term, where the baby could live for an hour, a day, or a year. Terra worries about the quality of life the baby will have with either decision, because in her mind, "she's damned if she does, damned if she doesn't."

With some time before the ability to test the baby, surely the show will follow Terra and Joe's journey toward parenthood. When Bustle spoke to Terra about her pregnancy just last week, she said she was due in March, which could imply that she plans to go full-term with her pregnancy. But no matter what Terra and Joe decide, they can count on the support of her friends on the show and Little Women: LA's fans to be there for them.

Images: Lifetime (2)