Miracle for baby born without half his skull

'We were going in for one of the happiest times of our lives and come out walking like we just heard the worst news we could've ever heard.'

Ben and Alyssa Reidhead were overjoyed to hear they were pregnant - until the doctors told them to prepare a funeral for the little life that wouldn't make it out of the womb.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - During the couple's 20-week ultrasound, their son was diagnosed with encephalocele, a rare condition in which the skull's bones fail to close entirely, leaving room for the brain to develop outside the skull.

"We were going in for one of the happiest times of our lives and come out walking like we just heard the worst news we could've ever heard," Ben told CNN affiliate KSTU.

"They just kept saying, 'Oh, he'll be born but he'll only live for a couple minutes. Or if you go through labor, he'll probably pass away during labor,'" Alyssa explained.

Despite getting second, third, and more opinions, the Reidheads received the same diagnosis.

Without knowing God's plan, they realized the truth of their son's situation and steeled their hearts to make the proper preparations.

Rather than throwing Alyssa a baby shower and excitedly sharing ultrasound images, the heartbroken couple prepared for their son's birth by choosing a casket and burial plot.

On what should have been the happiest day of the couples' life, they dreaded the trip to the hospital and prepared for Alyssa's C-section.

"I cried when we got to the hospital explaining to Ben how it shouldn't be this way," Alyssa wrote on her blog. "Why couldn't my sweet William be a normal baby?"

Following the C-section, little William let out a cry that stopped his parents' hearts.

By the grace of God, the little 6-pound-12 ounce boy was breathing on his own.

"The feeling of relief that came over me in that moment was one of the best feelings I ever felt," Alyssa wrote.

William was re-diagnosed with cutis aplasia - the absence of certain layers of skin - as the back of his skull is missing but his brain is protected by a thin membrane.

He was immediately moved to the infant ICU, where he was laid on his stomach and his head was bandaged.

Alyssa admitted she doesn't know what William's life will be like, but his brain's development indicates he will be special needs and is "a high risk for seizures."

Despite concerns for his future, the happy couple has decided to focus on the now.

"Today we were supposed to mourn the death of our child," Alyssa wrote. "But instead we spent four glorious hours with him, holding him, playing with him, reading to him, and loving him.

"...He is an active little guy that just loves to move around. He loves his binky and sucking on his hand, he has a tight grip and a sweet little face."

As described by Mindy Clark Reidhead, Ben and Alyssa "have a REALLY long road ahead of them" as they are both still in college.

"They had thought this would be a quick birth and death...but Will is defying all the odds!" Mindy explained on a GoFundMe account for Ben and Alyssa.

"Because they didn't plan on him surviving, there were no baby showers, or anything planned or purchased."

Mindy created the account  in hopes that people would come together to donate a total of $10,000 to help pay for basic baby items such as clothing, a car seat, diapers, wipes and medical expenses. As of May 25, over $12,000 has been donated.

The last update to the GoFundMe account states: "The spirit is so strong around [William]. It is so obvious that the spirit is strong in the NICU and there is [sic] special angels taking care of those sweet babies. Thank you everyone so much for your continuous prayers!"

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