One South Carolina-based mom is “grateful” her preemie son is defying the odds stacked against him at birth.

Ally Abbott, a 21-year-old new mom, tells PEOPLE she had an “overwhelming feeling of anxiety” during the early months of her pregnancy. Since it was her first pregnancy, she was constantly checking to make sure her baby was okay and tried to do everything “the right way” during the first trimester.

However, during her 20-week anatomy scan, she received shocking news that made her world feel like it was “literally crashing down.” Doctors informed her that her baby boy had bilateral renal agenesis, a rare condition where a baby’s kidneys don’t develop.

“I just couldn’t believe that this was happening to us,” she explains. “I questioned a lot of things, like ‘Why me? Why my baby? How could this happen to us?’ I never did come to understand how this was going to be part of our story. For this diagnosis to be so rare, why would this happen to me?”

“How was I supposed to go home and plan a funeral for somebody I haven’t even met yet? None of this seemed real to me,” Abbott adds. “My whole reality had shifted at this point. I quit work, I stopped eating, and literally stayed on the couch for weeks without doing anything. I had even made him a ‘memorial’ table because that’s what the doctors told me to do.

“They told me to grieve my unborn baby and enjoy the time I had left in my pregnancy before it was all taken away.”

Ally Abbott; baby River.Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital
Despite doctors telling her that her baby-to-be wouldn’t make it, Abbott says she held onto a little faith because of his strong heartbeat, kicks and growth over time.

“This is what made me keep fighting for him. I couldn’t give up on him, when he hadn’t given up on me,” she tells PEOPLE. “I believed my baby deserved a chance, just like every other baby, regardless of his diagnosis. I knew in my heart I had to do what is right, and do everything possible for him, regardless of what the outcome could be.”

“Either I could do nothing, and he would’ve passed away, or I could give him a chance, and whatever happens will happen. At least then, I could rest peacefully knowing I did everything I could do for him.”

Abbott began to research everything she could about her son’s diagnosis. Eventually, she found a small program in Nebraska, over 1,300 miles away from home, that gave her hope that her son would have a fighting chance.

At 24 weeks gestation, she began flying to Nebraska weekly to receive amniotic fluid infusions to replace what her son couldn’t produce himself without kidneys. The constant traveling for a 20- minute appointment, where her doctor would stick a 20-inch needle into her uterus to give her baby-to-be more fluid and time, was definitely taking a physical, emotional and mental toll on her body. However, Abbott tells PEOPLE she was “happy during the process,” praising Dr. Michael Barsoom for making it all “very easy” for her.

“The best part was I could see my baby getting the fluid. I could see him drinking it. I could finally see him breathing,” she explains. “After each infusion, we got a quick sneak peek of my baby. It was so refreshing finally getting to see my baby with fluid and knowing he had a little bit of extra space in there.”

Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now!

Related Stories
2 Single Moms Decide to Move in Together and Raise Their Kids. Now, They Hope To Encourage Others to Embrace Community (Exclusive)

Woman Captures Husband’s Cute Interaction with Their Son. Then, She Leaves Him Speechless by Revealing Shocking News (Exclusive)

The weekly infusions granted her son a few more weeks to grow and develop in the womb. But, in the early hours of Thanksgiving Day, baby River entered the world, weighing just 3.1 lbs. It was an experience that Abbott could only describe as “very traumatic.”

“The hospital I delivered River at had already came to [the] conclusion that he was going to die. They did not take me seriously,” Abbott explains. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have any epidural, and I delivered River breech-vaginally. This was the worst pain ever, and no mother should have to go through that.”

As soon as baby River entered the world, things in the delivery room sped up. Since he wasn’t breathing, Abbott says a team of doctors and nurses immediately started working on him. She recalls being so “in shock” at that moment that she didn’t know what to do or think.

“When they took me back to my room, I just knew that was it,” she continues, adding that the care team told her to call anybody she wanted baby River to meet and get them to the hospital as soon as possible just in case the worst-case scenario happened. “[When] I finally got to see him, it was the most heartbreaking feeling ever. My tiny 3 lb. baby fighting for his life.”

“I remember thinking that this wasn’t fair. We both deserved better than what we got. I just kept crying, thinking he was going to die. He was not in a good condition at all,” Abbott recalls of the scary moment. “When I touched his feet, I thought that was going to be the last time I ever got to touch the tiny feet my body created and fought hard for.”

Ally Abbott, her newborn son and her care team.Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital
Shortly after birth, baby River was airlifted to Levine Children’s Hospital in North Carolina. Abbott says the doctors and nurses at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were the only hospital in the area willing to try to help her and her son. There, she watched her tiny baby fight for his life in the NICU over several months. Abbott says it was one of the “most heartbreaking” moments of her life.

“I have been through a lot, but nothing has ever compared to the NICU life. That is a battle within itself,” she says. “Every single day, I prayed for just another stable day, another small win. It was the most heartbreaking, but yet, most rewarding experience in my life.”

“It made me happy knowing I was his mama and he was fighting for me just like I fought for him. There were days I didn’t know if River would make it. There were nights I was scared to leave because I was terrified I was going to get the call something happened,” continues Abbott. “Thankfully, River had the best nurses and doctors ever. His nurses specifically fought for him just as much as I did. They loved him like their own.”

Ally Abbott and her son River.Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
After a grueling 195 days in the NICU, Abbott was finally given the green light to bring River home. She tells PEOPLE that when she finally stepped into her home with her baby boy for the first time, it “did not feel real.”

“I just kept thinking about how multiple doctors told me my baby would not survive at all, and now he was home with me,” she says. “I knew my baby was nothing short of a miracle. I felt so lucky and blessed that we have made it this far. It still feels unreal when I sit down and think about everything we both have been through.”

Now, at 9 months, she says River is doing great, describing him as “the happiest baby I have ever met.”

“He is gaining weight. He is finally eating purées, and he enjoys spending time with all his family,” Abbott shares. “The next step for his journey is for him to have a bladder reconstruction surgery. Since he was born with no bladder, he will need this before he can get a transplant, so we’re patiently waiting to get the okay to start figuring out where and when this surgery will happen.”

As for now, Abbott says she is enjoying all the little moments she once thought were impossible.

“I am soaking in every moment with him and not taking anything for granted,” she shares, adding she is ultimately just grateful that her baby boy is here and thriving despite all he’s been through.

“It makes me happy that my baby is defying the odds. He is beating the statistics and proving people wrong every single day. I am excited that he gets to live the most normal life as possible for him. He deserved that chance, now look at us!”