One expectant mom’s bond with her growing baby led her to make a life-changing decision.

Ria Tapodoc-West, a 44-year-old mom based in Dubai, tells PEOPLE she was in “complete denial” when she received the heartbreaking news from her doctor that they couldn’t find a heartbeat. At the time, based on when her last menstrual cycle was, her OB-GYN predicted that she was six to eight weeks into her pregnancy, which meant they should have detected the heartbeat.

“I felt panicked, sad, devastated, and I called my husband to come to the clinic immediately,” she tells PEOPLE, noting that she waited for her husband, Ian West, 44, to arrive with her sister, who consoled her as she cried. “When my husband came, we went back inside the OB-GYN’s office, and she explained some things to us.”

Tapodoc-West adds, “We decided to get a blood test on the same day to check my hCG levels right then and there and to get another one in a weeks time to see if it doubled as per the advice of the doctor.”

Since her doctor couldn’t detect a heartbeat, Tapodoc-West explains that they gave her two options: wait for a natural miscarriage or get a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure. Tapodoc-West tells PEOPLE that she and her husband decided to hold off on making any major decisions and continue with their original plans to get married in Seychelles.

When they landed in Seychelles, they decided to seek a second opinion and take a blood test. Three hours later, they received the results with the nurse telling them that her hCG levels didn’t increase and she didn’t have a viable pregnancy.

“I started crying. [My] husband was so sad,” she recalls. “You can say our wedding day was the worst day!”

Despite every test result, Tapodoc-West knew in her heart that her baby was going to make it. She tells PEOPLE that when she landed back in Dubai after the trip to Seychelles, it all became even clearer to her.

“I just knew my body was pregnant,” she says. “The fuel smells that I’ve been used to all these years for the first time made me [so] dizzy and nauseous that I vomited in the gray bag.”

Tapodoc-West, who served as a cabin crew member for 15 years, says she definitely “wasn’t giving up” after that moment. “The next day, I went for the third blood test and my hormones did not only double,” she tells PEOPLE. “[They] tripled!”

After her third doctor’s appointment revealed that her hCG levels increased, she tells PEOPLE her pregnancy was “good,” and didn’t have any more drama. She barely threw up and had minimal back pain, but overall, her baby was “very healthy.”

“The first time we heard her heartbeat, we both cried,” she recalls of the happy moment. “It was the best feeling in the world to be told no the first few times and then to listen to her heartbeat for the first time. It was unforgettable and the happiest day of my life.”

In a now-viral Instagram Reel, Tapodoc-West shared her experience using the popular TikTok trend, which shows people looking back after the aftermath of a life-altering decision. The clip began with her in the hospital being told that her baby didn’t have a heartbeat and ended with several clips of her daughter Harper, now 6.

“Thank God I went for a second opinion! My life would have been completely different now 😭🙏🏽,” she captioned the post. “Have you ever been told no and then deep in your guts it’s really something else? In my case, I already felt Harper’s bond that she is there even though she’s too small to even stay moving.”

Six years later, the proud mom says her daughter is the “most independent little miss you’ll ever meet.”

Looking back at her journey to welcome her baby girl, Tapodoc-West says she’s “grateful for not making decisions in haste.”

“I am grateful for my daughter,” she tells PEOPLE. “I could have lost her just by looking at the first and second results of my ultrasound and blood test. Now, I want to teach my daughter the power of resilience and to not give up until all possibilities have been explored.”

“Becoming a mother taught me that life doesn’t always have to perfect, and it can throw curveballs,” Tapodoc-West tells PEOPLE. “What is most important is the will to live, my will to fight and persevere in achieving my goals.”