Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
My husband and I had been trying over 3 years to get pregnant, and had pretty much given up hope of it ever happening when lo and behold, it happened! I will never forget the utter joy I felt when the realization that I would be a mother, finally, dawned on me. I immediately started eating better, taking vitamins, etc...all the right things and none of the "wrong" ones.
My pregnancy was very straight forward, with some morning sickness and the usual swollen ankles and hands. My baby's due date was September 18, but on the morning of August 21, my water broke. 15 hours later, I gave birth to Elizabeth, my darling angel. She was 6lbs at birth, and absolutely gorgeous. There was no indication that there was any problem. Two days later, my GP (who had delivered her) told me that he suspected she might have Down Syndrome. I was devastated, and utterly confused. Why, how could he think that? She looked perfectly 'normal'. He explained that he was now hearing a heart murmur that wasn't present at the time of her birth, he had noticed a crease on her right hand that was often indicative of Down's, and that she was somewhat floppy in her musculature. I was numb, and couldn't bring myself to believe that it was true. The blood work was sent out, and sure enough, 3 days later, we were given the final verdict: Trisomy 21.
Although we had prepared ourselves for that possibility, hearing it as a definite was devastating. Still, she didn't seem as though she had it. Even the ICU nurses said that she didn't act like a baby with DS. After we brought her home, we received word from our pediatrician that she had Mosaic Down Syndrome. We had no idea how significant that would be to Elizabeth's future. Elizabeth had open heart surgery at three months of age to repair a large VSD (ventricular septal defect) and since her recovery has taken off in her development. She has reached her milestones on time and even early in some cases. There have been many times when people who don't know she has MDS have expressed tremendous surprise when they learn she has it.
Elizabeth is the love of my life. She is a sweet and happy baby, who is intensely curious about her surroundings. I have been extremely blessed to have the support of my family and my husband's family, all of whom are dedicated to helping us help her reach her full potential. I have no doubt that she will go far in life, and I will be there to encourage her all the way. I am fortunate to be a teacher, and plan to do a lot of home teaching with her. I am very excited about her future, for I feel that it will be wonderful. I feel blessed, also, for I truly feel that God chose me to be her mother out of every one in the world. And even if there was some magical way that those extra chromosomes could be taken away, I wouldn't do it, for she would no longer be who she is. And who she is is just perfect to me.
Although we had prepared ourselves for that possibility, hearing it as a definite was devastating. Still, she didn't seem as though she had it. Even the ICU nurses said that she didn't act like a baby with DS. After we brought her home, we received word from our pediatrician that she had Mosaic Down Syndrome. We had no idea how significant that would be to Elizabeth's future. Elizabeth had open heart surgery at three months of age to repair a large VSD (ventricular septal defect) and since her recovery has taken off in her development. She has reached her milestones on time and even early in some cases. There have been many times when people who don't know she has MDS have expressed tremendous surprise when they learn she has it.
Elizabeth is the love of my life. She is a sweet and happy baby, who is intensely curious about her surroundings. I have been extremely blessed to have the support of my family and my husband's family, all of whom are dedicated to helping us help her reach her full potential. I have no doubt that she will go far in life, and I will be there to encourage her all the way. I am fortunate to be a teacher, and plan to do a lot of home teaching with her. I am very excited about her future, for I feel that it will be wonderful. I feel blessed, also, for I truly feel that God chose me to be her mother out of every one in the world. And even if there was some magical way that those extra chromosomes could be taken away, I wouldn't do it, for she would no longer be who she is. And who she is is just perfect to me.
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