“She stared into my eyes as I stroked her hair, telling her she was beautiful. It was over 8 months until we saw our baby girl again. 8 excruciating months, separated by a pandemic, on opposite sides of the world. It was GUT-WRENCHING.”
‘The moment she was in my arms, I whispered, ‘I’m your mommy.’ We were CALLED to this. She’s the star of our story.’: Family adopts baby with Down syndrome, ‘Worth isn’t defined by chromosomes’
‘Are you going to keep her?’ We never thought it would happen to us. I prayed for her to be ‘normal.’: Mom details Down syndrome acceptance journey, ‘She’s changed our lives’
“We were angry. We were scared. We tried to talk ourselves into believing the test was wrong. ‘Why did you choose me to be her mother?’ I felt so inadequate to raise a child with special needs.”
‘When she opened her eyes, I knew something wasn’t normal. ‘She doesn’t look like I thought she would.’ The room got quiet.’: Mom gives birth to baby with Down syndrome, ‘She’s a DREAM’
“The doctor stitching me up stopped and very calmly said, ‘She might have some markers for Down syndrome.’ The nurse panicked. In my mind, I kept saying, ‘It’s okay. It’s okay.’”
‘Our family’s complete.’ Adding another child seemed impossible. Thanks to Jude, my heart changed.’: Mom both births and adopts sons with Down syndrome, ‘They were meant to be brothers’
“I remember telling Michael with 100% conviction, ‘Our family is complete, and I can no longer consider adopting.’ I did not know how I could cope with a child with DS, and the idea of adding another child seemed impossible. Then, I saw his picture.”
‘I’m sorry your child has Down syndrome.’ Sorry is the last thing we feel. It’s impossible to imagine life without her.’: Teenager with Down syndrome becomes dancer, model, ‘She’s the best of us’
“The nurse brought her to me. Tears streamed down my face. ‘This is a happy moment. You are going to love this baby!’ Truer words were never spoken. I can’t thank him enough for saying that.”
‘There’s a 92% chance.’ I had NO IDEA if we could handle it. But when we saw his almond-shaped eyes, our hearts were stolen.’: Mom births son with Down syndrome, ‘We are truly blessed’
“I had this perfect idea of what our lives would look like. I’ll never forget that phone call. ‘Your testing came back positive for Down Syndrome.’ I felt scared, but I also felt PEACE.”
‘She’ll never be able to do it.’ Doctors didn’t expect much. The win wasn’t just for me. It was for an entire community.’: Woman with Down syndrome becomes ‘Woman of Worth’
“Parents often look at me and say, ‘You’re a role model.’ I know their children will grow up not to be like me, but to be exactly who they are, living their own beautiful purpose.”
‘Who is this stranger they placed on me? This is absolutely NOT my son.’ I couldn’t look at my husband.’: Mom to son with Down syndrome says ‘I have been so beautifully humbled’
“A scrumptious little boy was placed on my chest. I felt heart-stopping panic. ’This canNOT be my baby.’ I had prayed specifically against this. I thought things a mother should NEVER think.”
‘I ruined my life and my family’s life. I messed with our perfect life. I took a risk, and I lost.’: Mom accepts Down Syndrome diagnosis, ‘I’m so glad I had her’
“Shock took my breath away and the words right out of my mouth. I believed I had only months left until life as we knew it would be tragically veered off course, to a new life of health issues and missed opportunities. I ruined my life.”
‘Oh no!’ I cried. I thought this only happened in movies. The doctor said, ‘I’m so sorry.’: Mom describes having Down syndrome baby, ‘I would choose him again and again’
“I felt like I was holding my breath for the remaining 27 weeks. Was I going to be able to love him as much as I love Lucas? I thought the Down syndrome label would consume this little being, that he would be more Down syndrome’s son than mine.”
