“He had tubes all over his body and when they put him on my chest, I barely felt the weight of him. I was faced with a baby labeled ‘Failure to Thrive.’ He looked strange to me. He was unlike any other baby I had ever seen.”
‘Why isn’t he growing right? I’d never seen a baby so small. They painted a bleak and miserable life for my son.’: Woman births baby with Prader Willi Syndrome, ‘I refuse to let it define him’
‘You need to decide if you want to go through with it.’ To her, I was carrying a diagnosis, not a baby.’: Mom to son with Spina Bifida says ‘a life with a disability doesn’t mean a lifetime of sadness’
“I stared at the doctor with tears rolling down my face. ‘Go through with what? My child I have dreamed about since I was a little girl?’ She was asking me if I wanted to end my pregnancy because my son had a birth defect that was not life-threatening.”
‘My husband took the diagnosis as an insult. ’What is your problem?’ He began to cry, ‘I just don’t want anyone to hurt him.’: Parents to son with autism say ‘he is meant to be exactly who he is’
“I didn’t want to face it. It was scary and unknown. My husband had an even more difficult time. He stood fast, insisting Beckham just needed time. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.”
‘It’s twins.’ They needed to perform surgery on my placenta. I saw a little 3D hand on the screen and it broke me.’: Woman births sons with TTTS, ‘My boys are my miracles’
“I felt sick, dreading whatever news the next scan might bring. One of our babies had a major brain bleed. I burst into terrified tears. Although I was pregnant with twins, I might not end up with any babies at all.“
‘That’s so sad.’ But we are NOT sad. I just wanted to squeeze him so hard and run right out of there.’: Autism mom says ‘His diagnosis is actually his superpower’
“My mind was racing with what to do next. I don’t know why it was so hard for me to make the appointment. I carried him in with his favorite blanket in hopes it will make everything better. He was actually diagnosed with a superpower.”
‘OF COURSE the doctor knows more than me.’ An alarm went off in my head. We didn’t want to hand her over.’: Mom advocates for baby with Down syndrome, ‘She taught me to use my voice’
“Our baby’s heels were full of cuts from blood draws. We were battling low blood sugar, jaundice, and feeding issues. We spent that week walking around like zombies. She had no idea what was coming, but we did.”
‘What if I can’t do this?’ I would wake up in the night, wracked with sobs. I leaped into the unknown.’: Mom says daughter with Down syndrome is ‘my greatest, most compassionate teacher’
“Her voice was full of pity. ‘One in nine.’ The electricity of paralyzing grief that overcame my body on that day is something I still have difficulty putting into words. But as I cradled her tiny body close for the first time, I felt a wave of peace.”
‘Is it normal to be nervous?’ I knew he wasn’t going to do a damn thing. It was not an attack on my parenting.’: Autism mom reminds special needs parents, ‘Your kid isn’t broken’
“I was convinced there wasn’t anything ‘wrong’ with my son. I would have been called a ‘refrigerator Mom,’ meaning I was cold-hearted and had ‘thawed out’ long enough to reproduce, then not showing my child love, resulting in a diagnosis.”
‘They don’t live long lives.’ She had a seizure and quit breathing. Nobody could give me an explanation.’: Woman births baby with Holoprosencepaly, ‘This journey is not for the faint of heart’
“One day, she stopped eating and cried most of the morning. I thought they would send me home with Tylenol. The doctor came in and said, ‘Pack a bag and go to the hospital.’ I had to go full steam ahead.”
‘He’s totally fine.’ I knew something was up. I deleted photos of him. It’s seen as a ‘curse from God.’: Baby diagnosed with Down syndrome months after birth, ‘He is so loved’
“‘There’s nothing to worry about.’ I remember looking for clues. Nobody else did. Not the midwife, not our health visitor, not the doctors. Nobody. I didn’t want it to be true.”
