“The pediatrician was super blunt. ‘No, you are mistaken. You’ve confused us with a different baby.’ Nobody noticed it on the million ultrasounds throughout the pregnancy. I watched my husband and 1-day-old baby taken away from me in an ambulance and all I could do was stare.”
‘You’re purposely starving your unborn child by not eating.’ My husband wasn’t allowed in the room for ultrasounds.’: Mom births baby with Down syndrome after hospital malpractice, ‘He is more loved because, not despite, his diagnosis’
‘We may never be ’empty-nesters.’ She may never live independently. But I’d be pretty darn happy taking nightly strolls, arm in arm, forever.’: Special needs mom shares sweet moment
“I was at a stop sign. Crossing the street in front of me was a couple in their 80s and their adult daughter, who had Down syndrome. They seemed to be out for an evening stroll and the daughter and mom were arm in arm. Everyone was smiling. It got me thinking.”
‘We don’t get to hear how our child’s day went. We worry parents haven’t taught their kids about differences before they enter the classroom doors.’: Special needs mom shares candid reality of school drop-off day
“This isn’t your typical kindergarten mom crying after the first day drop-off picture. The tears are different.”
‘I know it may not feel like it at first, but you were chosen to be a special needs parent for a reason.’: Mom to late son with Down syndrome urges ‘love them a little extra for me’
“Please don’t be scared. On the day you get to meet your beautiful babies, you will have more love than you’ve ever known what to do with.”
‘They commented, ‘Should have aborted,’ on my photo. He is living in a world where he’s so othered, people think he should not be breathing.’: Special needs mom responds to ableist bullies
“One day, I hope when the world sees my son, they see Anderson. One day, I hope they see his humanity.”
‘But it doesn’t run in our family!’ I’m too young for this. Is it really happening twice?’: Brother with Down syndrome helps parents accept son’s diagnosis, ‘We had so much hope because of him’
“The phone call came early afternoon. I should have known something was wrong. ‘Excuse me? I’m not even supposed to be at risk.’”
‘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.”
‘He grabbed the doctor by his white coat. ‘What did you say?!’ He looked unsettled.’: Mom births baby with Down syndrome, autism, ‘Bumpy roads can be fun too’
“My contractions started suddenly, like five-minutes apart. I froze and went into shock. I remember my nerves taking over and my body shaking uncontrollably. ‘This baby needs to come out NOW.’ My heart became so heavy, it felt like it sank, and we just held hands and cried together.”
‘I cried and said, ‘Thank you.’ As I restrained my wailing 5-year-old, she finally found the vein. We both left bleary-eyed and spent.’: Special needs mom says ‘these little traumas add up in our hearts’
“These little traumas are hard to communicate. They remain mostly unseen. But they don’t leave us. We wouldn’t change our kids for anything. We wouldn’t change how they have changed us. But, damn, sometimes we wish we could lighten their loads.”
‘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.”
