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My third child is DS. she is now 6 months and has been such a blessing in our lives and everyone around us. I wouldn't trade her for anything. No it is hard to think about the struggles she is going to go thru during life and you don't want your kids to have that. But always remember GOD has a plan. You may lose this baby and that would be part of gods plan. Alot of time we don't understand his intentions. We went thru alot of question, why god? Why us? But never did i consider abortion! When i look at her precious face i feel guilty that i had all those emotions when i found out about the DS. She has touched so many lives. She has been thru 2 surgeries. When we were at the hospital after birth, the next day she had surgery for the blockage in her stomache. He she did so good, you look around and some of the babies in the NICU and realize, gosh we are lucky. Some babies live in the hospital etc. GOD chose my family b/c he knew that we could care for his special child. And he is right! I'm so thankful for our little blessing. She is our hero! Good luck. I know you are going thru lots of emotions and that is natural, we are human.

Sorry to take so long in replying. Thanks to everyone for your advice! Turns out I am pregnant with twins, so the numbers are totally invalid. I should really wait for the full picture, but we all know it'shard not to worry.

Hi I am 21 wks. and 35 yrs. I had a level II u/s a few days ago. I had an abnormal triple screen for DS. This is going to be my last baby and I thought I would enjoy this time . NOT even close. I have been so stressed out. Well anyway I was given odds of 1:201 for the abnormal triple screen , then we had the level ll u/s they said kidneys were a little larger than normal not by much(no numbers given) but it was still a soft marker for downs my odds are now 1:90.I declined the amino. So we have an another appt. in a month .DR. said everything else looks fine and this problem is kind of normal in pregnancies mostly male fetues,and most of the time it can go away by the third trimester.So now what are we supose to think???? I guess we have to just wait .I was also wonddering if any one else had anything like this happen to them? Thanks

My daughter is 36 and pregnamt. She was just told today that her blood results show Trisomy18. She "does not" want to have the amnio done but is willing to have all of the other test done to determine if the baby is affected. Is the "amnio" the only test that could determine for sure if the baby is affected???

I'm so sorry for you and your daughter. The only tests that will diagnose Trisomy or Downs is Amnio or CVS. What was the risk they gave her based on the bloodwork? Did she have the ultrasound as well? I had an issue w/ T18 on my last pregnancy, but they were wrong and she is a perfect 19 month old girl now. I hope they are also wrong in your case. Colleen

i can understand what you ae going through. I had to make the decision between my life and my baby who is 19 weeks gestation. I am going to terminate pregnancy due to t18. I am very scared about this and broken hearted. i was having a little girl we named her Zoe and now my dreams are gone. If anyone has ever had to terminate around this time in pregnancey could you tell me about it. I am so sad and so scared.

helovedus- I'm so very sorry for your situation, it must be devastating. Did you have an Amnio?

Sylvie (& the others) You & your family are in my prayers. I cannot imagine being in your shoes. I haven't had any of my screenings yet and your story has touched me in a way you can't imagine. I will pray for you. Post again and let us know...I wouldn't make any decisions without an amnio as the others have intimated.

helovedus19, I am so sorry you are faced with the difficult decsion to terminate due to t13. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I do not know what it would be like to have to deal with having a baby who was diagnosed with t13 or any other dibilitating defect. I do know personally that loss in any form is devastating. Your decision is in my opinion the best thing if indeed it was 100% accurate diagnosis. I have lost a baby at 14 weeks and I have had two miscarriages and a missed miscarriage. My former missed one was at 14 weeks and I was completely devastated. I have also had an ectopic. I truly believe that our lo's have a set out plan and it is us as parents that have the brains and knowledge to make intelligent decisions that can and will affect us the rest of our lives. I would hate to have had to make this decision. But I know it is the right one for you. BTW my 22 month old daughter is called Zoe as well. Zoe means life in Greek she is my life and she was the only life I have been able to bare thus fare up until the present. I also just had a miscarriage again 2 weeks ago. I don't know if anything I said makes relevance but I wish you all the best. And may you find peace at this time. :)

First of all, I believe that this is your decision to make, and there are some factors to weigh. I was a Special Educator, and I have worked with about ten or twelve Down Syndrome learners of varying ages. Let me tell you, children with Down Syndrome do need a lot of intervention and many hours of individualized instruction in order to be functional in their daily lives. Every milestone is markedly delayed, even with the extra stimulation. However, if you enjoy a challege, and you enjoy seeing progress from a lot of hard work, then you may very well love your role as the parent of a child with Down Syndrome.

Also, your other children are older, so having a baby sibling with Down Syndrome will either be a great learning experience for them or it will make them feel "robbed" of your attention, since you will need to devote more time and attention to your special needs child than you would to a "normal" baby.

I just came across this website and can sense how scared and conflicted many are with the news they have been given, and rightfully so. No one ever wants to hear that their child is not "normal" I was there too. When we first learned our son, Reid, had Down syndrome I craved to see what other children and adults with DS looked like and I wanted to know...needed to know... that my life, his life, would be okay. He is 2 years old now and he is so much more than okay...he is hysterically funny with such a cute personality. He is pure joy... and he is SMART, spunky, and as my older son describes him, "the best little brother in the world!". I wanted to leave a note with our blog address in case anyone who comes across this website looking for help or clarity in their particular situation needed to see a family who is truly sooo happy they did not terminate. If you visit our blog you can also find my email, feel free to email me if you have any questions. Since this site won't allow me to publish URL's just google the words raising reid blogspot and you will find us. :)