Down Syndrome Myths & Truths

we found this website as we were looking for more information about down syndrome. all of a sudden it became important to find out as much as we could about it. even our friends were looking up info on the web. it felt like people were supporting us by learning more about down syndrome themselves.

down syndrome myths and truths

what makes people sad about having a baby with down syndrome? that's the question that i thought about when i had her. why was i crying? was i really sad or just shocked? some people were sad for us and said sorry, but others said it was not the end of the world. the people that congratulated me were the ones that helped me accept maya. i wasn't a victim, i was a new mother after all.

i suppose our society lends itself to thinking that people with down syndrome are flawed in some way. i mean there has to be a reason why 90% of the women that find out they are having a baby with down syndrome terminate. did i feel like i was getting a bum deal by having her? and if so, how was it that i came to that conclusion? why do we put a negative label on a person with "special needs"? i mean maybe she will show us a different way of looking at what "success" is. it seems that is what i am learning the most about this experience. it's hard to explain but part of me thinks that i am more in the moment because of her. she shows me that it's the little things that make a life worth wild. like the first time i saw her sucking her thumb. i was so happy that she found her thumb and started to suck it that i grabbed my phone and took a picture of it. it's a really dark photo because it was in the night, but still it is beautiful to me.

more than anything i think that maya is an amazing baby. she is mostly no different than other babies...yes, she is on a slower learning curve but i see she already has a sweet personality. she has brought so many people together just by existing. it's only been 16weeks but so far i think she has shown me how wonderful life can be. i never knew that i had an empty spot missing in my heart until i had her. now she has filled it ten times over. i would never change who she is, extra chromosome and all.