Accepting the Down Syndrome Diagnosis
When Treg was still in utero and we received the news he would have Trisomy 21, (most commonly known as Down syndrome) it was a shock to say the least. I was only 23, and believed the misconception that this only happens to women with "advanced maternal age." I wasn't ready to be labeled as the mother of a special needs child. I feared the looks we would get. I had a preconceived notion of what a life with a Down syndrome baby looked like. That life seemed sad, and lonely.
Down syndrome was in every thought, taking all my happiness. Then, Treg was born, and everything changed. I met the purest love of my life. When I held him in my arms for the first time, I fell in love.
The Extra Chromosome Down Syndrome Brings Into Life
My motherly instinct took over. It wasn't weird or awkward. My life didn't instantly become miserable, sad, or lonely because I had a baby with Down syndrome, quite the opposite in fact. Most days I don't even think about Treg having Down syndrome. He is JUST my baby, I don't see a diagnosis.
Now that Treg is here, I know what a family with a child with Down syndrome actually looks like. That extra chromosome brings extra magic to our lives. Extra smiles. Extra laughs. Where it used to think it would take away, it brings me extra happiness.
