Our Journey with Down Syndrome
Our daughter, Ana María, had been begging and praying every night for a baby sister. Daddy and I were trying, but it took us longer than we thought to get pregnant. When I was twenty weeks pregnant, we drove to what seemed like the happiest place on earth. We were headed to the lab to see the sweet baby on the screen, we couldn’t wait to see this precious one’s profile. We didn’t want to know the sex, it would be a surprise just like our first daughter. We sang songs and laughed so much. We were feeling ecstatic about this new addition to our family. We were told that our baby on the way had a heart defect called complete atrioventricular septal defect.
We were so scared, but brought to our knees in pain after we were told that this defect is corrected with Down syndrome. Sure enough after tests and a very negative doctor, it was confirmed. Not only would our baby have to have open heart surgery but she would have Down syndrome as well. He spoke of our baby on the way as if he had first hand experience. He said that our baby wouldn’t be able to dress herself, that she wouldn’t be able to feed herself and more than likely would end up in an institution, he said our best option was to terminate this pregnancy.
The months that followed were filled with horrible pain as I mourned the child I was carrying, as I pictured our lives literally ending and filled with so much sorrow. I had never known anyone with this diagnosis, so I only had what the doctor said as a basis. As the day approached my tears began to dry and our excitement of a brand new baby was coming back. We were still unsure of what our future would look like but we had hope and so much love for this precious one on the way.
Jordan Grace Completes Our Family
When Jordan Grace was born, she was placed on my chest and as she looked up at me I knew everything would be ok. We have been on this journey for four years now, and though it wasn’t what we expected, it’s honestly better than what we imagined. Our lives are full of joy, love and normalcy. Ana María adores her little sister and Jordan Grace tries to copy everything her big sister does. They were made for each other and we are so blessed they are ours. The doctor was completely wrong. She CAN dress herself, feed herself, she communicates very well, she’s smart and capable. We believe in her and in her potential, she will do amazing things in her life; we couldn’t be more proud of her. She’s worthy of love, respect and inclusion. And best of all she completes our little family.
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