Down Syndrome Awareness: Minerva

I was 17 weeks pregnant with my rainbow baby, during a routine ultrasound that my doctor told me my baby had little to no amniotic fluid and I would lose my baby. I asked her to please refer me to a high-risk clinic, to which she replied “there is nothing more I can do for you, and there is always something wrong with those babies.” I was outraged at the fact that she completely gave up on my child because “there might be something wrong with her.”

My husband and I decided not to give up, and we drove almost two hours away for a second opinion, and we are glad we did! We immediately changed doctors. At our 20 week appointment, an NIPT test came back with a 74% chance of my baby having Down syndrome, and we knew then that we were having a girl. The first thing my doctor asked was if I would like to terminate my pregnancy, because I only had until week 23 to do so.

I told her I was not going to terminate, and that was that. She was very supportive and thanks to her and her amazing team, my daughter was born at 35 weeks. I had a c-section because the fluid levels dropped again, and she was breech. Now that I look back, I still struggle with what that first doctor told me, and it bothers me to think about how many other babies she gave up on, and how many other families had to deal with her negative words.

I wish medical professionals would change the way they deliver the news to new and expecting parents. Instead of the option of termination, they should educate and give them the options to connect with other parents, and the many amazing organizations there are for our little ones.

It was a scary few months for us. After being connected through Facebook and learning about all of these amazing communities, I got in touch with DSDN. I had pamphlets delivered to me, which I in turn took to my doctor’s office, and she loved it!!

My hope is that I can help as many people as I can, see the worth in our children! Yes, they are worthy of life! Having an extra chromosome shouldn’t be a reason to pressure parents into having an abortion, and it definitely does not mean they are not worthy of having a chance at life. I am so thankful I found all these amazing groups.

My daughter is now 20 months old, she is the light of our lives, and she was just featured on the Jumbotron in NY Times Square for NDSS. We are very lucky to have her! She fought from the beginning to be here. We will continue her fight, right beside her for inclusion, not only for her, but for everyone.

You can follow us on Instagram @Lucky_delilah.