October Down Syndrome Awareness Facts Day #8

I have heard from so many moms that they had guilt when they first learned of their child’s Down Syndrome diagnosis. Many have shared with me that they feared that something they did caused the Trisomy 21. I have heard fears from mothers who said they didn’t take their pre-natal vitamins enough, fears that they were exposed to illness while pregnant, fears that they had a glass of wine before they knew they were pregnant, so many unfounded fears.

The bottom line is, even if you wanted to, you couldn’t cause that extra piece of genetic material to show up on your own. The genetic anomaly of a Trisomy is something that just happens, like a blip in the system.

I did not have this exact guilt with Cedar as I knew full well that a Trisomy disorder was something genetic. Having already had 5 other typical children, I also knew that it wasn’t something I was a “carrier” of but that it was most likely due to my advanced maternal age (I really hate that label by the way). I did have the guilt of thinking that I was selfish in choosing another baby at my age because I would now be causing undue strain on our family as we welcomed a child with a disability. I have found the opposite to be true. My children are closer, my family is closer, and I have gained an entirely new family of individuals that I would never have connected with otherwise.