Blog #Down Syndrome diagnosis

Maisie will be two years old in January. Her second year has been much easier than her first. I love tiny babies but Maisie was tiny for too long and I’ve already spoken about how challenging the first months of her life was as we prepared for her heart surgery. But one of the reasons life with her is more enjoyable is down to our acceptance of Maisie’s Down Syndrome diagnosis..to the point where it doesn’t matter any more. She makes us happy, it’s as simple as that. And we celebrate all her achievements of which there are many! She signs, she loves imaginary play and joining in with her siblings. She applauds herself when she stands, her way of saying “hey, look at me”! She loves to “read” her favourite books pointing to the animals or objects she is familiar with. I could go on… It is so rewarding to see the progress Maisie makes. Perhaps, the slower the pace means that we’re more fully engaged with her. And we see how capable she is, and so in writing this blog I am advocating for our daughter that there is nothing wrong with having a learning disability. It’s not what we see but how we see things and our attitudes towards people that are a bit different. Look beyond the disability and see a beautiful girl just being herself who just happens to have Down Syndrome💗

I wish I had known when I was pregnant with Maisie that everything would be ok. She looks so serene in this photo and she was exactly that as a newborn. But when you get a pre natal diagnosis of a heart defect along with news that your baby will likely have Down Syndrome, the future you had imagined suddenly feels very different. All any parent wants is a healthy baby so getting the diagnosis was a stressful and worrying time.