Parents of down syndrome kids, did you not take downsyndrome test during pregnancy? (independent, adults)

[formercalifornian]

Originally Posted by nebulous1

AFP's can be false positives, which is why they will do an ultrasound for size and dates. Dates mean everything.
I wouldn't ever consider abortion for abnormal AFPs, but that's just me.

Suspicious AFP results simply indicate the need for more invasive testing. No Obstetrician worth his salt would diagnose Trisomy 21 on a low AFP alone, because as you've noted, it could just indicate that the fetus is younger than at first thought. If suspicions of Down's remain after an ultrasound to verify dates, the patient would be referred for amniocentesis. A high AFP, a marker for neural tube defects, would be followed up with high-level ultrasound and possibly amniocentesis for definitive diagnosis.

[AnywhereElse]

The Down Syndrome Association of Cincinnati maintains a list of over 100 families that are waiting to adopt a child with Down syndrome. We adopted a 4 week old infant almost 23 years ago. I used to stand by his crib and cry because I couldn't understand why anyone would not want to parent such a beautiful baby. It hasn't been easy but parenting any child can be like that. I am pro-life and can't imagine how anyone can judge a child such as mine as not being worthy of life.

[clb_2020]

Originally Posted by thatgirlwow

I do not mean to sound mean but to everybody who says they would knowingly keep a D.S. child after the test confirms it, why set yourself up for a hard life when you can take the easy way out? Religious/Christian beliefs perhaps?

Actually unless you have had a D.S. child or been a sibling of a D.S. child you wouldn't be aware that it's not as you say a hard life. Its the most inspirational and rewarding life you will ever have.

I don't know any child who is easy so to speak. I take that back, actually D.S. are easier, they don't become snotty teens!!!

Besides what would you do if your child was born without a diability but later in life had an unfortunate accident? Would you walk away? Life is never predictable nor can you ever really have total control of your life. That's why they say Life isn't Easy.

[catfeathers]

Our son is 23 years old, and we had him before they offered all the testing. He was a surprise, but I really knew in my heart that something wasn't quite right during the pregnancy.
However, I have to say he is the BEST person I know - kind, polite, caring, funny, friendly, hard working, and extremely easy to be around. We feel blessed that we have him, and the experience of raising a child with Down's Syndrome was more rewarding than you can imagine.

[firefightermom]

Originally Posted by thebanker

I am pregnant & I underwent a downsyndrome test. It is a standard test in my country of residence.

i know most pple here are American so, if you have a D.S. (downsyndrome) baby/kid, did you not take the test at all?

Or were the test results negative & baby turned out to be DS anyways?

Or were u aware baby has chances of having DS & u decided to keep baby anyways?


Thanks for sharing.

From my experience, all pregnant women age 40 or over are offered amniocentesis(sp?) since there is a higher chance of birth defects for older mothers. I know 2 women who were told their babies tested postive for Down's, but guess what? Neither of their children has it.

I was nowhere near 40 when my children were born, but I would never have gone through the procedure because it can cause miscarriage. What is the saying, God never gives you more than you can handle? Plus, I think it was determined a long time ago that eugenics was not a good thing.

[Afishwithabike]

Originally Posted by thebanker

I am pregnant & I underwent a downsyndrome test. It is a standard test in my country of residence.

i know most pple here are American so, if you have a D.S. (downsyndrome) baby/kid, did you not take the test at all?

Or were the test results negative & baby turned out to be DS anyways?

Or were u aware baby has chances of having DS & u decided to keep baby anyways?


Thanks for sharing.

I have to say that the smiley icons you've attached to the end of your sentences in the post above are rude and offensive. You assume that having a child with DS is a bad thing and that knowing a child has DS and not aborting is a bad thing. If you didn't feel that way why would you use those particular smiley faces?

I don't have a child with DS. However, I do have a child with another set of special needs. It is something that can't be found on a test and it's something that wasn't obvious until much later. It's not a physical disability and isn't obvious to many however I can relate to the parents of children with DS.

There are no guarantees in this life. You could have a child who seems perfectly "normal" at birth and later develops a disability because of an injury, disease, or genes. That's the nature of life. There are no perfectly normal children.

I know a woman who had a grown son with DS. Having DS isn't a death sentence. There are many programs and therapies for children with DS so that they can function to the best of their abilities. Children with DS do go on to college. Maybe not all of them but some do. My friend's son has a wonderful life. He is quite independent, goes everywhere in his town by himself, he works full-time at a job where his other two co-workers are "normal".

We also have a family friend who sent their normal son to one of the most elite private schools in my state. The father is a doctor at one of the biggest hospitals here. The son dropped out of the university and now does small part-time jobs on the side. He also does drugs. At birth I'm sure we would have imagined vastly different futures for these two children because one was normal and one was atypical but it goes to show there are no guarantees.

[kek1993]

I think that having the test would be more important, if you felt like you did not want a child with a disability. If the test was postive, then, you have a choice, I don't think that choosing not to have a child with Down Syndrome is bad. But, that is my value. Obviously other people have different values.

[thepinksquid]

I don't have kids, but I do know that a relative of mine in my family died at a very young age from Tay-Sachs disease. Therefore, I may be a carrier. If I were to get pregnant, I would undergo testing to see if I the child I was carrying would be affected by the disease. Granted it would require my husband to be a carrier as well, as AFAIK no one in his family had had it.

If the child I'm carrying tests positive for TSD, I would abort. No doubt in my mind. IMHO, it's not fair for the child to have a short and painful life. Unlike Down's, TSD is not compatible with having a fairly normal life--most children affected die before age 5.

I don't know how I'd feel if I were to find out that my child would have Down's. Honestly, I've always thought to myself that I would terminate--but I know that I were to actually be in that situation, it would be complicated and difficult either way.

[Smooth23]

As a guy I would never conceive with a girl that wouldn't have a fetus tested and consider abortion for certain abnormalities(including down syndrome). I don't want a kid that wouldn't(or shouldn't) eventually carry on my bloodlines. Also, my parents had a kid that survived 11 days with trisomy 13, I'd never want to go through that..

[noyha]

We are told to take the test for both of boys. We are cautious with it. Both came up negative. Both are healthy with my youngest having some difficulty. Either case, I would have kids. They are precious gift. We are given these kids because of its love and compassion, and at times, they can teach us in their unique way.