Freddie’s Story, by his mum, Liz
Two years ago, I wouldn’t have even been writing a post like this! A year ago today, I wrote my first post, when I told everybody that I was expecting a baby with Down syndrome. My screening tests came back as a 1 in 5 chance for 3 different chromosome disorders – T13 (Patau syndrome), T18 (Edwards syndrome) and T21 (Down syndrome).
After reading information about all three, I realised they were all very different disorders. I decided I needed to go for further testing to see which chromosome disorder my baby may have. I was absolutely terrified. I didn’t know what my life was going to be like. From my screening to my test results, it took seven weeks! It was a very hard seven weeks! I had also just lost a very close family member.
I was in a really tough part of my life, but I remember the day I got the results that Freddie that had T21! I remember sitting there, so relieved that my baby didn’t have the other two. And that he was going to be OK. But I was scared about not knowing what life was going to be like, so I got in contact with two wonderful charities – PADS and Nottingham Down Syndrome Support Group. These groups gave me so much information, when I was pregnant, and made me realise there was nothing to be scared of!
NDSSG put in contact with other parents that had children with Down syndrome, who were local to me, and they made me realise that everything was going to be fine. I hit the jackpot when I got Freddie, even though he decided that he was going to arrive eight weeks early!
He came six days before Christmas! And when he arrived and came home, it felt like I was going backwards and forwards to the hospital, numerous times a month, for different appointments for him. But things have settled down now .I have made so many friends through the Down syndrome community. We go to a baby and toddler group in Nottingham, where we meet up with Freddie’s wonderful friends, and we’ve just been on a big trip to White Post Farm, and have so much more coming up.
NDSSG even sent Santa Claus to my house, last Christmas, while I was in hospital, with presents for the other four children. I remember the kids ringing me up, after, to tell me that Santa had just been! All this wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for Freddie. He really is an amazing child he’s always smiling and always happy to see people and he is becoming a little mischievous Never in a million years did I think that having a child with Down syndrome would change my life so much for the better! I really wouldn’t change a thing!
