It's a Girl!

Claire Audrey arrived by C-Section at 10:24 am on Weds Jan 13. She weighed 5 lbs 4 oz and was 17 3/4 inches long. She was about 3 weeks early and is still in the NICU. She is doing very, very well. She is currently in an ioslette as she has jaundice. In addition to the heart defect that we knew about, there is a second condition that the Drs are watching. There is a vessel in the heart that usually closes within a couple of days of birth. Claire's vessel is still open, so they started her on meds last night to hopefully close this without surgery. They will do another echo on her heart on Friday and hopefully the meds will have worked their magic. If not, there is a possibility that she may have to have surgery to close this.

As you know, there was a suspicion before birth that Claire might have Down syndrome. This was confirmed by a genetic screening. What this extra chromosome means to us is that there is more of her to love! She is already an absolute joy and we can't wait to get her home.

I will be moving any parenting/Down syndrome content to my personal blog. There may be some books that deal with Ds reviewed here, but my focus on this blog won't change much. I haven't had any time to read lately but hopefully will be back in the groove soon.

Review: Gifts by Kathryn Lynard Soper

Book Info:

Gifts: Mothers Reflect on How Children with Down Syndrome Enrich Their Lives by Kathryn Lynard Soper

Paperback: 326 pages

Publisher: Woodbine House (May 15, 2007)

ISBN-13: 9781890627850

Genre: Non-Fiction

Source: My Shelves

Rating: 4/5

Having a baby with Down syndrome is not something most parents would willingly choose. Yet many who travel this path discover rich, unexpected rewards along the way. In this candid and poignant collection of personal stories, sixty-three mothers describe the gifts of respect, strength, delight, perspective, and love, which their child with Down syndrome has brought into their lives.

One of the things I like best about reading reviews from other bloggers is that the reviews aren't written by nameless, faceless people. We all get to know other bloggers and little bits of their personalities come through in every review. While I think all reviews have a personal touch, this one hits closer to home for me.

Some of you may know that we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first baby at the end of the month. What you don't know, is that there is a very high likelihood that our baby will have Down syndrome. In an attempt to educate myself and my family as much as possible I have been reading everything I can get my hands one. Gifts was provided by a local DS organization.

Gifts is a collection of stories written by mothers of children with Down syndrome. The stories are short, anywhere from one to four pages, but they are all filled with hope, strength and love for their children. All of the thoughts, questions and concerns I have for my baby have all been experienced by these other women, and it is a comfort just to know that we are not alone in this journey.

Most of the stories are written by mothers whose children are about 4 years old or younger. I really wish there were more stories from parents of older children included, but other than that I have found this book to be comforting and would highly recommend it to other parents or families facing a diagnosis of Down syndrome. 4 stars