One Week Later...

It's official the phone call I've been dreading.... The amnio test results are in.... We will be caring for a sweet little boy with special needs, the phone call I will NEVER forget....

Renee, this is Ryan your Genetic Specialist from Riverside. The amnio tests results are back and just like we had thought, your son has Trisomy 21.... Down syndrome..........................................................

It's been a week since we found out about everything going on with Ethan. We have come to a point of acceptance. I am very pleased we found this out prior to delivery. We have time to prepare our selves and meet all the physicians and specialities that will help to bring Ethan into this world as healthy as possible.

Down Syndrome (DS) is also known as Trisomy 21. A typical person has 46 chromosomes, 23 pairs. One set comes from Mom, one set from Dad. A person with DS has an extra chromosome making 47 chromosomes. There are 3 copies of the 21st chromosome instead of the typical 2 copies. I like to think of the extra copy as a gift from God. There is no explanation as why this has happen, nothing we have done. Statistically I had a 1:850-1000 chance of conceiving a baby with DS. So truly I believe Ethan is a gift from God.

We will be preparred to care for this baby just as we did with Eli. I understand there will be many more chanllenges, but raising a typlical child there are challenges. Our goal is to raise both of our boys to their fullest potential and live a happy life.

Here are a couple websites that I have found helpful for additional information.

http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/d/down/

http://downsyndromepregnancy.org/