09/03/2026
This month we celebrate 10 years with Wilson. 10 whole years. As most parents would probably agree it feels like forever ago and yesterday that we were preparing for Wilsonās arrival, all at the same time.
What feels a little different than I would suspect, from most parents, is the reflection on the uncertainty we felt during this time. Wilson had a pre-natal diagnosis of down syndrome. We knew pretty early on that he had a 96% change of being born with that extra chromosome, and while we opted out of an amnio for confirmation we did prepare ourselves in other ways. From anatomy scans to a fetal echocardiogram (due to the risks of heart complications in children with down syndrome) we had a good look at our little guy before he was born. And you know what they told us? Due to the size of his femurs he would be short and fat. He would likely never run, and there was a likelihood that he would have to have shunts in his brain limiting his ability to have physical activity. Well, jokes on them!
For the last month or so before he was born I was a regular at OBās office. I would go in before work for NSTās, BPPās, you name it. In fact, I was such a regular that I got to know our nurse very well, eventually becoming her Realtor as well.
There was concern about a declining placenta towards the end of a pregnancy in which trisomy 21 is suspected. Due to that and Wilsonās breech position we elected for a planned C-section at 37 weeks. Since everything was going well we chose to deliver with my regular doctor at our local hospital. And while our hospital has what they call a āspecial careā nursery, it did not have a high level NICU, though we had Special Care nurses with us in the OR and they were prepared for transport to the high level NICU if needed.
Yāall, the stress. I still canāt wrap my mind around how stressed we were about the unknowns. Would Wilson be healthy at birth? What would life look like for him as a newborn, as a 1 year old? We certainly couldnāt even think to 10 years old at that point.
But, guess what? The nurse who was prepping me for the OR shared with me that she had twins, adults, one of which has down syndrome. She shared with me how well she was doing and was of the first to congratulate us on becoming one of the ālucky fewā.
Wilson was delivered without complication and went to a regular room with me, though it wasnāt long before we realized he was having trouble regulating his body temperature. He ended up spending 2 weeks in the Special Care Nursery as he worked on improving his oxygen levels, feeding and maintaining his body temperate. It was like his little body just needed a few weeks to adjust to the outside world.
And adjust, he did! Just look at him now! 10 years. Wow. I almost still canāt wrap my mind around it.
People often ask us why we choose to share our story and Wilson on social media. It is for this reason. The uncertainty that we were feeling 10 years ago. The anxiety that kept us from being excited for the anticipated arrival of our baby because we were so scared of the unknows. If we can help eliminate that fear for just one family, then we have served our community well.
Thank you all for following along in our journey. Every time you like, comment, or share our posts it gives us one more chance of reaching a family who might just need to hear our story. Thank you for always celebrating our Wilson and for cheering us on in our journey. His birthday isnāt until the 15th, but you know we will be celebrating him and our growth together all month long!
