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31 for 21 blog challenge day 23

• A few of the common physical traits of Down syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm. Every person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees or not at all.

• People with Down syndrome attend school, work, participate in decisions that affect them, and contribute to society in many wonderful ways.

• All people with Down syndrome experience cognitive delays, but the effect is usually mild to moderate and is not indicative of the many strengths and talents that each individual possesses.

• Quality educational programs, a stimulating home environment, good health care, and positive support from family, friends and the community enable people with Down syndrome to develop their full potential and lead fulfilling lives.

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31 for 21 blog challenge day 14

• Down syndrome is one of the leading clinical causes of cognitive delay in the world – it is not related to race, nationality, religion or socio-economic status.
 
 
• The incidence of Down syndrome in the United States is estimated to be 1 in every 700 live births.

• Of all children born in this country annually, approximately 5,000 will have Down syndrome.

• There are approximately 1/4 million families in the United States affected by Down syndrome.

• 80-95% of pregnancies with a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome are terminated (a meta-analysis concludes that 92% worldwide are terminated).

This last statistic blows me away.  It makes me sad.  Having a child with Down syndrome (or special needs for that matter) is not the end of the world.  If people weren't so selfish or prideful, had confidence or faith, weren't ignorant but were willing to learn, love, and expand their horizons, they would see that having a child with Down syndrome opens up a whole new world that they would have not have otherwise been capable of understanding.  It brings out emotions that you didn't even know you had.  It makes you appreciate and love life more fully.  It makes you understand that people with Down syndrome (and any child with special needs) are just people too.  Their handicap can be your greatest blessing.  Although it may be inconvenient, and it sucks that your kid isn't like your perfect neighbor's kid, and it may be hard and sad; the advantages that you will have over others (your neighbor with the perfect kid) with your ability to see people for who they are, your increased empathy, the thick skin you will grow due to other people's insensitivity, and an appreciation for the hard things that parents do and go through will be invaluable and will give you a leg up and will propel you forward one more step on the game board of life.  No, it's not easy; but it is worth it.

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31 for 21 blog challenge day 10
What is Down syndrome?

Down syndrome is a chromosomal disorder caused by an error in cell division that results in an extra 21st chromosome.

What causes Down Syndrome?

Down syndrome occurs because of an abnormality characterized by an extra copy of genetic material on all or part of the 21st chromosome. Every cell in the body contains genes that are grouped along chromosomes in the cell's nucleus or center. There are normally 46 chromosomes in each cell, 23 inherited from your mother and 23 from your father. When some or all of a person's cells have an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21, the result is Down syndrome.

The most common form of Down syndrome is known as Trisomy 21, a condition where individuals have 47 chromosomes in each cell instead of 46. This is caused by an error in cell division called nondisjunction, which leaves a sperm or egg cell with an extra copy of chromosome 21 before or at conception. Trisomy 21 accounts for 95% of Down syndrome cases, with 88% originating from nondisjunction of the mother's egg cell.

The remaining 5% of Down syndrome cases are due to conditions called mosaicism and translocation. Mosaic Down syndrome results when some cells in the body are normal while others have Trisomy 21. Robertsonian translocation occurs when part of chromosome 21 breaks off during cell division and attaches to another chromosome (usually chromosome 14). The presence of this extra part of chromosome 21 causes some Down syndrome characteristics. Although a person with a translocation may appear physically normal, he or she has a greater risk of producing a child with an extra 21st chromosome.

When Finn was born the first thing I questioned, was:  Did he get Down syndrome because of something I did or didn't do?  I immediately thought:  I ate like crap sometimes.  I could have eaten better.  I did too much.  I should have taken it easy.  I skipped on some of my pre-natal pills.  Sometimes I forgot.  I even had the thought that I yelled at my kids alot.  And somehow I blamed myself for the loud environment that I caused and thought it to be symptomatic.  I learned that the answer was no.  There was nothing that Kurt or I did. 

Without doing the test, there is no way to tell that your child has Down syndrome.  Even ultrasounds don't pick up on the extra chromosome.  85% of children born with Down Syndrome are diagnosed after delivery.  This extra chromosome takes it's form at the time of conception.  So before I even knew I was pregnant, Finn's DNA was set up as such that he would have Down syndrome.  There is nothing that I could have done, nor my Dr., to prevent this from happening.  This was just the way that God intended him to be. 

{DS Tidbit}

Simian Crease.

A simian crease is a single crease in the palm of the hand as compared to two creases in a normal palm.  Simian crease occurs in about 1 out of 30 normal people, but is also frequently associated with other conditions such as Down syndrome, Aarskog syndrome or fetal alcohol syndrome.