DOWN'S SYNDROME IS A GIFT

Kelly Owen wouldn’t change a thing about her precious son, Dave

- SASKIA MURPHY, BETHAN KING

Watching my youngest son playing in the sandpit with his four older siblings, I feel overwhelmed with love and pride. Our ‘baby Dave’, four, isn’t like most little boys. He is unable to speak, has spent much of his short life in hospital with chest infections, and he was born with a hole in his heart. But despite everything, Dave has not only brought joy to our lives, he’s raised the spirits of thousands of other families too.

At my first scan in June 2016, I couldn’t wait to hear my baby’s heartbeat. Already a mum to Joe, then 11, Kelly, nine, Lacey, eight, and Lisamarie, two, I still felt the same flutter of excitement seeing the familiar blobs of limbs on the ultrasound. But this time, as the sonographer moved the wand over my tiny bump, I saw a flicker of concern in her eye.

I was referred for blood tests, and shortly after a doctor pulled me into a room. ‘There’s a chance your baby has Down’s syndrome,’ he said. I didn’t know much about the condition, but the look on the doctor’s face was grave. I listened, with my mum Wendy, then 54, by my side, as he reeled off a list of potential health complications, including vision and hearing problems, heart conditions, autism, and a shorter-than-average life expectancy.

I suddenly felt a wave of panic. Being a mum of four could be full-on at times and I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to meet the needs of this baby while caring for my other kids.

I was offered an amniocentesis test, which involves a long needle being inserted through the abdominal wall to retrieve a sample from the amniotic sac. The consultant explained that the test would confirm whether or not the baby had Down’s syndrome, but that there was a risk of miscarriage.