Mum of Down's syndrome daughter 'wouldn't change a thing' (From Oxford Mail)

Mum of Down's syndrome daughter 'wouldn't change a thing'

7:48pm Tuesday 27th October 2009

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PARENTS who are told their unborn child could have Down’s syndrome should seek advice from other families with experience of the condition, says one mother.

Emily Robinson, 35, from Middle Aston, near Bicester, whose daughter Lucy, two, has Down’s, spoke to the Oxford Mail after new statistics showed the number of Down’s pregnancies nationally rose by more than 70 per cent between 1989-90 and 2007-8.

The increase, from 1,075 to 1,843, was attributed to more women putting off having children until later in life – putting them at an increased risk of having babies with the chromosomal abnormality.

In 2007-8, 92.8 per cent of pregnant women who were told their child would have Down’s syndrome decided to have an abortion.

The study was carried out by researchers from Queen Mary’s College, at the University of London, and was published in the British Medical Journal.

Mrs Robinson did not know the baby she was carrying had Down’s syndrome until she was born, but said it would not have made any difference to her.

She said: “For me, there was no value in knowing and worrying about it and, looking back, I’m glad I didn’t know.

“My advice to anyone who is at risk of having a baby with Down’s syndrome would be to skip the medical bit and instead talk to other parents and meet children who have it.”

Mrs Robinson, who was 33 when she became pregnant with Lucy, said expectant mothers were often overloaded with complex medical information.

She said: “I believe if people really knew about Down’s syndrome, and knew the facts about what it was really like, they would not have the terminations.

“I wouldn’t change things for the world.

“If you look at Lucy, she’s walking, she’s starting to talk, and she goes to a mainstream pre-school. People’s stereotypes and preconceptions are 15 to 20 years out of date.”

Mrs Robinson is a member of support group Down’s Syndrome Oxford, which organisers said had seen a broadly consistent number of people seeking help in the past few years.

Vice-chairman and new parent contact Michelle Blackstock, whose seven-year-old son Theo has Down’s, said for that the first time expectant parents were contacting the organisation for support after being told they had a high chance of having a Down’s syndrome baby.

She also urged worried parents to get in touch.

She said: “Some parents want to do their own thing, but for most people it helps to have contact with other families who have children with Down’s.”

The chance of having a baby with Down’s syndrome is one in 940 for a woman aged 30, but rises to one in 85 by the age of 40.

In 2007-8, 731 babies were born in the UK with Down’s syndrome which had not been diagnosed during the pregnancy.

For more information about Down’s syndrome, call 01865 376934

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