Nicholas Kaden

I was at my Moms when the phone rang. I had a small half of a turkey sandwich and had just taken a bite. They asked to speak to Radonna and I told them that I was Radonna. Your AFP test has come back and showed a risk for Down syndrome. The sandwich was stuck in my throat as I tried to reply. Don't worry sweetie. The nurse said. These tests can be wrong. See right then I knew. I can't explain it but I just knew.

A week later I went in for an ultrasound and was sent straight to my Doctor.
NOW I know what soft markers are at 18 I had no clue. What I heard was that my babies had a big mass of skin on its neck his legs were deformed. His feet were clubbed. His hands showed signs of being fused. His brain had stuff wrong with it and that most likely he had a chromosome problem like Down syndrome. They were also unable to get a view of his heart.

That came later.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Level 2 scan confirmed that yes my baby had a chromosome abnormality.

Trisomy 13, Trisomy 18, or Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome.)

They wanted to do an amnnio but I wouldn't do it.
Why should I risk my baby just to KNOW what was wrong.
At 18 I just had NO concept of incapatible with Life or the impact of having a child with a disability. HOW could I???

It showed in the Doctors faces as they tried so hard to convince me that there were options that I could consider. "What Options???" I asked and was told for the very first time about Termination for Medical Reasons.

ABORTION??? You want me to have an abortion??

My baby is alive. "Yes but he most likely will die"
"So will you So will I does that mean we should go ahead and kill ourselves"

Death is part of life..... Scary, Hard to accept but dying is something that we all do.

At 18 soon to be 19 I was changing inside. I was learning that things weren't all black and white. That there were grey area's that I never knew existed.

A Two Chambered heart they said. Hypoplastic Left heart syndrome was looked at but discarded. There was a heart defect but no way to know how severe I was told later.

I had an ultrasound every week and some times the concerns of the last week weren't there at the next visit. Sometimes it was new concerns. Sometimes I wondered it they were trying to scare my into the amnio. Every time I went to the Doctor the test was offered and declined.

"Poor naive teenager"

The day Kaden came started early in the morning. Around 6 am. I was contracting pretty bad. I knew I was in labor because never in my life had I felt anything like this. BUT I knew him leaving my body could mean him leaving my life forever.

I didn't call anyone. I sat for about two hours in the nursery we had decorated holding a tiny pair of socks and crying wondering if I would ever lay him in the crib or let him wear this tiny pair of socks. I was at a point emotionally that I thought that I would break but I started to sing a song.

He has a plan for me.

I felt a peace I can't explain and I went to my bedroom and as I came near the phone it rang. I picked it up and it was my Mom. "I'm in Labor" I said
"I'll be right there" she cried and before I could get to the bathroom her car pulled into my driveway.

We got to Vanderbilt around 12 pm and was told to expect to go home because I was only dilated to 1 and my contractions weren't that strong.

THankfully my Doctor an Elizabeth Britton Wimberly told them that she would not send me home. Dr. Wimberly was amazing. She didn't know what to expect either and I could tell she was hoping beyond hopes that my baby would live. She knew that Down syndrome was our best case senario and as much as she tried to prepare me for the others I think she knew that I could not accept that it would be anything BUT Down syndrome.

That was at 2 pm that she was able to get me admitted. By 6 pm I was pushing.

At 6:18 on April 29th. Nicholas Kaden was born weighing 5 lbs 12 oz and was 18 inches long.

"He looks like he has Down syndrome" Dr. Wimberly said as she passed him off to the Pediatric team. He was screaming his head off and to me that meant that he was doing pretty well.

His apgar was 8 and 9

He showed no signs of heart or breathing problems and an echo would later confirm that although he had VSD that it was likely to close on it's own. MANY ultrasounds showed a Mal formed heart but his heart was not so bad at all.

What was a suprise was Cataracts.

I never cried over Down syndrome, but cataracts had me bawling.

TO make a very long story short. Kaden had issues but not serious ones. He has never had any meds that he takes on a regular bases and is in general good health.

He has Growth Hormone deficiencies. He has had club feet repair and numerous ear surgeries but he has always came through them like the trooper that he is. Maybe a little thirsty but other wise pretty calm.

I would not trade my boy for anything. He is the sunshine of my life and his brothers totally adore him.

So this is our short story. As short as I can make it about being Prenatally diagnosised with having a child with a chromosome abnormality.

The choices I made were by an inexperianced 18/19 year old but thankfully I have always had good instints and Life showed me 10 years later with my pregnancy with Evan exactly how right they were but that is another story.