Re: INTRO

[Guest guest]

Sent from my iPad

Welcome Kim- congrats on your twins! I am in a very similar situation as you were. I conceived twins via IVF and found out during my nuchal translucency ultrasound at 11 weeks that my baby girl was at increased risk for DS (1/48 chance). Her nuchal was 3.mm. At our 20 week scan the doctor noticed she had an EIF and had increased our chances to 1/30. We also opted out of amnio so we are waiting it out till birth. It hasn't been easy but find that by assuming she does have DS and joining support groups like this has been very helpful! Sent from my iPhone

Hello everyone! My name is Kim and I live in Massachusetts. I thought I'd share my story. Maddie and Will were born in October. Shortly after birth, Will was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. My husband and I have been married for 7 years, and have spent many years struggling to conceive. The journey to our family has included miscarriages, unsuccessful ivf attempts, and lots of heartache along the way. Ivf finally worked for us and we learned we were having TWINS last Spring! The early risk assessment revealed that twin b (Will) had a 1:43 chance of having Down Syndrome. We struggled with whether to do an amniocentesis, but in the end decided not to because we didn't want to put our little miracles at any risk. The 18-week ultrasound looked good, but did show an echogenic focus on Will's heart. Once again, we passed on the amnio. I spent the whole pregnancy with the fear that Will had Down Syndrome, but not really believing it could 'happen' to us. I started to do some reading online, but I would stop and say to myself, "Now Kim, you're just being paranoid...he's fine.". Though I worried a lot, I am glad we didn't know before the birth. I would have just worried more. I had a c- section and we thought Will looked like he did not have DS when he came out. In the recovery room, he started looking purple while on my chest and the nurse had to take him over to her station to revive him. A pediatrician came in to examine him and told me that sometimes babies just forget to breath. That's when I told her that he was at an increased risk for having DS and asked if he looked O.K. "That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.". Right then our hearts sank and we knew. The rest of that day is a blur. Between the anesthesia and the shock, it was hard to remember or process anything they were telling me. I know we met with a cardiologist and a geneticist. Family came trickling in to red, crying eyes. Poor Will had an infection and had to stay in the nicu, where he spent 11 days. Going home without Will was like leaving your heart at the hospital. To this day, I don't know how I survived those first couple of weeks.

Fast forward to today. The twins are 11 weeks old and are thriving. Will had a cardiology follow up and his heart looks good. So far he has no health problems and we realize how fortunate we are. They are precious beyond belief. Of course I worry about the future, and I am looking forward to gaining insights from all of you who are a little further down this path.

My friend is an amazing photographer and did their newborn shots. You can check them out on her blog.

http://bellinipics.com/blog/archives/3567

Thank you,

Kim

Sent from my iPad

[Guest guest]

Hi Kim,

Welcome to our group. Your story is very similar to ours too. However w/ triplets there were no signs or tests that ever lead us to consider the possibility of ds. When we delivered one of the nurses buttered out something and that is how we learned it was terrible. Now they are 13 and wonderful. Zack is doing great and a joy everyday. We look forward to learning more about your family.

Irene in FL

Jake 15

Zachary ds, , 13

From: Kim Home

Sent: Friday, December 30, 2011 8:55 PM

To: Multiples-DS

Subject: Intro

Hello everyone! My name is Kim and I live in Massachusetts. I thought I'd share my story. Maddie and Will were born in October. Shortly after birth, Will was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. My husband and I have been married for 7 years, and have spent many years struggling to conceive. The journey to our family has included miscarriages, unsuccessful ivf attempts, and lots of heartache along the way. Ivf finally worked for us and we learned we were having TWINS last Spring! The early risk assessment revealed that twin b (Will) had a 1:43 chance of having Down Syndrome. We struggled with whether to do an amniocentesis, but in the end decided not to because we didn't want to put our little miracles at any risk. The 18-week ultrasound looked good, but did show an echogenic focus on Will's heart. Once again, we passed on the amnio. I spent the whole pregnancy with the fear that Will had Down Syndrome, but not really believing it could 'happen' to us. I started to do some reading online, but I would stop and say to myself, "Now Kim, you're just being paranoid...he's fine.". Though I worried a lot, I am glad we didn't know before the birth. I would have just worried more. I had a c- section and we thought Will looked like he did not have DS when he came out. In the recovery room, he started looking purple while on my chest and the nurse had to take him over to her station to revive him. A pediatrician came in to examine him and told me that sometimes babies just forget to breath. That's when I told her that he was at an increased risk for having DS and asked if he looked O.K. "That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.". Right then our hearts sank and we knew. The rest of that day is a blur. Between the anesthesia and the shock, it was hard to remember or process anything they were telling me. I know we met with a cardiologist and a geneticist. Family came trickling in to red, crying eyes. Poor Will had an infection and had to stay in the nicu, where he spent 11 days. Going home without Will was like leaving your heart at the hospital. To this day, I don't know how I survived those first couple of weeks. Fast forward to today. The twins are 11 weeks old and are thriving. Will had a cardiology follow up and his heart looks good. So far he has no health problems and we realize how fortunate we are. They are precious beyond belief. Of course I worry about the future, and I am looking forward to gaining insights from all of you who are a little further down this path.My friend is an amazing photographer and did their newborn shots. You can check them out on her blog.http://bellinipics.com/blog/archives/3567 Thank you,KimSent from my iPad

[Guest guest]

Dear Kim,Welcome and congratulations on the birth of your twins!They look adorable! What treasures!My identical twin girls, and Meredith , are now10 months old. We knew at 22 weeks, afterLearning about their AV canal defects then havingAmnio. It was a loooooong pregnancy butAs my ob suggested for us a better birth experience.What a difference a year makes. I spent last holiday Seeing all the fetal heart specialists here at chop, worried so much.These girls are doing so well, and are such happy babies.Sent from my iPhone

Hello everyone! My name is Kim and I live in Massachusetts. I thought I'd share my story. Maddie and Will were born in October. Shortly after birth, Will was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. My husband and I have been married for 7 years, and have spent many years struggling to conceive. The journey to our family has included miscarriages, unsuccessful ivf attempts, and lots of heartache along the way. Ivf finally worked for us and we learned we were having TWINS last Spring! The early risk assessment revealed that twin b (Will) had a 1:43 chance of having Down Syndrome. We struggled with whether to do an amniocentesis, but in the end decided not to because we didn't want to put our little miracles at any risk. The 18-week ultrasound looked good, but did show an echogenic focus on Will's heart. Once again, we passed on the amnio. I spent the whole pregnancy with the fear that Will had Down Syndrome, but not really believing it could 'happen' to us. I started to do some reading online, but I would stop and say to myself, "Now Kim, you're just being paranoid...he's fine.". Though I worried a lot, I am glad we didn't know before the birth. I would have just worried more. I had a c- section and we thought Will looked like he did not have DS when he came out. In the recovery room, he started looking purple while on my chest and the nurse had to take him over to her station to revive him. A pediatrician came in to examine him and told me that sometimes babies just forget to breath. That's when I told her that he was at an increased risk for having DS and asked if he looked O.K. "That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.". Right then our hearts sank and we knew. The rest of that day is a blur. Between the anesthesia and the shock, it was hard to remember or process anything they were telling me. I know we met with a cardiologist and a geneticist. Family came trickling in to red, crying eyes. Poor Will had an infection and had to stay in the nicu, where he spent 11 days. Going home without Will was like leaving your heart at the hospital. To this day, I don't know how I survived those first couple of weeks.

Fast forward to today. The twins are 11 weeks old and are thriving. Will had a cardiology follow up and his heart looks good. So far he has no health problems and we realize how fortunate we are. They are precious beyond belief. Of course I worry about the future, and I am looking forward to gaining insights from all of you who are a little further down this path.

My friend is an amazing photographer and did their newborn shots. You can check them out on her blog.

http://bellinipics.com/blog/archives/3567

Thank you,

Kim

Sent from my iPad

[Guest guest]

Jen,Just want to say that I love your blog! I find your honesty and humor fantastic - keep it coming.KimSent from my iPad

Hi Kim,Thanks for sharing your story. Mine is quite similar; my twins, Wyatt and Zoe are almost (!) 11 mos now.I too knew that Wyatt had a higher chance (statistically) and met with genetic consultants, etc but chose not to have amnio as I did not want to risk both babies. I found out a month before they were born (prematurely) that Wyatt has AVSD and that he had a 75% chance of having DS. That one hit me hard, but we were hoping for the 25%. My C section was a bit of a drama fest (it's all there on my blog) but I knew from the stillness and hush around Wyatt's warming bed that he had DS. I'm glad to hear that you've gotten through the first little bit. It can be tricky in spots... dealing with your own feelings, dealing with multiple babies... learning as much as you can (which also includes what you can "handle" at any sleep deprived moment). Congratulations and the babies look completely nibble-able.Take care,Jen [Mom of Quinn, 5, Wyatt (DS) and Zoe, 10 mos.]Author of Down Wit Dat >> Hello everyone! My name is Kim and I live in Massachusetts. I thought I'd share my story. Maddie and Will were born in October. Shortly after birth, Will was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. My husband and I have been married for 7 years, and have spent many years struggling to conceive. The journey to our family has included miscarriages, unsuccessful ivf attempts, and lots of heartache along the way. Ivf finally worked for us and we learned we were having TWINS last Spring! The early risk assessment revealed that twin b (Will) had a 1:43 chance of having Down Syndrome. We struggled with whether to do an amniocentesis, but in the end decided not to because we didn't want to put our little miracles at any risk. The 18-week ultrasound looked good, but did show an echogenic focus on Will's heart. Once again, we passed on the amnio. I spent the whole pregnancy with the fear that Will had Down Syndrome, but not really believing it could 'happen' to us. I started to do some reading online, but I would stop and say to myself, "Now Kim, you're just being paranoid...he's fine.". Though I worried a lot, I am glad we didn't know before the birth. I would have just worried more. I had a c- section and we thought Will looked like he did not have DS when he came out. In the recovery room, he started looking purple while on my chest and the nurse had to take him over to her station to revive him. A pediatrician came in to examine him and told me that sometimes babies just forget to breath. That's when I told her that he was at an increased risk for having DS and asked if he looked O.K. "That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.". Right then our hearts sank and we knew. The rest of that day is a blur. Between the anesthesia and the shock, it was hard to remember or process anything they were telling me. I know we met with a cardiologist and a geneticist. Family came trickling in to red, crying eyes. Poor Will had an infection and had to stay in the nicu, where he spent 11 days. Going home without Will was like leaving your heart at the hospital. To this day, I don't know how I survived those first couple of weeks. > > Fast forward to today. The twins are 11 weeks old and are thriving. Will had a cardiology follow up and his heart looks good. So far he has no health problems and we realize how fortunate we are. They are precious beyond belief. Of course I worry about the future, and I am looking forward to gaining insights from all of you who are a little further down this path.> > My friend is an amazing photographer and did their newborn shots. You can check them out on her blog.> > http://bellinipics.com/blog/archives/3567 > > Thank you,> Kim> > Sent from my iPad>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Kim!Sent from my Motorola device on the Wireless NetworkEnvoyé depuis mon téléphone Motorola sur le réseau sans fil Re: Re: Intro

Jen,Just want to say that I love your blog! I find your honesty and humor fantastic - keep it coming.KimSent from my iPad

Hi Kim,Thanks for sharing your story. Mine is quite similar; my twins, Wyatt and Zoe are almost (!) 11 mos now.I too knew that Wyatt had a higher chance (statistically) and met with genetic consultants, etc but chose not to have amnio as I did not want to risk both babies. I found out a month before they were born (prematurely) that Wyatt has AVSD and that he had a 75% chance of having DS. That one hit me hard, but we were hoping for the 25%. My C section was a bit of a drama fest (it's all there on my blog) but I knew from the stillness and hush around Wyatt's warming bed that he had DS. I'm glad to hear that you've gotten through the first little bit. It can be tricky in spots... dealing with your own feelings, dealing with multiple babies... learning as much as you can (which also includes what you can "handle" at any sleep deprived moment). Congratulations and the babies look completely nibble-able.Take care,Jen [Mom of Quinn, 5, Wyatt (DS) and Zoe, 10 mos.]Author of Down Wit Dat >> Hello everyone! My name is Kim and I live in Massachusetts. I thought I'd share my story. Maddie and Will were born in October. Shortly after birth, Will was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. My husband and I have been married for 7 years, and have spent many years struggling to conceive. The journey to our family has included miscarriages, unsuccessful ivf attempts, and lots of heartache along the way. Ivf finally worked for us and we learned we were having TWINS last Spring! The early risk assessment revealed that twin b (Will) had a 1:43 chance of having Down Syndrome. We struggled with whether to do an amniocentesis, but in the end decided not to because we didn't want to put our little miracles at any risk. The 18-week ultrasound looked good, but did show an echogenic focus on Will's heart. Once again, we passed on the amnio. I spent the whole pregnancy with the fear that Will had Down Syndrome, but not really believing it could 'happen' to us. I started to do some reading online, but I would stop and say to myself, "Now Kim, you're just being paranoid...he's fine.". Though I worried a lot, I am glad we didn't know before the birth. I would have just worried more. I had a c- section and we thought Will looked like he did not have DS when he came out. In the recovery room, he started looking purple while on my chest and the nurse had to take him over to her station to revive him. A pediatrician came in to examine him and told me that sometimes babies just forget to breath. That's when I told her that he was at an increased risk for having DS and asked if he looked O.K. "That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.". Right then our hearts sank and we knew. The rest of that day is a blur. Between the anesthesia and the shock, it was hard to remember or process anything they were telling me. I know we met with a cardiologist and a geneticist. Family came trickling in to red, crying eyes. Poor Will had an infection and had to stay in the nicu, where he spent 11 days. Going home without Will was like leaving your heart at the hospital. To this day, I don't know how I survived those first couple of weeks. > > Fast forward to today. The twins are 11 weeks old and are thriving. Will had a cardiology follow up and his heart looks good. So far he has no health problems and we realize how fortunate we are. They are precious beyond belief. Of course I worry about the future, and I am looking forward to gaining insights from all of you who are a little further down this path.> > My friend is an amazing photographer and did their newborn shots. You can check them out on her blog.> > http://bellinipics.com/blog/archives/3567 > > Thank you,> Kim> > Sent from my iPad>

[Guest guest]

You are so very blessed. Congrats on the birth of your beautiful babies. Those pictures are amazing. That is one thing I really miss....pics of my twins. One of my twins passed away at 13 days and I was never able to get beautiful pics like those. Enjoy those precious wee ones.

Deanna, mom to

Alyssa, 18

, 15

Jarod, 11

(DS) 8

~i~Jordan (DS) 1/20/03-2/2/03

Intro

Hello everyone! My name is Kim and I live in Massachusetts. I thought I'd share my story. Maddie and Will were born in October. Shortly after birth, Will was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. My husband and I have been married for 7 years, and have spent many years struggling to conceive. The journey to our family has included miscarriages, unsuccessful ivf attempts, and lots of heartache along the way. Ivf finally worked for us and we learned we were having TWINS last Spring! The early risk assessment revealed that twin b (Will) had a 1:43 chance of having Down Syndrome. We struggled with whether to do an amniocentesis, but in the end decided not to because we didn't want to put our little miracles at any risk. The 18-week ultrasound looked good, but did show an echogenic focus on Will's heart. Once again, we passed on the amnio. I spent the whole pregnancy with the fear that Will had Down Syndrome, but not really believing it could 'happen' to us. I started

to do some reading online, but I would stop and say to myself, "Now Kim, you're just being paranoid...he's fine.". Though I worried a lot, I am glad we didn't know before the birth. I would have just worried more. I had a c- section and we thought Will looked like he did not have DS when he came out. In the recovery room, he started looking purple while on my chest and the nurse had to take him over to her station to revive him. A pediatrician came in to examine him and told me that sometimes babies just forget to breath. That's when I told her that he was at an increased risk for having DS and asked if he looked O.K. "That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.". Right then our hearts sank and we knew. The rest of that day is a blur. Between the anesthesia and the shock, it was hard to remember or process anything they were telling me. I know we met with a cardiologist and a geneticist. Family came trickling in to red, crying eyes. Poor Will had an infection and had to stay in the nicu, where he spent 11 days. Going home without Will was like leaving your heart at the hospital. To this day, I don't know how I survived those first couple of weeks.

Fast forward to today. The twins are 11 weeks old and are thriving. Will had a cardiology follow up and his heart looks good. So far he has no health problems and we realize how fortunate we are. They are precious beyond belief. Of course I worry about the future, and I am looking forward to gaining insights from all of you who are a little further down this path.

My friend is an amazing photographer and did their newborn shots. You can check them out on her blog.

http://bellinipics.com/blog/archives/3567

Thank you,

Kim

Sent from my iPad