While pregnant with Wes, I made many connections in the Facebook and Baby Center Down syndrome communities. Some parents were veterans of Down syndrome, while others were young, fearfully excited mom's to be just like me!
Brittany was one of those fearfully excited mom's that I met on a Baby Center board in January. She shared the news of her prenatal diagnosis how she found out that her daughter, Isabella, had Down syndrome. I was so drawn to Brittany, her story and her love for her unborn daughter, I just had to reach out to her.
Expecting a child with special needs can be a scary experience. Scary because of the intense love for that child and the need to do anything possibly for that child to thrive. The first question that arises is, "Is my baby healthy." That question out trumps any fears of future plans you may have for your child. {You soon learn that these "plans" cause unrealistic expectations for ANY child. Damaging.} During our pregnancies, we both had our emotional ups and downs regarding the health of our children. Though we were both ever exciting about becoming moms (#2 for Brittany), we were still scared of the unknown. The fears of heart surgery for Isabella, and possible surgery due to Hirschsprung's for Wes (he ended up not needing), kept us nervous and on our toes. However nervous we both were, it was beyond comforting knowing that we were just one message away from each other.
The morning that I had Wes, it was a flutter of updates and messages to family and friends. I was excited enough that Wes shared the same birthday as my dear friend Erin, momma to Grady, but then I got news that Brittany gave birth to Isabella that same day! Let me just say that April 23rd is quite the lucky day for us all!
This leads us to where we are today...
Little Miss Isabella had her heart surgery on Friday. Wes wanted Isabella to know that he was thinking about her, so he asked me to help him write her a message. {I think Wes has a little crush - she sure is a beautiful little girl!}
To keep up on Brittany and Isabella, check out her blog. She's been updating us on Isabella's recovery like a mad woman... like a momma in love with her little girl...
