Okay, so I'm finally doing it...I'm starting a blog featuring Davis, my 11-week old son. I love to write, and I REALLY love my son, who seems to have already touched a lot of lives. So why not?
What makes Davis so special that he needs an entire site all about him? Besides all the typical special things about a baby (Daddy's hair, Mommy's smile, cozy snuggles, cute sounds, etc...), Davis has Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome occurs when three copies of the 21st chromosome are present in the cells of the body. This extra chromosome creates a unique set of physical features and usually causes some cognitive delays. People with Down Syndrome are also at risk for certain health problems. However, they often lead fulfilling lives, holding jobs, getting married, living to old age, and contributing to society. I encourage you to check out my
Resources page to learn more about Down Syndrome.
You may be wondering why I have chosen the blog title "Happy Heart of Davis." Let me share a bit of our story, and you will understand.
Matt (my handsome husband) and I found out about Davis's DS when I was around six months pregnant. Earlier in the pregnancy, I had declined the typical blood testing which screens for abnormalities including DS. But an ultrasound detected a heart defect called Atrialventricular (AV) Canal Defect. Basically, this means that Davis has a rather sizable hole in his heart, causing the heart to not pump blood through the body efficiently and overworking the heart. This type of heart defect can occur in non-DS babies but often does occur with DS; therefore, I had an amniocentesis performed in order to determine if our baby had this extra chromosome.
I had a rough time coping with the AV Canal diagnosis, knowing that my baby would have difficulty and have surgery at a young age, but I didn't really prepare myself for a DS diagnosis. However, once we discovered that our little baby did indeed have Down Syndrome, and after the shock wore off, I actually was very much at peace with the presence of this extra chromosome and everything it entailed. With my special needs work and educational experiences, I had envisioned what it might be like to parent a special needs child and concluded many years ago that if my fate included being the mom of such a child, I would be okay with that. So it was really as if it was meant to be. I immediately accepted Davis exactly as he was and honestly loved him even more after learning about the DS. I knew it was nothing to fear, and I thereby made it my mission to make this little boy's life as happy as possible.
After a very long and strenuous labor, Davis Matthew was (FINALLY!) born on February 22nd with his parents, grandmothers, and aunts there to welcome him to the world. After a brief moment with his little body on my belly, the NICU doctors and nurses assessed him and decided he needed to be admitted into the NICU. Besides the problems we already knew that would make it difficult for him to initially cope with life outside the womb, he was born with a little hole in his lung that occasionally happens during delivery. Davis lived in the NICU for ten days, during which I visited him every three hours in order to participate in his feedings, even through the nights. It was a difficult period, but his nurses took great care of him and I got to know him pretty well there. He was just the sweetest thing with all this dark hair! Everyone that met him fell in love instantly.
Today, Davis is doing extremely well! His pediatrician says he is thriving!!! He visits the cardiologist every few weeks, and the AV Canal is monitored by chest x-rays, EKGs, and echocardiograms. Davis is on a medicine to help his body cope with the heart issue, and he will be having heart surgery later this summer at Vanderbilt. He is expected to make a full recovery!
Davis is a very happy, content baby. His only complaints are sometimes he has reflux, which is very common with DS babies, especially those with heart defects, and sometimes he gets tired from his little heart working so hard. Davis is reaching all his milestones appropriately thus far; he smiles and coos all the time! He loves cuddling, swinging, joining mommy for walks in the stroller, and meeting new people - he is already a social bug! He also loves playing with his early interventionist who comes to the house once a week. She teaches us new ways to play to help Davis learn and grow.
My intention with the blog is not only to allow those of you who have met and care about Davis to follow his progress with his heart surgery and during his childhood but also to educate others about Down Syndrome and show that being different is okay! In fact, we are all different whether we have a disability or not. Life is no less valuable because one is not "normal" - I don't really believe in "normal" anyway. I just want to spread my positivity about Davis to anyone who wants to hear it, and ultimately to him as well.
Haven't seen enough of Davis yet? (I know - he's addicting!) Well head on over to Kristen+Dave Photography to see his precious newborn photos which were posted on World Down Syndrome Day earlier this year.
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