When a small UK family found out they were having another child, they couldn’t have been more thrilled.
Nicola and Todd Bailey, with their son Luca, had been wanting to add and an additional member to the family.
They were ecstatic to soon be a family of four, but they had no idea how special this pregnancy really was.
Upon going to the doctor for her 12-week scan, Nicola and Todd were shocked to hear that they had not just one, but two little baby girls on the way! They were having twins.
The doctor added that the scan showed the twins to be completely healthy and that there weren’t any abnormalities detected in either one of them.
The family was elated to know that they now had two precious girls on the way to round out their beautiful family.
Her pregnancy carried on in a completely normal way, with no complications arising. They had no idea that in just a few months everything would take a turn.
At just 33 weeks into her term, Nicola was ready to give birth. She was immediately taken to the hospital after going into labor.
While most pregnancies have a 40-week term, it is not uncommon for twins to come a little bit earlier, according to WebMD.
Generally, if the twins are born after 34 weeks, there should not be a major concern
Even though Nicola went into labor one week earlier than the normal twin-term of 34 weeks, everything seemed to be going perfectly.
Young baby Harper made her way into the world first but was immediately swept away to be examined and cared for, as is the norm, so Nicola couldn’t hold her first daughter just yet.
Less than 40 minutes later, Harper’s womb-mate and sister, Quinn, came rushing into the world.
Just like her sister, baby Quinn was also taken immediately for post-birth care and examination.
Shortly after giving birth, while her babies were still being cared for, the delivery doctor came into the room to mutter to Nicola that he was sorry.
Harper, Nicola’s first born daughter, was born with Down Syndrome.
The doctor went on to explain the series of tests that confirmed Harper’s condition, but all Nicola could hear was his apology.
When she finally got to see her two daughters, she was overcome with how absolutely perfect they are…both of her babies.
Nicola didn’t see any reason for the doctor to be sorry and hopes that one day he and others will see this, too.
According to the CDC, over 6,000 babies are born with Down Syndrome every year, which equates to 1 out of every 700 newborns.
Down syndrome is a genetic “disease” that results in an extra chromosome. The effect being a wide facial profile, developmental delays, and higher risk for many health problems, particularly heart disease.
That being said, as we have learned more about DS in recent decades, the outlook on their life has changed significantly, which indicates that the learning delay is more ours than a person’s with DS.
The CDC also states there’s been a HUGE increase in the life expectancy for a person with Downs since the 60’s when we began to learn more about it.
In 1960, on average, persons with Down syndrome lived to be about 10 years old. In 2007, on average, persons with Down syndrome lived to be about 47 years old.
Seeing what a lot of love, and hard work to understand the condition, can do for people who live with it has inspired the Bailey family to put all of their efforts into doing away with stigmatism surrounding Down Syndrome.
Nicola says that she wouldn’t change a thing about Harper, even if she could.
I don’t see Harper as any different from my other children and would not change her for the world
Unfortunately, Nicola says people still stare at Harper on their family outings.
She hopes that with her advocacy, and by properly informing people about the nature of Down syndrome, she will change this stereotype, one mind at a time.
Watch the beautiful story below.
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