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The healing touch of a mother can do wonders! What else could you say of Renner, a baby born with Down Syndrome to Karen and William Wollman. It is a definitive example of this beautiful fact. When Karen and William learned that they will soon have their third child, their joy knew no bounds! But soon came the disappointing news that the baby would be born with Down Syndrome. He was showing signs of Hydrops whereby the body swells up with fluids. It was expected to be a stillborn child.
At around 35 weeks, Karen delivered her baby through C-section. The doctors were surprised to see the baby survive the C-section. The proud parents were elated to meet their baby, but in the corner of their hearts Karen and William were skeptical about the baby’s condition. Given the slim chances of survival, Karen wanted to be able to enjoy the moments with little Renne as if it would be his last. All that she wanted to do was to hold and rock him.
This was when the miracle occurred. Renne breathed longer than it was expected.
Now Renner is two. Karen had recently posted her son’s latest update where she had posted the images showing him in the helmet plus the oxygen supply. But soon after she posted it, it turned out that he could come off it.
Renner is not the only miracle baby who has survived Down’s syndrome. In 2012, Clara McLoughlin, born to an Irish couple in the 28th week weighed only 1.14kg. Her twin Pippa, who also had Down Syndrome (and Leukemia), could not survive. Clara was transferred to a neonatal intensive unit. She was being treated for many problems associated with premature births. She also had an eye surgery and an operation to repair a hole in the heart. As the doctors were taking her day by day, genetic screening was repeated. It turned out that the gene responsible for Down syndrome was only transient in Clara’s case and had suddenly disappeared. Clara had already begun to put on weight. She was meeting the milestones.
The case of Renner and Clara are exceptional. They make their entries into the medical journals. But not everybody has the luck to overcome a genetic error. Would you believe that most of us carry the potential for chromosomal errors? Strangely enough babies who get away with this system are viable, and they can survive. Here are few facts about Down syndrome:
- Down syndrome is most influenced by family planning as it is directly related to the age factor of the parents as trisomic births (extra genetic material from the long arm of chromosome 21 in case of Down syndrome) are usually age-influenced.
- About 1 in 1000 babies is born with Down syndrome in developed countries.
- The faulty chromosomal material does not make it through pregnancy, but if it does get through, then it produces viable human beings with abnormalities as in Down syndrome.
- Non-disjunction during cell division causes Trisomy 21 or Down syndrome.
- It’s not yet ascertained as to what causes the non-disjunction.
- Less than 1 in 10 parents who have been diagnosed with Down syndrome during pregnancy are more likely to have a family history of Down syndrome.
- More and more Down syndrome affected people are surviving longer. The average life expectancy of someone with the condition is 55 to 60 years.
- 95 percent of babies with the condition can survive their first year if they have no serious medical complications.
- 90 percent of women in the UK who were diagnosed with Down syndrome of their fetus chose to terminate the pregnancy.
Prenatal tests are essential to assess if your fetus is carrying genetic abnormalities. Although the natural urge is to keep the baby, equally important is to gauge what the situation would demand once you have the baby as you must be prepared to give out a whole-hearted commitment.
