Children are priceless treasures to their parents. It’s lucky to have a healthy kid, but if the kid were born with diseases, parents would still unconditionally love them no matter how they were. Pregnant mom Rachael Prescott, who was advised more than six times to have an abortion, still decided to keep her Down Syndrome twins.
Thirty-nine-year-old Rachael and her husband, Cody, were told that their twins had congenital heart disease and would experience required surgery after birth. In addition, they both had signs of having Down Syndrome. Before the twins, Rachael had given birth to two sons. As they were desperately waiting for their sisters, the couple had no way to talk to them that the twins were going to be aborted.
“At my first prenatal appointment at week eight, six specialists took turns reviewing the scans and presenting the same results. We sat through similar spiels from each, mystified at their concerns over whether our girls may have Down syndrome, when they without a doubt, did have serious heart defects. Information on navigating their cardiac situation was dwarfed by the push for genetic testing and possible means of abortion.” said Rachael.
Although the doctors expressed their concern about those babies being born, Rachael and Cody were not ready to have their daughters terminated. Their sons weren’t, either. The couple soon became parents of twins Charlotte and Annette. Charlotte had heart surgery only six months after birth. Annette, miraculously, was born without any heart defect.
Expressing how they felt happy to welcome new members, Rachael shared: “We were so grateful and relieved. Those surrounding us, however, approached the topic of Down syndrome timidly. It was assumed that we were grieving but we quickly assured them the lack of sadness or grief in our hearts concerning our beautiful, breathing, moving, hearts beating, baby girls, and their extra chromosomes. After the girls were born, we excitedly dove into all things Down Syndrome.”
The couple is now living happily with their two daughters and two sons. Despite the disease, Charlotte and Annette are the two most adorable and cheerful angels. They looked a bit smaller than they should be, but the twins are not different from other children their age. The babies eat and sleep well. They bring joy to the whole family, and for that reason, they are loved in a special way.
From her situation, mom Rachael advises other parents and expecting parents to look past a child’s condition and to embrace who they are.
h/t: Heartwarming Things