Don't Be Afraid; Differences Are There To Be Celebrated - Speaking with Sarah Louise about navigating life with a Downs Syndrome Baby

An honest and insightful episode where Zoe speaks to Sarah of the Instagram account @sarah_and_marnie. Sarah talks to Zoe about finding out her baby had downs syndrome during pregnancy and life now with her beautiful 3-year-old Marnie, who teaches her something new every day.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Sarah met her husband Colin at a NYE party. They started trying for a baby quite early on as they were both in their early forties. Sarah had children from previous relationships but Colin didn’t have any children yet and Sarah surprised herself by being very open to the idea. Sarah fell pregnant after 12 months but sadly she miscarried at 11 weeks. She found this really difficult, loss wasn’t something she had experienced before. A few months after she fell pregnant again. They had a reassurance scan at 9 weeks and began to get excited. They then had a 12 week scan where they first found out that there may be a chromosomal abnormality. After having blood tests to give the chances of the baby having Edwards, Downs or Patau Syndrome Sarah made the decision to have an amniocentesis test to find out for certain. Several days after they received the news that their baby had downs syndrome. It was a relief to Sarah as this was the news she was hoping for, both Edwards and Patau syndrome are described as ‘not compatible with life’ and would have been a devastating diagnosis. Sarah received little support emotionally from professionals throughout the pregnancy. There wasn’t any counselling or much literature around becoming parents to a baby with Downs Syndrome. She did receive extra scans as there is a higher chance of heart problems, but other than that she didn’t receive any additional help in her pregnancy. Thankfully, when she told her friends and family about the baby having downs syndrome the response was positive and they received tons of support. Although Marnie is only 3 and a half she has already experienced a lot, including modelling! Marnie is a very happy, easy going and bright little girl. A lot of the struggles for new mums of babies with downs syndrome is fear of the unknown. Sarah helps run a FB group about the positives of life with a downs syndrome baby and child: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dsukpositiveaboutdownsyndromegreatexpectations   BEST MOMENTS   “It was a black cloud hanging over us waiting for that call” “For me, downs syndrome was something we could do together as a family” “When you experience loss and then you have your baby in your arms it’s like no other feeling”“Don’t be afraid”     VALUABLE RESOURCESwww.petalscharity.org www.tommys.org www.arc-uk.org www.sands.org.uk   ABOUT THE GUESTSarah Louise@sarah_and_marnie https://www.facebook.com/groups/dsukpositiveaboutdownsyndromegreatexpectations   ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell