Mother Pregnancy with children of D.S

When my mom was pregnant with her 5 pregnancy, she went to the doctor for her routine check-up. I believe she was around 5 months when the doctor decided to perform an Amniocentesis, which is when they take a sample from the Amniotic Fluid(Fluid that surrounds your baby when in the womb) to test for birth defects and or genetic defects. When the results came in she was in shock. The doctor told her her baby girl had Down Syndrome. That they were going to monitor her more often to see how the fetus developed. When she use to go to her doctor appointments she would be terrified because the doctor would tell her that the baby most probably be paralyzed, have deformity, or anything possible that children with D.S may have.

• Heart defects


• Intestinal defects


• Vision problems


• Hearing loss


• Infections


• Thyroid problems


• Leukemia


• Memory loss

My mom just couldn't wait for my sister to be born, so that she wouldn't be mortified with all of this things the doctor would tell her. But it was the doctor's job to inform my mother about all of this defects so that she would prepare herself for the biggest challenge of her life, or so it was!

My mother and father decided to name her, Cindy Guadalupe Galdamez, she was born December 14 1998. Months went by and my sister Cindy seem perfect. She could move her legs, make baby sounds, follow objects, etc. The doctor did an ultrasound and saw that she had a hole in her heart. I m not quite sure what the name of her defect was. The doctor said we shouldn't really worried. That the best medicine for it would be something called, LOVE.

Indeed, it may seem weird but her holes were closed! I guess Love can really sometimes cure the heart! As she was growing we would take her 2-3 times a week to her speech therapy. She started walking, and less than you knew she was running everywhere. At the beginning of the pregnancy my mother & father would have their problems. And my father would blame my mother for Cindy's Down Syndrome. But little did he know that you can't make your child have down syndrome, it just happens! Of course my father didn't believe, how could he? His highest grade level was 1st grade. Eventually he stopped and he accepted the reality.

My mother was always out so my sister Kimberly and I would be the ones caring for Cindy since we were 9-10 yoa. It was very hard we were just kids taking care of a special need kid. My father was working to give us the best! My mom started changing and so we became mothers to our siblings. We had to change my sister Cindy's diaper till she was around 6. Potty training her was very difficult. Everything we would teach her she would forget. And so we started surmising that she had memory loss problems, it's possible.

Now she is starting her teenage life, she already had her period. When i found out she started her period I cried and cried. It was already a struggle showing her go to the restroom by herself imagine now. Why I cried? Because i always taught that why should it be me having to stress my self, it should had been my mother! All my family always says that to us, that they are so mad at the fact that my mother just left us with ALL the responsibilities at such young age like if its easy. Specially with a child with D.S. Everyday is a new struggle. But that's whats made me a responsible young woman! That's what has keep me out of trouble all my life. And i honestly thank God and my mother in that aspect. Because they taught me how to care for others and how to be responsible!