This Mother’s Day, will you support those mothers who are grieving the child they lost?
Part of having a prenatal test result for Down syndrome is grieving loss. Grieving the loss of the child the parents thought they were expecting. Grieving perceived lost opportunities due to the disabling effects of Down syndrome (“perceived” as more of those opportunities are becoming real opportunities for those with Down syndrome). And, in the worst case, actually grieving the loss of the child who is miscarried.
Down syndrome, and other trisomies, have a higher natural miscarriage rate. I’ve seen it cited as high as 50 percent in the first trimester and 40 percent in the second trimester. So, for 10 pregnancies carrying a child with Down syndrome, as many as 5 may naturally miscarry in the first trimester, and of those 5 who make it to the second trimester, 2 of them may naturally miscarry.
Such a rollercoaster of emotions: grieving because your expected child isn’t what you expected; accepting that child for who he or she is and may become; and then grieving when you lose that child. So very tough.
Here’s how you can help mothers going through this experience.
The moms associated with Downsyndromepregnancy.org (DSP) have supported expectant moms who decide to continue after a prenatal test result for almost a decade. They have been there to support these moms who lose their child, and have gained wisdom from these experiences. They are working on a booklet for dealing with loss.
Like their signature book Diagnosis to Delivery, and their booklet for loved ones to support expectant moms, DSP has a track record of producing quality resources that expectant moms and their loved ones value.
This Mother’s Day, DSP is hoping to raise a total amount of $2,500, which would top off the budget for producing the booklet for supporting moms and their loved ones who are dealing with the loss of a pregnancy. When they launched the campaign earlier this week, they had already raised $750, so $1,750 is all that is needed to reach their goal.
You can support DSP’s campaign, and in doing so support mothers grieving their lost child, by making a tax-deductible donation at this link.
To learn more about the campaign, please visit this link.
Disclosure: DSP is a member of the National Center for Prenatal & Postnatal Down Syndrome Resources, where I serve in a paid capacity as the bioethics specialist.
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