Team “Did I even have a part in this?”

Photo: Copyright House of Kosi

I mentioned here that Callan has Trisomy 21 (T21). So what exactly is it? Let me preface this by saying I’m no expert, but here is what I do know from what I’ve researched and been told by (lots of) doctors.

T21 is the most common form of Down Syndrome. It’s not inherited, and instead is a random event during cell division in fetal development. It means our boy just happens to have an extra copy of the 21^st chromosome. There is no such thing as a mild or severe case of Down Syndrome. You either have the condition or you don’t. What does vary person to person includes health issues, physical features, muscle tone, development, etc.

People with Down Syndrome are more prone to certain health issues related to heart defects, hearing, vision, thyroid, ENT and more. We are truly truly truly grateful that at nearly 9 months old, Callan is doing incredibly well in all of these areas. He has either been discharged or is simply being monitored over time by most of his specialists. I’ll share more details on where we’re at with it all in a separate post.

You may have heard that people with Down Syndrome tend to share certain features like almond-shaped eyes, a flattened nasal bridge, shorter fingers – the list goes on. But before you start assessing Callan’s photos, I can tell you this: he doesn’t have many of these features. And those that he does have, are similar to ours. I am told more often than you’d think that he doesn’t LOOK like he has Down Syndrome and no one would have ‘known’ if I didn’t tell them. I get it. I do. But there seems to be a misconception that everyone with the condition looks alike and that’s just not the case. They may share some features, but in reality they look more like their family members than each other and are truly unique.

The photo above is case in point. It’s a comparison of Callan and his Dad at similar ages. I like to say I’m on Team “Did I even have a part in this?” because he is very clearly his Dad’s twin and looks nothing like me. I do sometimes hear that he has my eyes so I’ll take what I can get!

Any other mamas out there on Team “Did I even have a part in this?” I’m curious – please share in the comments.