October is Down Syndrome Awareness month, which is an opportunity to challenge the outdated perceptions and attitudes toward people with Down Syndrome. When we were first told that our baby would have Down Syndrome we feared that she or he would have a difficult life, and we also feared what impact this would have on our lives and our boys’ lives. But our fears were based purely on our lack of understanding and lack of knowledge. Ivy does not have a disability. She has a genetic condition which means her body has been built slightly differently to most other people. So far, hospital checks have not found anything to suggest that Ivy will live anything other than a “normal life”. Her heart is fine, her ears are fine, her thyroid is fine. She has breastfed with no problems. She is chatting away and moving like any other baby. I feel a little ashamed that I feared so much when we were told that she has DS. I am now so excited for our little girl and cannot wait to she what she is going to achieve in life.

We would like to raise money for Positive About Down Syndrome, a wonderful charity that not only helps raise awareness about how wonderful life will be for babies, children, and grown-ups with down syndrome, but also provides tremendous support for parents, when given a prenatal diagnosis, like we were, or a postnatal diagnosis, as well as providing amazing support for parents after the baby has arrived.

£250 . is all they needs to educate one maternity unit for a whole year. Let’s see if we can help get two Maternity units educated, so that more parents can be guided through the diagnosis in a better way.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.