Bringing a child into this world is an absolute blessing. While everyone understands this, it is hard to even fathom when you have not experienced it firsthand. While pregnancy is a beautiful thing, many people are overwhelmed and scared when they get the news. Not everyone is ready to raise a child, but there is no stopping mother nature.
On the other hand, many people try for weeks, months or even years to conceive a child. No one can predict what fate has in store for them. But maybe that is the best part. Being surprised is part of the beauty in having a child. Whether you plan to get pregnant or not, that positive pregnancy test is always a surprise. While it can be pleasant or unpleasant, it is always a huge moment in a person’s life.
Raising a child is a lot of work and calls for much more responsibility than we can even imagine. Going from a life of freedom and personal independence, we switch to a life of intense responsibility and total selflessness. Many cannot even imagine taking on that load and there is nothing wrong with that.
However, there are also couples who are more than ready to have a child. In fact, many couples are praying to see that positive result on a pregnancy test. No matter the marital status of the people involved, there are plenty of positive scenarios for welcoming a child into the world.
One couple in particular has made headlines as they received shocking news throughout their family’s journey. After Nicola and Todd Bailey got married, they were ecstatic to get their family started. After their first child, they waited a while, but loved the idea of expanding their family. When they got the news about Nicola’s second pregnancy, they were overjoyed. However, they never could have predicted the unexpected turn their journey would take.
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Todd and Nicola Bailey are a loving, happy couple from Sheffield, England. After they got married, they welcomed a beautiful baby boy into their lives. Lucas was the light of their lives and they could not be happier with their perfect little family. Then, when Lucas turned four, they were presented with a big surprise.
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Nicola had discovered that she was pregnant again. Todd and Lucas were ecstatic to add to their family. They all worked together to prepare for their new addition with constant smiles on their faces. Just when they thought they had their future planned, the doctor hit them with shocking news.
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Nicola and Todd were having twins! As if there wasn’t already enough excitement with having one baby, they were ecstatic to find out they’d be having two. Nicola, Todd and Lucas were all overjoyed by this surprise and could not wait to welcome these babies into the world.
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Now, the Bailey family had to prepare for not one, but two newborn babies. Everyone knows that welcoming a newborn into your family is not an easy thing to do. With the two babies, the work was twice as hard. Little did they know at the time, but the really shocking news had yet to be discovered.
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Nicola felt much different during her second pregnancy than she did with her first. She said that she felt very sick with the twins, whereas her pregnancy with Lucas was much more pleasant. With the support of her family, she got through the rather uncomfortable pregnancy and finally made it to her delivery date.
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Along with the constant discomfort, Nicola’s water broke extremely early. With medical assistance, they managed to control the situation. Her doctor put her on special drugs and helped her hold off a while longer. A week later, Nicola was ready to give birth and headed to the hospital.
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Luckily, Nicola is a nurse so she knows all the ins and outs of pregnancy and delivery. Although her water broke much earlier than it should have, she handled the situation with much more grace than the average person. When it was time to deliver, she was more than ready.
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Finally, the day had come and Nicola went into labor. Naturally, giving birth to twins is a bit more nerve racking than giving birth to a single baby. However, Nicola was so excited to meet her beautiful new babies, she pushed through and it was finally time.
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After hours of the normal, drawn out labor, Nicola was ready to push. She gave it everything she could and out came the first baby. While she was relieved to be halfway there, the doctor made a comment that was a bit alarming.
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Although the doctor was a bit distracted by what he had seen with the first baby, he had to continue on and safely deliver the second twin. 38 minutes later, the second baby was delivered, leaving the doctor relieved and confused. No one could believe what they were seeing.
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The first baby to be delivered, Harper, appeared to have Down Syndrome. This was an absolute shock to everyone involved as usually, this can be detected long before birth. This was extremely rare. In fact, many things about this birth were extremely rare, including the other twin, Quinn.
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When the doctor delivered Harper and noticed her birth defect, he assumed Quinn would have the same condition. It is considered extremely rare for only one to be born with an extra chromosome. Doctors called it a one in a million birth.
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Many people expected the Baileys to be disappointed. The doctor even said, “I’m sorry” when he delivered Harper. But Todd and Nicola have made it very clear that there is nothing to be sorry about. They are not disappointed or sad about their daughter’s condition.
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Usually, Down syndrome is detected before birth. When this condition is detected, it can result in immediate termination of the pregnancy, which has caused a lot of controversy. While Todd and Nicola were not made aware sooner, they do not care. They would not have terminated their baby girl, anyways.
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Nicola told spuc.org.uk, “All I really remember is the doctor saying ‘I’m sorry’. But as soon as I saw them both my heart just melted. They were both so beautiful. They still break the news by saying ‘I’m sorry. I’m really not sorry. Harper is perfect. I would not change her, her little smile lights up the room and she is who she’s supposed to be.”
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Nicola continued, “I don’t see Harper as any different to my other children and would not change her for the world. You do see people staring at her and it’s hard at times as the perception of Down syndrome can be so negative. We get comments like ‘oh is she a Down’s baby’ or ‘I know a Down’s girl’. She’s not a Down’s baby, she’s a baby with Down’s syndrome.”
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Now, Nicola works to raise awareness regarding Down syndrome. People are extremely uneducated when it comes to the disease. Along with the very common termination before birth, many people do not even accept people with Down syndrome as part of our society the way they should.
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Nicola is trying to help change the way medical professionals express the diagnosis. She believes that the condition is portrayed in an extremely negative way when it should not be. She loves both of her baby girls equally and just because Harper has Down syndrome does not mean that Nicola and Todd are “unlucky”.
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This story has been wonderful for spreading awareness about Down syndrome and the social issues that come with it. Nicola and Todd would not have terminated Quinn, so why would they have terminated Harper if they had the opportunity? When it comes down to it, both babies are their own and they will love them equally throughout their lives.
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