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A Child Waits

© Rachael Smith

I come to you with a heavy heart today. Every day I strive to let people know how incredible and truly precious children with Down Syndrome really are, and for the most part people seem to be receptive. However, there are days when I get news, like I did today, that makes my heart ache. A friend of mine received an email informing her of a baby girl with Down Syndrome who was up for adoption. Apparently, the baby has a heart defect requiring surgery and was placed in a foster home at six weeks of age. She is now five months old and still waiting for a family to take her in and see how special she really is. I understand that the idea of having a baby with special needs is a hard pill to swallow initially, and that the added stress of a heart defect can be downright overwhelming. I don’t stand in judgement because I don’t know the circumstances of the baby’s birth. Perhaps she was born to a teen mother, and perhaps not. Still, I cannot imagine giving up my daughter under any circumstances. Sure, I know that sounds hard nosed, but I can’t apologize for the way I feel.

I absolutely feel that if more people understood and knew more about Down Syndrome, people would not be so quick to hand off their child. Yes, I know that there are mothers who don’t feel emotionally equipped to handle a child with special needs and yet I still can’t get past the idea of giving up a child just because they have Down Syndrome. Don’t misunderstand me, I know there are plenty of circumstances in which a child would be put up for adoption and I feel that adoption is a wonderful option for people who can’t conceive children of their own. But, you must know as well as I do that people who are actively searching for a child to adopt, don’t often choose a child with special needs. It is usually people who have encountered a child with Down Syndrome that adopt them. It breaks my heart to tell you that there are a great deal of children with Down Syndrome waiting for adoption. How sad that both those who choose to give their child up and those who are looking to adopt, don’t know how wonderfully enriched their life would be if they had a child with Down Syndrome.

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