“Diagnosis to Delivery: A Pregnant Mother’s Guide to Down Syndrome” is available for the first time in both English and Spanish, and the new version includes information about prenatal screening and testing; updated lists of resources; updated research on development, siblings, and more; new information on health insurance and social services; and cross references in each chapter to related articles on DownSyndromePregnancy.org. The revised website offers articles about common concerns for expectant parents — ranging from sharing the news to breastfeeding — and each article contains links to additional online resources and parent quotes about the different topics.
Stephanie Meredith, Co-Author of “Diagnosis to Delivery” and Medical Outreach Director at the National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Resources says, “It’s very important to us to keep all the resources up-to-date, and the new website also allows parents to find information much easier. The new book and website are much more integrated with each other, and the parent quotes from each website article are a treasure trove of insight and knowledge.
“The real game changer here is the Spanish translation of ‘Diagnosis to Delivery’ where we not only translated the book but also located all the Spanish resources for a broad range of topics. Because the Latino population has the highest birth rate for people with Down syndrome and the lowest survival rate —largely due to lack of services — this book literally has the potential to save lives as Spanish-speaking parents learn about medical care, social services available to them from the earliest moments after diagnosis.”
According to Cam Brasington, genetic counselor at Carolinas Medical Center, ”There is plenty of information out there about Down syndrome, but a lot of it is not accurate, balanced, or up-to-date, and this can be scary and overwhelming to new parents. The information found in ‘Diagnosis to Delivery’ and downsyndromepregnancy.org is empowering, helping new parents see that their new baby with Down syndrome will have all the same wonderful qualities and possibilities as any new baby, so that the arrival of this new life is a celebration.”
Down Syndrome Pregnancy (downsyndromepregnancy.org) launched in October 2010 as the first resource exclusively for expectant parents awaiting the birth of a baby with Down syndrome, and it has been the leading source of information for expectant parents for the past four years — recommended by the National Society of Genetic Counselors and Down syndrome organizations nationwide.
Please consider supporting this important initiative by making a donation. Down Syndrome Pregnancy is part of the University of Kentucky’s National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Resources.