Dear Doctor,
As you know, I am now 22 weeks along with my son NAME who has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. As I have explained, we are aware of all of our options, and we have made a conscious and final decision to welcome NAME into our family. This decision will not change.
Despite our clearly expressed intentions, I continue to hear you speak of my options concerning my pregnancy.
Despite the fact that we are certain of our path, pregnancy post-diagnosis has left me emotional and vulnerable. Your insistence on discussing other pregnancy options is contributing to that emotional state in a very unhealthy way. I do not wish to have to cope with perinatal depression, so please stop making comments and instead show me your full support.
Also, due to my history of pre-term labor, we had previously spoken of an aggressive preventative plan. Those plans seem to be receiving much less attention since NAME was diagnosed.
Please understand that not only do I wish every protection for my son NAME that any other child would receive, I would also hope my pregnancy would receive even more attention due to the Down syndrome diagnosis, which may trigger pregnancy complications.
Thank you for reading this letter. I feel confident we can get past this uncomfortable (at least for me) time and get back to the doctor-patient relationship which always gave me so much reassurance in the beginning of the pregnancy.
Sincerely,
Expectant Mom