EP049: Claire Farrington on the beauties and challenges of life with Down's Syndrome
Have you ever had a moment where the way you see the world shifts? Like a giant kaleidoscope unexpectedly moves and the clarity you took for granted is gone forever, as a new vision takes shape?
That's what happened to this week's guest, the lovely Claire Farrington. Her first son, Theo, was born very prematurely. As she and her partner adjusted to the realities of life in the NICU, they received another unexpected piece of news: Theo had Down's Syndrome.
In this touching conversation, Claire openly shares how little she knew about Down's Syndrome and how sad she feels now that her initial reaction to the news of Theo's extra chromosome was so frightened and negative. In the three years since Theo was born, Claire has become a campaigner for families with Down's Syndrome, sharing her story and educating people across the UK and beyond.
Through her blog, Claire candidly shares all the stages of adjusting to life with Down's Syndrome. I'm still struck, weeks after recording, by Claire's deep wish that prospective parents of all ages might hear her message that a Down's diagnosis isn't negative. It's just different.
I'm grateful to Claire sharing her story with our community, and even more so because at time of recording, Claire was less than 24 hours away from a scheduled c-section. Her son Freddy was born healthy and on-schedule, and Claire has told me since that this second delivery has helped heal some of the terror she experienced around Theo's much-too-early arrival.
When you've listened to this episode, please share it. And if you liked hearing our conversation, I'd be super grateful if you could rate the podcast and leave a review. The more people hear Claire's story, the more perspectives might shift for the better around Down's Syndrome.
To follow Claire's family's story, visit her blog here or check out her beautiful Instagram account here.
Don't forget that the conversation continues over on the free MamaFuel Virtual Village! Check it out and join in! I can't wait to hear what you think of this and all other episodes of MamaFuel.
You can watch the video of the call here.
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