Mom Gives Birth to Baby at 33 Weeks, Then Gets Diagnosis
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A mom from the North of England, U.K., received a shocking diagnosis after giving birth prematurely.
Lauren Thomson (@laurenlou9x) shared a clip on TikTok and revealed that her baby boy was born at 33 weeks.
Days later, she learned that her son has trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome.
Split view of premature baby boy and mom Lauren Thomson, 30, wearing brown leather-look jacket.
Split view of premature baby boy and mom Lauren Thomson, 30, wearing brown leather-look jacket.
@laurenlou9x
The mom of four told Newsweek that her pregnancy came as a surprise itself. "I didn't find out I was pregnant until 16 weeks," she said. "I had no symptoms or signs of pregnancy. I had no idea that I was going to have him early and no scans showed anything different to my other children."
Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome, is a genetic condition caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21.
It can result in developmental delays, characteristic facial features and an increased risk of certain health conditions. However, the severity and symptoms vary widely between individuals.
Thomson's son was immediately admitted to the neonatal unit after he was born. "He has been looked after on 24-hour care," Thomson told Newsweek, adding that hospital staff have been amazing. "They check his obs regularly and feed him like their own," she said.
But it wasn't until four days after delivery that doctors raised concerns. Nurses had noticed several physical markers often associated with Down syndrome, such as low muscle tone, a folded ear and almond-shaped eyes.
"That's when they discussed... testing him, which I agreed to after they explained the reasons," Thomson said. "I was very confused and shocked when they told me about it all; I didn't really know what to say or think."
Thomson wrote on the text overlay of her clip that she "knows very little" about trisomy 21. "It was the strangest situation I've ever been in," she told Newsweek. "I just agreed with them about testing him and then went home and did some research about what had been said."
Thomson's clip has been viewed more than 650,000 times and received almost 20,000 likes.
Hundreds have commented with overwhelming support and many others shared their own experiences with Down syndrome.
"My son was born in 2017 with trisomy 21 and I can promise you that he will teach you to see the world in completely new colors," one user wrote.
"Congratulations. My 6yo little girl surprised us with an extra chromosome too, she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I found it helpful to reach out to other parents and we were welcomed into the DS [Down syndrome] community with open arms," another said.
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