Rachel Gibson, 33, was given the option to terminate her pregnancy by medics after being told her unborn son had a one in 90 chance of being born with the condition.
At her 12-week scan she was also diagnosed with hyperemesis – excessive nausea and vomiting – and doctors said her own health could also suffer if she went full term.
But despite the risks to herself and her unborn child, Rachel, a teaching assistant from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs., rejected the doctors’ advice and went on to have a healthy baby son.
Rachel, who is getting married to Zane’s dad, HGV driver Darren, 34, is now warning expectant mums to think carefully before following medical advice.
She said: “It was a very worrying time when we were told Zane was at high risk of being born with Down’s syndrome but it goes to show that sometimes doctors can be wrong.
“We had a one in 90 chance of having a Down’s syndrome baby which is high risk but the other day I met a woman who was told she had a perfectly healthy pregnancy but her son did have the disease so it goes to show the tests in pregnancy aren’t always right.
“I would say that pregnant women should sometimes trust their own instincts about their unborn child because despite the risks, I always knew Zane would be healthy.”
Doctors became concerned for Rachel after she was rushed to hospital with stomach pains when she was seven weeks pregnant and diagnosed with hyperemesis.
She added: “Two weeks after I was diagnosed (with hyperemesis) I was readmitted for six days because it was so severe. They gave me some medication and I went away again.
“It was when I went for my 12-week scan that they detected excess fluid on the back of his neck in the womb.
“They then carried out some blood tests and I had to go for another appointment.
“That’s when they offered to do this amniocentesis procedure so they could check if the baby did have Down’s syndrome.
“But they said the procedure would create an increased risk of miscarriage so we decided against it.
“The combination of my illness and the risk of the baby having the disease was why they offered me an abortion at that stage.
“The doctors said both myself and the baby were at risk but termination was never an option for us.”
On June 5 last year she gave birth naturally to 8lb 9oz Zane at Royal Stoke University Hospital, Staffs.
Rachel, who also has daughters Naomi, 13, and seven-year-old Amelia, added: “After we decided to carry on with the pregnancy we just had to wait.
“Darren was more laid back about it than me, but it wasn’t until Zane was actually born that we could breathe a sigh of relief.
“They did all the physical checks on him and he was a healthy baby, but part of me always knew he would be healthy because he never kept still in the womb.
“We had prepared ourselves in case he had needed a lot of looking after, but when he was born he was just perfect.
“The whole thing has made me love him even more now. Zane is such a happy baby – too happy at times.
“He is fantastic. He has brought us all together as a family.
“He’s a lovely little boy. He just gets a bit grumpy when he has to go into his pushchair.”
