New Parents
WELCOME!
Congratulations on your new child. Your baby is a gift and in many ways will be just like any other child. We are here to walk this amazing journey of raising a baby with Down syndrome with you. You will have many joys, exciting times, and challenges that are overwhelming and scary.
The Montgomery Area Down Syndrome Outreach Group wants to support you however you may need us. We have resources we can share with you and several parents who have already walked where are beginning. Please contact us so we can get you connected with someone to help answer questions you may have or be a shoulder to lean on.
Testimonials
The Garrison Family
We were expecting our second child in 2017. At 17 weeks, we received a prenatal diagnosis that our son would have Down syndrome. This came as a total shock to my husband and I. We had no one in our family with Down syndrome, and neither of us had ever really been around someone with Down syndrome. We were scared of the unknown, we didn’t know what life would look like with a child with Down syndrome, but we knew that we already loved this child and would do anything to help him be the best he could be.
A friend introduced me to a local family who had a child with Down syndrome. She told me about MADSOG, but I was not ready to dive into this world yet. I was busy with many doctors appointments, being told scary statistics that my child may not survive in utero.
On July 24, Leif was born and when I heard that first cry, all I could do is smile and laugh. He was here, he made it here! He was the sweetest most snuggly baby!
When Leif was about 2 months old, we attended our first MADSOG meeting. It felt like a big warm hug! Talking to parents who had been in our shoes, who understood our feelings, was wonderful. Seeing children with Down syndrome of all ages with their families, doing things that every family does (but with an extra dose of love) brought relief and peace.
Erica Calhoun Rambo
After I graduated college, I wanted to find a group to volunteer with, I wanted a place where I could be helpful and make a difference. I found MADSOG. For the next few years, I volunteered with these amazing children, and they had such a huge part of my heart. I felt led in 2009 to adopt and I immediately knew it would be a little one with Down syndrome. After 3 failed adoptions and in a span of two and a half years, I was led to Foster Care and that is where I met Aiden. At 8 months old he weighed 12 pound and was in 3-month clothes. He could barely hold his head up and to look at him now starting 5th grade, playing baseball, kickball, swimming like a fish and loving life. He has accomplished so much more then they thought he would. Our children can accomplish so much more than many think they can. Don’t limit them and always encourage them to reach for the moon.
