At several points in the book, MB reveals that she has had premonitions about her future life with Adam. How do you feel her premonitions influence her? How do you relate to the experiences, personally?

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Jennifer Graf Groneberg

I think women fall into two camps: those who have had a premonition that they will have a child with specials needs and those who never in a million years think this will happen to them. I fell into the latter group!

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Jennifer
Mom to Nicholas (3/31/05)DS
June (6/29/06)

Welcome JenEndyB, thanks for joining in!

I had no idea we'd have a baby with DS, but while I was pregnant, I had an experience that I think of as _the meaningful hug_ episode. I was working on a newsletter for an organization that helps adults with special needs. I was sent to interview a woman in her fifties who had Down syndrome, living independently with a female roommate. This was nothing unusual for the job, or for me.

At the end of the interview, she stood up and hugged me, with great sincerity, for a long while. When it was over, I was in tears, and I remember thinking, This is a good life. She has a good life; there's no tragedy here.

I was pregnant and hormonal and I dismissed it, until Avery was born. He hugs me the same way. I can't help but feel, now, however sheepish I am about admitting it, that the experience was a sign, a portent of things to come.

Woo-woo!

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Jennifer Graf Groneberg

I am not sure you have heard my story on this. However, my husband had a dream, before we knew I was pregnant with MaryEllen, and told me I was pregnant, I was having a girl, and that it was "profoundly different." Neither of us thought twice about the profoundly different. And since he had guessed the gender of all of our babies, we knew he was right about that. ( We never found out what we were having, he told us every time, and all 5 times he was right). Then I had some bleeding right at the beginning of my pregnancy. I thought I was losing the baby. The doctor told me to come in. They did an ultrasound, and everything looked good to that point. I was only 6 weeks prenant, so not heart beat, just a beautiful little child. They told me to go to the docs office, and she would follow up. While I was sitting there, a very STRONG feeling, I tell people, like a shock, went through my body. When she got in there I told her, that I was sure I was having a baby with Ds. She assured me that it would all be alright. We discussed the whole testing issue at length. At that time, she and I talked about the fact that I would want level two ultrasounds, but no amnio. Well, when it came time for the ultrasound, she checked for markers. They found NONE. I went home. Convinced they found nothing. 3 days later, another shock, or lightening strike. This time, when I went back I told her I was sure. Her response, a mama knows. She prayed over me. She was a devout christian. It was beautiful. My babe was born, and indeed, the lightening rod test was right. So when people ask me if I knew, I always say yes. LOL. I know that is not what they mean, but I did, right? Even went as far to buy a book for my daughter, about a little girl, who has a little sister with ds. My husband brought it up to the hospital when he went to go get the kids, to meet their little sister. We read it together, with MaryEllen, the first moments my oler daughter met her baby sister. That will always be a treasured moment for me, and I am grateful that God told me ahead of time. Diane

I would not say I had premonitions. But I had sensed that God wanted something new for my life. Shortly, I found myself pregnant and thought there is nothing new or special about that for me. Then, when my first AFP came back elevated I just KNEW. I knew this was the new mission. I had difficulty at first, but I felt so called to having a baby with DS that I couldn't be too sad. And God continued to direct me clearly through Grace's birth and surgery. Nothing has ever been so clear before or since.

So when I read Expecting Adam, I felt kinship with Martha Beck. I googled her to see what had become of her, thinking maybe her experiences had continued to change her. But it seems her life has taken many twists and turns and that she doesn't seem to live with the sense of peace and spirituality that I would have expected after reading the book. But then, I guess neither do I.

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Ellen

I think the premonitions had a profound effect on her in the book. I think she was much more accepting of Adam because of the premonitions.

I should add that I think a good portion of this book is fiction.

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Tom

Dad to Beth (17) and Mikey (13 - Ds and PDD-NOS)
My Blog - Random Thinking
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Yes, I definitely had a premonition, whisper from God, whatever you want to call it. While pregnant with Polly, we were living in Ukraine. Being an avid reader, I often sent my husband out to scavenge the streets of Kyiv for books in English. About two weeks after I found out that we were expecting, he brought home the book "Jewell." There was a little old Ukrainian "babushka" who somehow often got her hands on some good reads in English. I have no idea how she does it, but she sells them on the street. Anyway, I read "Jewell" by Bret Lott quickly. The book stirred so much emotion in me. I loved the story although it scared me. When I put the book down, I told my husband that I could never be a mother of a special needs kid. I thought about that book throughout my pregnancy. It was confirmed that Polina had Ds six days after her birth. After moving back to the states, I found out the popularity of "Jewell". There I was in Ukraine, thinking that it was some obscure read that I had stumbled across. I've since read the book again, and I am still convinced that I cannot be a mother of a special needs kid. But I am learning to be a mother of Polly and I am beginning to enjoy it. (Boy, am I chatty today! Sorry guys!)

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Gillian
wife to Sergei and mom to Elaina (, Zoya (6) and Polina (2 1/2 DS)
http://lintofpocket.wordpress.com/