Trisomy Oz Prenatal Support
What is trisomy 13?
Trisomy 13 is a chromosomal disorder deemed by medical professionals to be 'not compatible with life'. The disorder occurs at the time of conception, when the mother's egg and the father's sperm each contribute 23 chromosomes to the developing baby's cells. Each cell should have a total of 46 chromosomes. Sometimes either the egg or the sperm contributes an extra chromosome to the embryo, resulting in a third chromosome, rather than the usual pair. A baby diagnosed with trisomy 13 will have an additional copy of the number 13 chromosome in its cells.
When trisomy occurs in every cell of the body, it is called a full trisomy. In some cases, only part of the chromosome is duplicated - this is referred to as a partial trisomy. When an extra piece of one chromosome is attached to another chromosome, a translocation results or, if some of the body's cells contain an additional chromosome while others have the usual 46, it is referred to as mosaicism.
How will trisomy 13 affect my baby?
Babies with trisomy 13 usually have a combination of congenital problems. In terms of life expectancy, it is generally accepted that 20-30% of trisomy 13 babies will die within a month of being born, and only around 10% will survive beyond their first year.
However, despite blanket prognoses like not compatible with life, and predictions that babies will die in-utero, MANY trisomy 13 babies make it to term, with some surviving for days, weeks months and even years.
There is a long list of recorded symptoms that can affect these babies. What NO ONE can predict before birth is which, or how many, of these symptoms will be present in your child. While ultrasound and other forms of testing may pick up some likely manifestations, no prenatal test can accurately predict length or quality of life. Please remember that trisomy 13 is NOT UNIVERSALLY FATAL, and that of those parents who decide to continue their pregnancy, even those whose babies are stillborn or live just seconds, the vast majority are deeply grateful for the chance to hold and care for their child, no matter how briefly.
Click here for similar information if your baby has been prenatally diagnosed with Trisomy 18.
