“This project is inspired by my beautiful daughter Ivy, who has Down syndrome.”
Our story
The Lucky Mama Project is a parent-founded 501(c)3 organization whose purpose is to make the diagnosis experience better for new and expectant moms that receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome for their baby. This project is inspired by my beautiful daughter Ivy, who has Down Syndrome, and my experience having a prenatal diagnosis…
I was 14 weeks pregnant when I found out Ivy would likely have Down syndrome. It was a very fearful time. Luckily, I had a local mom to guide me through the many emotions that can come with this diagnosis and now I want to do the same for others.
Prenatal bags contain a book that I found helpful while pregnant with Ivy, a small gift for mom, and information for helpful organizations are available for mothers expecting a baby with Down syndrome.
Once the baby is born, we offer congratulations to new moms with a Celebration Bag that includes curated gifts for mom & baby. Commonly these new moms hear “I’m sorry”, when they should be hearing “Congratulations!” The Lucky Mama Project is here to welcome them into the community and assist with connecting them to other parents and resources.
I am extremely passionate about this project and am excited to see the impact that we will have for new lucky mamas for many years to come.
Sincerely,
Heather Gregg,
Executive Director and Founder of The Lucky Mama Project,
and Ivy’s lucky mama :)
Congrats! Welcome to the lucky few…
That’s what we, the parents of children with Down syndrome, like to call ourselves because we truly are lucky. It’s one of those clubs you don’t initially want to be a part of, but once you’re in, you’re so glad it’s there.
I’m Heather. I’m the founder and executive director of The Lucky Mama Project, inspired by my beautiful daughter Ivy. She is my light, and the heart of our family. I can’t imagine our life without her in it. She perfectly completes our family of four.
Our diagnosis…
I had a prenatal diagnosis when I was 14 weeks pregnant. I was terrified. We tried to do an amnio a few times but due to the circumstances, the risk was too high for us. It took weeks, months even for my husband and I to wrap our minds around having a baby with Trisomy 21. We weighed the options presented to us, and after working through many emotions, we prepared by learning as much as we could about Down syndrome. It was a long pregnancy filled with a lot of fear and worry. I worried about how our life would change, the health of our unborn child, and how I would bond with with my unborn baby. I can say that our life right now is much better than I imagined at that time. I have a beautiful little girl that everyone adores. I wish I could go back in time and tell my pregnant self how wonderful and normal our life would be with Ivy.
About Ivy…
Ivy was born about a week early. She spent 17 days in the NICU and came home on supplemental oxygen and a nasogastric tube for feedings. It was hard but we adapted. She successfully weaned off the feeding tube and transitioned to nursing. She grew stronger and the oxygen went away too.
Every milestone she hits is a big deal for our family. She continues to master each one, in her own time and loves to be cheered for when she does. She started walking at 20 months and is running, jumping and climbing everything. She loves music and dancing, animals, and playing with her big sister.
Now she is in first grade and she loves it! She looks forward to going to school everyday. She knows all of her friends by name, and is learning in a general ed classroom alongside her peers. She continues to do many different therapies and enjoys dance class and swim lessons. If you’d like to see more of what she and her big sister are up to, you can follow along at instagram.com/rockinitwithlilahandivy.