MovieChat Forums > Born This Way (2015) Discussion > The Baby Angle

The Baby Angle

posted 8 years ago by IrisJ123
10 replies | jump to latest

This whole baby storyline with Megan is odd and rather misleading. Why is it never discussed that:

1) Only about 15% to 30% of women with DS are fertile in the first place.

2) If a woman with DS does have a child, there is a 35% to 50% chance the child will also have DS. From the Down's Syndrome Association:

"Where one parent has Down’s syndrome, there is a 35% to 50% chance that the child would inherit the syndrome. This chance is even higher where both parents have Down’s syndrome. There is also a high chance that pregnancy would end in miscarriage. Women with Down’s syndrome are also more likely than other women to have a premature baby, or to need a caesarian section."

The idea of Megan having a child should probably not even be broached, and her mother should give her this very important information (about the reduced fertility rates and chances of the child also being disabled).

I mean, for crying out loud, why sugarcoat reality on this show?

[–] emavo 8 years ago

The idea of Megan having a child should probably not even be broached, and her mother should give her this very important information (about the reduced fertility rates and chances of the child also being disabled).

You honestly think Kris hasn't explained this to her in any regard? It's pretty clear that Kris has explained to Megan in many ways that having a baby isn't the most practical plan, but Megan does not fully get it. She thinks it's about her mother being selfish as opposed to having very real, backed concerns. I see zero sugarcoating of reality on this show when it comes to Megan having a baby, but that doesn't mean Megan is going to agree with the reality presented to her.

[–] IrisJ123 8 years ago

I do feel like it's very sugarcoated. Kris talks about how it's hard and the responsibility would be too much, but, at least on camera, she hasn't mentioned the far lower general fertility rate of people with DS, or the very high chances of the child being born with serious problems if there is, against the steep odds, a pregnancy that goes to term.

Maybe these realities have been discussed off camera, but I feel like it might be a service to actually bring them up on the show (many audience members might not even be aware of these particular issues).

The fact is, even if Megan were to TRY to have a baby, the odds are quite low that she would have a viable pregnancy. This is a physical, medical reality. Shouldn't that just put the topic to bed, for the most part? It's about a lot more than carrying around crying baby dolls and learning the lesson that "parenthood is hard!"

[–] Katiedidd 8 years ago

Exactly.

[–] Katiedidd 8 years ago

I agree. I have discussed this a bit on this board, but it is worth making a thread about it. I've talked about how maybe Megan could achieve having a child with the right support system, but infertility, pregnancy complications, and passing on DS are real concerns too.

As you said, women with DS are likely to have infertility. I didn't know it was that high. Men with DS have it too. I don't think that's been researched much, but the numbers seem grim. (Fertility may be more likely with mosaic DS. It's so rare, it's not been researched much.)

Then there are significant risks during pregnancy. I knew the 35%-50% risk of a woman passing on DS to her child. The number is likely not quite 50% because this is speaking of live births, and miscarriage is common. (Otherwise, DS should be like other autosomal dominant conditions, where it's chance is 50/50 per conception.)

Two people with DS wanting to promote a pregnancy have even less of a chance of having a child with the normal 46XX/46XY, and there is also the possibility of giving two extra copies of chromosome 21 due to each parent passing their extra chromosome 21. (Double dominance or tetrasomy 21--48XX/48XY.) According to the literature, live births of tetrasomy 21 are extremely rare, so it likely results in miscarriage.

The reason I even bring up men with DS too is because Megan has wanted a future with Brandan (or could end up with another young man with DS). Nonetheless, I can see why the show maybe doesn't tackle the issues including fathers with DS. (I probably just bored some people to tears discussing it.) However, as you said, this show wants to delve into reality, but it's ignoring these issues, including passing on DS that may be worse than the parent's.

Some women with DS have had babies, and it's been just fine, but this show has hardly discussed the common health problems associated with DS that are present at birth. Megan's heart defect was mentioned just once I think, and her mom another time did tell Megan how she worried about her having to go through what she went through [with a sick baby].

We've gotten plenty now about the fears of being able to tackle the challenges of raising a child, but there is more to consider. Kris is honest with Megan, but maybe she wants to approach it more in the direction of "rethink" having babies rather than throwing in "you may not even be fertile." I don't know. Since there is a chance for conception and live birth, Kris may be focusing more on that possibility... at least the show is. It has an opportunity to discuss more though.

[–] queendrae 8 years ago

I really like this show. However I have noticed in reality programming the finale is usually geared toward one or any combination of these events:

1. An engagement
2. A wedding
3. News of pregnancy
4. Birth of a child

I seriously hope that is not the case here - but I can't help but to wonder.

P.S. I didn't know the statistics, I learned quite a bit in this thread.

Cheers... to being honest, decent people!

[–] jashleighhjah 8 years ago

I can't remember exactly how old Megan is, but I believe she is between 20-22 years old. Having just had my first child this year at the age of 27, I am still amazed just how much work &responsibility it takes to care for a baby. Although my daughter was born 13 weeks early, weighing 1lb 7oz and remained in the NICU for the first four months of her life, during which she also had two surgeries, so granted she comes with a little bit more need of care and love (but she is beyond worth it, she is my whole world!); however, it is still a lot for me as a "typical" 27 year old to handle even with her incredibly supportive father and both of our families being incredibly helpful.
All this is to say I imagine it would be even more difficult for a 20-22 year old to care for a baby and then for that young lady to have DS as well? It blows my mind just trying to imagine how tough that could be on a young lady with DS. I know Megan sincerely believes it is her dream and having a baby is what she truly wants, but I just really hope for her own sake that her mum, Kris, continues to try to encourage Megan to see the reality and the tremendous amount of work that would she would be faced with if she were to have a baby.
Ultimately I want Megan to be happy and live the life she dreams of and she deserves that just as much as the next person, but I think it has to be undeniably clear to anyone that has been watching this show that if Megan were to have a baby, essentially Kris would be left to raise the baby along with continuing to care for Megan. I know it's not Megan's "fault" by any means, but it is just the hard truth. And I believe that Kris should be allowed to have some kind of say in the matter as to whether or not she wants to begin raising another child all over again, having just spent the last twenty or more years doing so with her own daughter (and may I say that o think she comes across as being a wonderful mother).
I hope this doesn't come off too harsh...

[–] pink323 8 years ago

If Megan were to have a baby with DS she wouldn't view that as a set back or statistic... that's the point of the show, people with DS lead happy, productive lives

[–] Katiedidd 8 years ago

The show's general message is fantastic, but you don't actually think the idea of portraying something so serious as all hunky-dory would be right, do you? That's not real life.

[–] IrisJ123 8 years ago

First of all, to try to put forth the idea that Megan could, by herself, care for a disabled child is not just irresponsible, it's utterly insulting.

Second of all, this show has chosen the most high-functioning examples possible of people with DS. That is completely understandable, but it shies away from a reality: Many people with DS are severely disabled, even non-verbal, and have health problems that are a lot for anyone to deal with, never mind a DS parent.

I think they are treating this topic far too lightly for a show that is supposed to be illustrating the realities of living with DS. This is not a joke -- this is very, very serious. I think this show puts forth a hearts and flowers portrayal of DS that is really misleading for the general public.

And, again, not one mention of the fact that the majority of people with DS are infertile, anyhow. The "baby dolls" storyline was subpar, to say the least.

[–] emavo 8 years ago

And, again, not one mention of the fact that the majority of people with DS are infertile, anyhow

Actually, I'm pretty confident that this was touched upon during the first season.