First Visit: Setting the Stage Copy

The doctor knows the family well.  The mother, Mrs. Brown, gave birth at term yesterday to a baby boy, weighing 6 pounds 7 ounces. The doctor strongly suspects that the child has Down syndrome because of the presence of many of the physical signs, though she has not informed the family or completed any tests. This is the family’s third child; the mother is 30 and the father is 32. The other two children are 5 and 3 years of age.

In addition to receiving routine ultrasounds, the mother was offered serum analyte testing.  She accepted this testing and the results were interpreted as very low risk.  This is the first time that you or anyone has suspected the possibility of Down syndrome.