Child with Down Syndrome: Model Amanda Booth sends positive signal
HEALTH, MUM, Motherhood
Sofia Vittoria Nanni
Having a child with health problems is not an easy situation for parents. When the parents are also celebrities, it doesn't really ease the situation. Because you have the eyes of the whole world on you.
The model Amanda Booth is handling the situation in a very positive and inspiring way. When her son Micah was born with Down Syndrome, she started to show that life is not so different from that of other parents via her instagram account.
When her son, Micah, was born with Down Syndrome, Amanda’s life was not the same as before. And not only because of the genetic peculiarity of her son. Her life was simply different because she was a mother now. “I still do not understand why it is assumed that you will have a typical, healthy baby. I did – and it took a while for the guilt to let go because I was so selfish and naive. When Micah was born there were many complications and doubts, but in those moments I discovered his power; and he taught me to see mine. I still know very little about Down syndrome – really – but I know a lot about Micah,” Booth tells Harper´s Bazaar.
View this post on Instagram
Inform about Down Syndrome through Social Media
For the model and her husband it was not so easy to deal with the situation in the beginning. But they encouraged each other! After a few months as parents they decided to inform others better about their son’s illness. What was unusual about this, was the path they went with: they opened an Instagram account.
“I had no idea about Down syndrome, and the Internet can be a scary place, so I used Instagram as a platform for information. Because how can you learn better than directly from a person who experiences such a situation? I immediately fell in love with the babies I saw, the encouraging parents and the love they shared. I had to be a part of it.”
View this post on Instagram
Fighting prejudices against Trisomy 21
Not only does Amanda share her beautiful life with Micah and her husband on her own Instagram account, she has also created a profile for her son. On @lifewithmicah she regularly posts pictures and videos from her everyday life together with the aim to clear up prejudices and fears.
Nowadays there is still too little information about Down Syndrome, and that’s why the model is so dedicated. But being the mother of such a special child is the most important thing for her. “His mind shines through a room and everyone else feels him. There is so much darkness in this world, I know that people need to be reminded of the good. Micah is the good one. And I am here and only trying to spread the good”.
Amanda Booth also talks about miscarriage
Recently, Amanda has tackled another topic that unites many mothers and women, and that needs more attention: miscarriage. She used her Instagram account to make people aware of it. After two unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant, she decided to share her experience. She writes, “While some women decide not to have children, other women find it difficult to make them. So, be gentle with other women… you never know why / why not”.
Text: Sofia Vittoria Nanni
Slider: Getty Images
