Mother, 45, who discovered her unborn twins had Down syndrome reveals initial struggle with their diagnosis considered adoption but says she's now 'smitten' with her 'special' boys

When mother-of-six Julie McConnel learnt she was pregnant with twins who each had Down syndrome, she thought of placing them up for adoption.

However upon seeing the boys - who she affectionately calls the 'Goofball Brothers' -  she knew she might by no means give them away.

Julie, from Idaho, already had 4 youngsters when she fell pregnant for a fifth time final August.

Due to her age, 45, she knew that the chance of getting multiples or a toddler with Down syndrome can be better, however she by no means anticipated each to occur. 

Smitten: Julie and husband Dan (pictured) fell in love with their little boys Charlie and Milo at first sight

Pleased household: The couple (holding the twins) now have a mixed six youngsters of their household

Goofballs: Milo and Charlie (pictured) had shortly earned the nickname 'the Goofball Brothers'

Julie and husband Dan, 46, hoped to provide their three-year-old son Andy just a little sister however as an alternative fell pregnant with twin boys, Charlie and Milo.  

She admits she was distraught when she realized the information Charlie and Milo had the situation.

Fearing that she and her husband did not have the capability to care for 2 youngsters with particular wants, they thought of placing them up for adoption. 

Now Julie is sharing the story of the 'Goofball Brothers' - named after a sketch within the movie 'The Wedding ceremony Singer' - to point out others the delights of getting youngsters with particular wants. 

She mentioned: 'You possibly can have expectations of how life goes to be, however it won't pan out the best way you imagined.

'Now that I've Charlie and Milo, I perceive that and I've extra compassion than I ever had earlier than.

'They don't seem to be the results of a nasty way of life alternative I made, or a mirrored image of race or economics or the place you reside on this planet and I hope that by sharing our story I can open folks's eyes a bit.

'All over the place we go, folks love the boys as a result of they're particular, however I do know this may not all the time be the case after they're older and it hurts to consider.

'I need folks to see that there are folks on the market who're completely different, however it would not make them any much less beneficial.

'They're simply the best way they're imagined to be.'

Massive brother: Julie and Dan tried for an additional little one so they may give younger son Andy (pictured) a sister. As an alternative that they had twin boys

Cute: Mom Julie mentioned twins Charlie and Milo had been like 'the right little boys'

A handful: Mom Julie holds the mischievous twins as she heads out on a stroll

When Julie met Dan she already had three older children from a earlier marriage: Gabrielle, 22, Carson, 17, and Hailey, 15.

Dan had by no means had youngsters of his personal, so when the pair married in 2010, they determined to have one collectively.

However even after having Andy, they knew that one wasn't sufficient and thought they'd attempt to give him just a little sister.

Nonetheless, Julie's age meant that issues would not essentially go as deliberate.

In response to the US Nationwide Down Syndrome Society, by the point a girl is 40 years outdated, her possibilities of having a child with Down syndrome are 1 in 100. 

The possibilities of having non-identical twins similar to Milo and Charlie are almost 14 in a 1,00zero,00zero.

Julie mentioned: 'As girls grow old, our eggs begin firing off willy-nilly, so we weren't too stunned to study that we had been having twins.

Celebration: Julie and Dan are pictured celebrating the twins' birthday

'We additionally knew that our possibilities of having a child with Down syndrome had been increased, so we determined to do pre-natal testing at 11 weeks, the place they will let you know with 99 per cent accuracy whether or not your little one has Down syndrome.

'The take a look at got here again optimistic, however they could not inform us if it was one or each of the boys, so we determined to do an amniocentesis at 15 weeks, the place they undergo the stomach with a needle and take a DNA pattern from the amniotic sac.

'It is invasive, however we wished to know what we had been coping with.

'The process was nerve-wracking and the ultrasound already confirmed a number of issues, together with spots on their hearts and further fluid build-up, so we weren't that stunned once we acquired the information two weeks later that each of the boys had Down syndrome.

'Nonetheless, it was a horrible day and the months afterwards had been essentially the most tense and agonising time in our lives.'

Wholesome: Though Milo (left) had a small well being scare when he was born, the twins had been blissful and wholesome little boys

Bother: The twins had been given their nickname - The Goofball Brothers - from the Wedding ceremony Singer movie 

As a result of Julie and Dan are of their forties, they feared that they had been too outdated to care for 2 boys with particular wants.

Having already had 4 youngsters, Julie knew that she could not reside with termination, so as an alternative the couple thought of adoption.

They discovered a loving household who would increase the boys however the couple waivered on the thought and spent months wrestling with the thought and pushing aside the paperwork.

Within the meantime, Julie and Dan began educating themselves on what their life can be like if the determined to maintain the twins.

Good: 'They reached out and grabbed my coronary heart they usually simply appeared like excellent little infants,' mom Julie mentioned of the twins (left and proper)

Julie mentioned: 'We wished to do our due diligence, so we related with the native Down syndrome affiliation.

'They had been internet hosting a picnic, so we went and met with some great households who shared their experiences with us.

'It was onerous for me to listen to all of it once I was pregnant, however I've realized precisely what they instructed me… which is that it isn't scary.

'You're keen on your children it doesn't matter what. Once we lastly determined that we weren't going to let our worry stand in our means, it was straightforward to make our determination.'

Entertaining: Life with the twins and brother Andy (entrance) was by no means boring

Caring: Massive brother Andy (left) retains a watch on his two child brothers

Firstly of her third trimester, Julie and Dan formally determined that they had been going to maintain their boys and commenced getting ready for his or her arrival by studying each guide they may get their palms on and ensuring that they had two of all the things.

The boys had been born at 37 and a half weeks and aside from an preliminary well being scare with Milo, the boys had a reasonably easy begin to life.

Upon seeing them, Julie knew immediately that she made the best determination in maintaining them.

She mentioned: 'My coronary heart got here out of my chest once I noticed them. I used to be so smitten.

Intestine feeling: The second mom Julie noticed her lovely boys, she knew she made the best determination to maintain them

'They reached out and grabbed my coronary heart they usually simply appeared like excellent little infants.

'Our different children are so protecting of them and Andy, our three-year-old, loves introducing his twins to everybody. He even carries round two dolls with him.

'It is onerous to think about life with out them, however I feel I might miss them day by day if we had determined to not preserve them.

'They've such large personalities, however they're so completely different. If Charlie bunks his head, he's emotionally destroyed, but when Milo does then he will get mad and yells. 

'There isn't any finish to how entertaining they're. They each love being goofy…which is why we name them the Goofball Brothers, like from the movie ''The Wedding ceremony Singer''.'

Massive personalities: Whereas the twins had bigger than life personalities, they had been each very completely different, their mother and father mentioned

'Exhausting to think about': It was tough to think about what life can be like with out the twins, mom Julie mentioned

Whereas everybody who meets the boys is smitten with them, Julie admits that she worries how folks will deal with them as they grow old.

She mentioned: 'My greatest worry is that they could be mistreated, ridiculed, or rejected.

'Folks will be imply out of ignorance, however if you happen to decelerate and put away the picture in your thoughts of what regular or excellent is, you possibly can expertise a lot extra.

'I need them to develop up and have mates and I need them to be appreciated and understood.

'I do know not everybody will really feel that means in direction of them, however I additionally really feel grateful that we reside in a world the place folks with Down syndrome have extra alternatives than they've ever had and as a mum I hope they're going to discover one thing to try this they love.'

Julie and Dan plan to ship the twins to a typical college after they grow old, the place they will make mates, be part of the mainstream neighborhood, and be included in each means doable.

However for now, mum and pop are cherishing each second with the little bubs and celebrating all their milestones, simply as they've with their different children.

Julie mentioned: 'We're having fun with what we're studying from them.

'I had no concept what we had in these two once I was pregnant, however I am so grateful we selected to search out out. They're the bomb!

'However if you happen to had all the things the best way you selected it to be, you'd miss out on lots of cool stuff and lots of richness.'  

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