A MUM has opened up about how her baby didn’t look like her or her partner, then was heartbreakingly diagnosed with a rare illness.
Hannah Doyle gave birth to baby Zander less than three months ago, but instantly knew something wasn’t right.
MEN MediaBaby Zander Doyle was born with a condition so rare no other child is known to have it[/caption]
MEN MediaMum Hannah Doyle was initially concerned he did not look like either of his parents[/caption]
The Yorkshire mum said her son didn’t look like her or his dad, and his eyes “were different”.
Hannah said she initially raised concerns with doctors and nurses, who said there was nothing to worry about and wee Zander was fine.
But she didn’t give in, and pushed for tests – which gave her the heartbreaking diagnosis.
The mum-of-three told YorkshireLive: “I thought he looked different, I kept mentioning it to the doctors.
“He didn’t look like mum or dad and his eyes were different. Eventually, the consultant listened to what we were saying.”
Hannah said Zander’s eyes turned downwards like an “almond” and he also had a raised pallet.
The 10-week-old baby also had a lump at the back of his head, which he need an MRI scan for.
Hannah said the consultant agreed to run more tests on Zander.
She continued: “He was diagnosed with a rare chromosome.
“They did the checks and it came back with the rare chromosome condition, in terms of how it affects him it affects his growth and progression.”
Zander was diagnosed with Chromosome Deletion Syndrome, which will affect his mobility, speech, and general development.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust diagnosed him with the rare (5q15) and Hannah said a charity Unique told her Zander is the only child known to have it.
The charity has since put her in touch with two families in different parts of the world who have children with similar conditions.
The mum has praised the NHS for her son’s care and is now trying to raise awareness of his condition.
Hannah said she did not get screened when she was 26 weeks pregnant out of fear it could trigger a premature birth or even cause a miscarriage.
Zander had already been diagnosed with a Congenital Heart Defect – a hole in his heart – when she was pregnant. He is due to have surgery to repair this.
Speaking on his development so far, Hannah continued: “He’s doing what you’d expect from a newborn, not a ten-week-old baby but he’s very happy.
“He’s doing well in his own way.”
In recent years a mum opened up about her daughter, who has Chromosome Deletion Syndrome.
Gemma Webb said she knew something wasn’t right with wee Isabelle by the time she was three months old as she wasn’t meeting any of her development milestones.
But doctors blamed it on Isabelle being a “lazy baby”.