KEY TOPICS: 4 births, natural deliveries, short age gaps, chicken pox, Down’s Syndrome
We’re heading to the 1980’s in this week’s episode, with former MOD Early Year’s Coordinator Annette Zammit, her husband and their four children. The couple had two girls and two boys – with their youngest born with Down’s Syndrome. She speaks with resilience and positivity about her motherhood journey, and work co-founding the Gibraltar Down’s Syndrome Support Group (GDSSG).
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Annette married her husband at 18yrs old, and after a straightforward pregnancy a few years later their first daughter was born on the Rock in 1979 and both recovered well. In 1985 they were studying and working in the UK when their second little girl was born in a hospital there - Annette describes differing maternity practices and how exotic their daughter seemed compared to other babies! Juggling studies alongside her toddler, life was busy when a critical situation struck just one month postpartum: her newborn caught chicken pox.
Annette cites a study placement with a UK family that would have a poignant bearing on her own future parenting. The couple returned to the Rock again and welcomed their third child by fast delivery: a son born in 1987. While working, moving house and learning to drive – another pregnancy came along in 1988!
Scans and anomaly tests were not commonplace in Gibraltar then, though Annette felt that the pregnancy was different somehow. She describes reactions when it became clear at birth that her son had Down’s Syndrome – and how negative medical outlooks contrasted with her family’s positive acceptance and support. It’s a real insight to the practicalities of parenting a child with additional needs alongside other young children, and how a chance conversation about housing turned the family’s fortunes around.
Annette emphasises the importance of seeing the person, not the disability – and how those with Down’s Syndrome can live satisfying lives and reach their full potential. She's spent years raising awareness by co-founding the Gibraltar Down’s Syndrome Support Group (GDSSG). I’m so grateful to Annette for sharing her motherhood journey! (Recorded June 2026).
Find more support here:
https://www.facebook.com/DSSGG/
gibraltardisabilitysociety.com
https://possabilities-gib.com/
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