Youngest mom whose baby suffers from Down's Syndrome has a prom celebration in the hospital

A teenager becomes a mother and spends her Prom night in the hospital

Brodee Hampton from Wollongong, New South Wales was 17 when she discovered she was pregnant. Not long after she separated from her baby's father, and decided she would raise her child alone.

Not an easy task, and one which became much more daunting when Brodie was told at after her 21-week scan that her son would be born with Down’s Syndrome. Doctors advised her to terminate the pregnancy, but the teen refused and resolved to carry the baby to term, reported Metro on the 21st of March 2018.

On 31st of October 2017, Brodie gave birth to Elijah who spent the first 22 days of his life in hospital. Elijah needed surgery for a blockage in his bowel days after birth, a common problem for Down's Syndrome babies.

Brodie stayed with him, and that meant she spent her Prom night in the hospital. When she refused to leave her baby alone in NICU to attend her Prom dance, her mother decided to surprise her and bring the celebrations to her.

"Elijah was only 11 days old on the day of my formal. He had surgery at three days old and I couldn’t bear to leave him alone in hospital while I went to party even though like any other teenager I wanted to be with my friends and celebrate."

Brodee Hampton, Metro, 21st of March 2018.

Brodie's sister did her hair and makeup, and she put on her gown, and when she walked into the NICU she found her mother holding Elijah wearing a tiny tux and with a chocolate rose.

Jodie, Brodie's mother, had decided to surprise her daughter after having watched her valiantly fighting against bullying the entire time of her pregnancy and pushing through to graduate. Brodie received her diploma at 36 weeks, along with all her other classmates and just two weeks later her son was born.

Brodie is determined to continue her studies and wants to work with disabled children who face prejudice and challenges like Elijah.

She has joined a support group for mothers with special children and is determined that Elijah will be a happy and beloved child.

Brodie is believed to be the youngest mother of a Down’s Syndrome baby in Australia. Most children with Down's are born to mothers over the age of 40 with statistical probabilities of 1 in 100.