Ingerlise Svaleng | Gift of hope – rewriting the opening act for babies born with Down syndrome

What She Did Next

Becoming a first-time mum should be a joyful celebration but what if everyone around you was saying ‘sorry’ instead of ‘congratulations’…

Our guest today is Ingerlise Svaleng and she’s the founder of 21 Gifts – an initiative she started with her husband after their first daughter, Maia, was born with Down syndrome.

Maia’s ‘welcome to the world’ was not as IngerLise wanted, not because of her daughter’s diagnosis but because of the response of the medical staff around her. The idea that her beautiful daughter was something to be sorry about was absolutely crushing… but then a special delivery to her hospital room in the form of a little suitcase completely turned everything around.

Now, Ingerlise is on a mission to pay forward that gift of hope to other parents facing a similar child diagnosis, and she’s working with hospitals across Australia and New Zealand on better ways to talk to families about babies born with ‘a little extra’ – leveraging her background in communications, organisational coaching and positive psychology.

In this episode, Ingerlise talks about her journey to launching 21 Gifts, how she succeeded in getting more than 100 hospitals on board in the first year, what the reality of having a daughter with Down syndrome has actually been like, and how she now juggles her day job with growing the movement that 21 Gifts has become.

LINKS

Find out more about 21 Gifts: https://www.twentyonegifts.com/

Follow 21 Gifts on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwentyoneGiftsBox

Follow 21 Gifts on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twentyonegifts/

CREDITS

Host and producer: Jacqui Ooi

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What She Did Next is proud to be a part of the Women's Agenda Podcast Network. Visit https://womensagenda.com.au/

What She Did Next acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Land on which this podcast is recorded and produced, the Cammeraygal people of the Eora nation and the Wodi Wodi people of the Dharawal nation. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.

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