Down Syndrome Babies

Down Syndrome - Prepare for Your Down Syndrome Baby's Arrival While You Are Still Pregnant

At this point, if you are reading this, you probably are carrying a baby that was diagnosed with Down syndrome, and are anxiously awaiting its arrival. It's a nerve-wracking time, as you try to figure out what this diagnosis will mean to you and your family, and figure out how you can be best prepared to meet the needs of your Down syndrome baby. The most important thing you can do for your Down syndrome baby before he or she arrives is to find medical professionals that are knowledgeable and capable in regards to Down syndrome. If you need help finding them, contact a local Down syndrome organization for names, or ask for referrals from your doctor. Certain state programs can help with funding and services for Down syndrome babies and kids. Try to find some local support groups for parents with Down syndrome babies. They will help you immensely. Research as much as you can about Down syndrome and its symptoms before your baby arrives, but don't make yourself crazy over it, either. Try to remember that your baby is a baby first and a Down syndrome baby second. Talk to other moms with Down syndrome babies and children so you can learn what to expect. Be prepared for a wide range of emotions after your baby is born. Prepare Your Family For The Arrival Of Your Down Syndrome Baby Another important step is to prepare your family for the new arrival in your life.

Your other children: Discuss with any other kids you might have about what Down syndrome is, and what a Down syndrome baby might be like.

Extended family: Talk to your extended family about your baby as well. "I am always thrilled when I meet a family with a Down syndrome child because I so love to work with their kids. Every parent's experience with raising a Down syndrome baby is different, of course, but if you talk to enough parents, you can start to get a basic idea of what it might be like. Your baby will be fine, and you will be fine. Having a Down syndrome baby will be an adventure like nothing else you have experienced, and that's nothing to be afraid of.

You've brought your Down syndrome baby home, and now you want to get the best treatment for him or her as possible. But what can be a done to help an infant with Down syndrome?

U.S. Federal law mandates that all babies with qualifying disabilities (of which Down syndrome is one) receive early intervention services between the ages of 0 and 3. Physical Therapy Can Help

How can you do physical therapy on a baby, you ask? Your Down Syndrome Baby Will Likely Have Low Muscle Tone

Physical therapy is about motor development. Most babies achieve this at three to four months. However, Down syndrome babies have low muscle tone, so this is a more difficult task for them. A physical therapist can assist in helping a Down syndrome baby to learn how to do this. Physical therapists can also help Down syndrome babies with gross and fine motor skills involved in crawling, rolling over, reaching for toys, and so on.

Start Speech Therapy Early

(Down syndrome babies typically have delayed speech.) A good speech therapist knows what they are, and will work with your Down syndrome baby on them to try to prepare them to get ready for actual speech.

A speech therapist will know how to develop specific skills which will help your Down syndrome baby. Did you know that breastfeeding can help your Down syndrome baby's speech?

For mothers who are able to breastfeed, breastfeeding helps a Down syndrome baby prepare for speech as well. Getting a Referral for an Early Intervention Program

It is important to give your Down syndrome baby as much help and skills as they can get early in life, so please do take advantage of this program. When your baby turns 3, then special education laws take effect. A lot happens in your Down syndrome baby's life in the first three years. It is important to learn as much as possible about your Down syndrome baby's needs and to start early intervention programs early in your loved one's life. Early intervention is critical in ensuring that your Down syndrome child overcomes early handicaps and reaches his or her full potential.

OLDER MOTHERS APPEAR MOST AT RISK

About 5,000 children with Down Syndrome are born in the country annually. The general, conventional belief is that the incidence of this disorder increases with the mother's age, with less than a one in a thousand risk of a woman under thirty having a Down Syndrome baby. A close review of current research statistics provides a convincing argument that simply looking at the mother's age will miss 75% of all Down Syndrome cases.

A very careful analysis of them brings us back to the original idea that older women have in fact, a higher risk, as individuals, of having a Down Syndrome baby.

TO ABORT OR NOT TO ABORT

Here are some facts every woman pregnant with a Down Syndrome baby needs.

Heart, lungs, and gastro-intestinal systems are most often affected with congenital heart defects affecting 40% of these children. Leukemia affects these children 10 to 15 times more often than normal children.

Bringing up a Down Syndrome child can be very stressful, and expensive.

Mothers of Down Syndrome children generally outlive them.

Nevertheless, Down Syndrome children are generally placid, non aggressive, and loving.

Awareness of Down Syndrome is improving and the social and educational supports needed are becoming easier to find. Special nutritional needs for these children are becoming better understood as time goes on.

Many mothers of these children are happy to have had them and support groups abound.

MITIGATING THE DISORDER