Congratulations on the Birth of Your New Baby!
A BABY IS A BABY FIRST
“Recently, I’ve had the great pleasure of holding a number of soft, beautiful babies who have Down syndrome. Their parents want to find out what it all means, what they can do, what to think about the future. The first professionals to talk to the parents of babies with Down syndrome tend to discuss the differences parents may see, difficulties babies will encounter.
We just don’t know, at an early age, in exactly which ways Down syndrome may affect a child. She may be really good at cognitive activities, but have significant delays in movement… thereby falling behind her peers in playground and paper-and-pencil activities. He may be fairly good at gross motor, excelling in sports. Ocular control may be an area of need, or may be perfect. Language may be good, or may need lots of work. However, one thing we know for certain… babies don’t deal with these things no matter what their chromosomes look like. They lie down and expect to be carried, cuddled, talked to, fed and generally catered to. They learn they are lovable, cute, and the center of the universe. They begin to know who their family members are, and who is the soft touch in the house in the middle of the night.<snip>
I want to be clear. Young children with Down syndrome often show delays that need to be remedied so that these kids can be happy with themselves and do their very best. Very young babies with Down syndrome have specific concerns about early development. And doubtless, parents will find themselves driving this child about for ear infections, speech therapy, developmental evaluations, etc. But the main advice I have for parents of new babies with Down syndrome boils down to this:
You have a beautiful new baby.
There will be some areas that need work, but what you have right now IS PRECIOUS AND PERFECTLY RIGHT
(excerpts from an article by Kate Sefton, Master Developmental Therapist. Read entire article here.
New parents, please contact the Down Syndrome Family Support and Advocacy Group to receive your New Parent bag. The bag contains books and articles about about Down syndrome as well as other helpful resources. Also included in the package is a book, Babies With Down syndrome: A New Parent’s Guide
New and Expectant Parents – Information from the National Down Syndrome Society
New and Expectant Parents – Information from the National Down Syndrome Congress
| last updated 1/23/2016 sp |