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Mothers of babies who have Down's Syndrome need time to adjust to a different reality than they expected. A good explanation is the poem, Welcome to Holland:
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this…
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michelangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!" you say. "What do you mean, Holland?" I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy.
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to some horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy a new guidebook. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
The pain of that will never, ever, go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.
But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.
Written by Emily Perl Kingsley
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
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What does it feel like to have Downs' Syndrome?
You would have to ask someone with it. But not just outright. Just spend some time talking and you will see.
When children grow up and leave home can mothers become most frequently report feeling depressed?
Mothers most frequently report being happy, although some can experience depression and/or empty-nest syndrome.
Can you develop Down syndrome later in your life?
I have a daughter with Downs and I have been told it is VERY PROBABLE...ask your pediatricianThere is research on that subject. It can be found in scholarly journals. The ones that I have read say that is is very possible and usually likely that a person with Downs will have a child that does not have Downs. Even two people with Downs are more likely to have a child with out it. Downs girls do get pregnant as easily as those without Downs. Downs teens feel all the same stuff the other teens do. Hormones, pleasure, ovulation. Their just not as equipped to control the baser instincts. That and not to mention the ugliness of molestations or sexual abuse - not all Downs kids are able to communicate effectively enough to tell when something bad is going on. There is also alot of debate about sterilizing Downs girls. Birth control is difficult or impossible to administer to those with profound Downs. Lots of really hard issues. My boyfriend has a Downs girl-13. She has had her period since she was 10. She still cannot change her own pad, and will leave bloody pads in my son's bathroom sink. It's pretty gross stuff for a 10 yr old and 13 yr old boy. Heck it's incredibly gross to me and I've had 4 kids!
What is the term for a mother who deliberately makes her child ill so that the mother can feel needed?
Munchausen syndrome/Munchausen by proxy Munchausen syndrome/Munchausen by proxy
Does Down syndrome affect the movement of the fetus in the womb?
You might not feel the baby as early as you would feel a child who does not have Down syndrome. However, the fetus will move at about 14 weeks. One interesting fact a lot of people do not know is that most women who are carrying a Down syndrome child never experience any morning sickness whatsoever.
Why mothers exclude first born adult child?
Mothers may seem to be excluding the first born adult child because inwardly she knows that child is less of a problem; more mature and doesn't have to worry about them. Sometimes the other siblings can get into all sorts of trouble and mothers are there to try and get them through the rough spots and hopefully change their bad behavior. If you don't think your mother loves you then you are wrong. If you feel this strongly then sit down with your mother privately and tell her how you feel. You most likely will be surprised about how much she truly does love you. In many cases it is the first born that the mothers seem to love the most.
Do a baby beluga whale's father take care of him or is this the mother's job?
it is the mothers job. the fathers may even kill the child if they feel threatend.
How do people with Down syndrome feel?
As with any child, there will be both sadness and joy. Initially sadness because the mother worries that her child will never be able to lead a "normal" life. Joy, because Down's Syndrome people tend to be unusually cheerful, friendly, empathetic and loving. People with DS can have very happy and fulfilling lives.
Are mothers more important then their newborns?
Most mothers would feel that their newborns are more important.
If you drink alcohol in the first trimester of pregnancy does that increase the chances of bearing a baby with Down syndrome?
Possibly, but there is no proven connection with Downs Syndrome. However, you may wish to consider and research Foetal (fetal) alchohol syndrome (Think Duelling Banjos!). Why take the risk with your unborn? Simply don't drink if you can possibly avoid it. If you really feel that you can't give up alcohol then please seek medical help for the sake of yourself and your baby.
How mothers feel about evacuation?
Mothers usually feel depressed,stressed up and pained after evacuation is done to them due to the fact that they loose their un born babies.
How did your feel about your baby?
Maternal for mothers. Paternal for fathers. Generally, mothers and fathers are quite protective of their babies.
