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Ideas to help out friend with Down Syndrome baby
My good friend just had a baby 7 weeks early with down syndrome. He will likely be in the hospital for a while but regardless I am sure she will need help before and after he is home.
If you have experience with a special needs baby what helped you out the most. Also, once he is home is there anything he would need that she most likely wouldn't have already (they had no idea or prior testing to prepare themselves for a special needs baby).
Thanks in advance
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Re: Ideas to help out friend with Down Syndrome baby
My DD was born with Ds and was 7 weeks early. We came home from the NICU the day before her due date. She needed to learn to eat and grow and get past any apnea spells. She came home on oxygen. That is the only difference between her and my boys. Yes she will be doing her different therapies but she eats and sleeps and poops and loves to be held just like any typical baby. They shouldn't need anything extra they wouldn't already have.
I don't know what specific medical needs they will have, but the best things you can do are bring them a meal (or stock their freezer with caseroles before they come home), offer to run the vacumn or throw in laundry, etc. Or, best thing ever, offer to watch the baby for an hour so mom can nap or go on a walk! Really the simple things are the most helpful!
My DD was born with a syndrome and we also were not aware beforehand. The biggest thing that I needed was just plain old loving support. Offer to go with her to any doctor's appointments that her DH can't join her for (the Dr's appointments are MYRIAD). Take dinner over to their house every now and then. Talk about how BEAUTIFUL her little boy is, what a sweet smile he has (when he starts smiling), how excited you are to watch him learn to walk and talk, etc. It was really hard for me to get excited about DD at first because I was so overwhelmed by her diagnosis, and it was incredibly helpful when family and other people would come and visit and treat her like the beautiful gift of a child she is.
What a wonderful friend you are to be thinking about how to help her. She's lucky to have you, and I'm sure this little boy will be an amazing gift for her too, once she gets over the initial adjustment.
Oh, one thing to look at is a book called "Gifts." It's a collection of essays written by parents of children with Downs, talking about the wonderful things their children have brought to their lives. It was given to me, even though DD doesn't have Downs, and it was really comforting. You might read it yourself first, though, and decide whether you think your friend is ready to read it yet. If not, just hold onto it until a time when you think she is.
Good luck!
Nora Judith 7/2/06 Miles Chauncey 4/20/09 born with Trisomy 21 - Down syndrome