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Teenager with Down Syndrome

MUAprilTigerMUAprilTiger
in Special Needs

I provide care for a female teenager with Down Syndrome after school and all day during the summer.  Our second child is due in a little over a month, and when I mentioned to the teen's mother that I would be breastfeeding in front of the girl the mother was uncomfortable with it.  She asked if I would ever give the baby a bottle, because the teen would wonder why the baby didn't eat...and wasn't really sure if she wanted the girl to know that some babies nurse.  The mother expressed that she was worried that the teen would want to talk to strangers about it, etc. 

 I had trouble nursing our first child, and I'll be having a csection, so I'm not really inclined to stress myself a lot by making sure I'm always covered up or going to another room or something...especially since I'll also have my 2 year old to monitor. 

 My question is: Am I being unreasonable, or is this just an in-depth lesson and conversation that should be had with the teen by her parents?

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Re: Teenager with Down Syndrome

  • Louise06Louise06 member
    You are not being unreasonable at all! I breastfed in front of my developmentally delayed 4 yr old without any problems, so I'm sure her daughter can handle it just fine. Honestly, I think pumping in front of her daughter isn't going to make it any easier. And if she is insisting that you feed formula, then she is a nut job.

    As a former mother baby nurse, I have never seen anything that says breastfeeding is contraindicated in the presence of a dev delayed individual.
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  • MUAprilTigerMUAprilTiger

    Thank you for your replies!  I'm REALLY hopeful that I'll be more successful in breastfeeding the second time around, and I guess I was just looking for outside reinforcement that it's not unreasonable for me to just say "this is the way it has to be".  I really appreciate everything this mother does for her daughter, and enjoy spending time with the teen as well.  I think the mom is just being protective, and she's a very modest woman.  As for pumping, I would have no troubles covering up if that's what I was doing because that is more revealing and it wouldn't effect how the baby and I function in the latch process.

     Thanks again!

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  • kchoikchoi
    i'm pro breastfeeding(ebf ds1 who has Down syndrome for 17 months and ds2 for 12 months), but not without a cover.  i get offended when i see mothers whip their boob out in public.  i don't think you're being unreasonable if you are going to feed with a cover on.  your baby needs to eat- it's a fact of life and it's an unreasonable request for her to ask you to pump.
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  • kyethrakyethra member
    you could also discuss using a social story with her mother, and talk about some things you can discuss when she asks questions.
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