Having a baby is a very exciting time in just about anyone’s life. For many people, having a baby is something that they have looked forward to for a great deal of time indeed. During pregnancy, there are a number of different tests that are run to ensure that both mother and child are in good health – and remain so. Certain genetic screening tests are also conducted to rule out issues with genetics across the board.
In some of these tests, conditions like Down Syndrome will be detected. Though most pregnancies will be considered relatively low risk for anything like Down Syndrome, it is important to note that certain factors can increase this risk and the overall chances of having a newborn baby with Down Syndrome. For instance, the age of the mother can play a significant factor when determining risk, as older women who are pregnant (women who are over the age of 35) are much more likely to have a child with Down Syndrome than women who get pregnant earlier on in life.
Finding out that your child has Down Syndrome can come as quite the shock, and it can be something that some struggle to come to terms with. However, more babies have Down Syndrome than you might realize, with up to 6,000 babies with Down Syndrome born throughout the course of each and every year here in the United States alone. And people with disabilities have long existed in many forms, with up to 650 million people living with a disability on a global scale, making up around 10% of the world’s population.
So while parenting a child with Down Syndrome can seem like the daunting task, Down Syndrome help exists in many different forms and this Down Syndrome help can be found in many different places as well. For instance, Down Syndrome help can come from the community of parents who have raised children with Down Syndrome. These parents can provide advice and motivation for new parents embarking on the path of raising a child with Down Syndrome.
Down Syndrome help can also come in the form of a medical team. After all, children with Down Syndrome will need close medical monitoring, particularly in regards to their heart function. Heart problems are common among children and adults with Down Syndrome alike, and these heart issues can be life threatening if not monitored closely and treated when necessary. And while some children with Down Syndrome will really only need consistent monitoring, some children will end up needing life saving heart surgery. Knowing where your child falls in this spectrum is important and is one of the most crucial facets of Down Syndrome help out there.
Fortunately, this form of Down Syndrome help is growing more and more advanced as well as more and more readily accessible. For many people with Down Syndrome, this means better and more frequent medical care. And this, in turn, translates into longer lifespans. While those with Down Syndrome have, on average, a shorter lifespan than those without Down Syndrome, the lifespan for people with Down Syndrome is growing, now in the 60s for the average person with this genetic condition. More and more frequently, people with Down Syndrome are even able to live well into their 80s, a feat that just wasn’t seen all that often even a few mere decades in our past.
Down Syndrome help can also come in the form of education, something that will be particularly relevant to a new parent who does not have much experience with the condition, if any at all, up until this point. For instance, many new parents might not know that there are a number of different types of Down Syndrome, or even what Down Syndrome looks like in day to day life. For many parents, Down Syndrome is actually something of a mystery, at least up until getting the Down Syndrome help that they need during their child’s early days.
A Down Syndrome diagnosis can be a scary thing, but it is far from the end of the world. After all, Down Syndrome help exists – and it is quite plentiful indeed, and only growing more and more so as time passes.