Ideas about motherhood

I've joined a group of mums to answer a question each Monday!

This week's question is, "Did having a child with Down Syndrome make you change any ideas you had about motherhood/parenting?"

On one level, not at all!

My hope was that I would love it, and my idea was that the key thing was to pour love into my child. I felt that family life would be all about love and surrounding my child with this. I was so interested in becoming a mother, and of course trepidatious about what it might be like, how I would be, and how life might change. I read so many books about parenting before Coraline was born. Motherhood is as amazing and happy as I had hoped, and we are filled with love at home and outside home, as I had hoped.

On another level, there's a whole other level to motherhood!

Parenting a child with Down’s syndrome

It's a different type of day-to-day parenting. Well, in fact, it's exactly the same, but with extras: going to talks pertaining to children with Down's Syndrome on various topics such as dentistry or eyesight or development, reading books (more books!), learning about development and how to maximise it for children with Down's Syndrome with visual learning styles, practising physiotherapy, doing flash cards, being aware of health, going to appointments, working developmental play into playtime, learning about language and communication, learning Makaton sign language as speech will come later for Coraline, joining local support groups specific to Down’s Syndrome, and being exposed to wisdom from local professionals in areas I had not even thought about before. I appreciate that everyone has their own set of extras in parenting.

There's almost a lightness of being now in terms of the considerations I thought I might have had before; as you are looking at life in a different way (a trusting life kind of way).

I am learning much more about development and how you can positively impact it with early intervention. I am learning about life, about myself, about attitude, and about love. One thing I knew then, and know now, is love is so important.

I am learning what life is about through parenting my child with Down's Syndrome. This, I didn't expect!

If you want to see what other mums have said on this topic, follow this hashtag #specialneedsparenting