Breastfeeding a baby that has Down Syndrome (Ladies only)

This is a follow post from Noah's birth and Diagnosed with Downs Syndrome.

When Noah was born he had to take antibiotics to help prevent infection due to his dilated kidneys, they had warned us about this before hand. They scanned his kidneys after a couple of days and confirmed they were fine. We continued to give them to him until two weeks after his birth when he had his second scan to confirm they were still fine.

Noah also had a heart scan a couple of days after he was born which showed a VSD and a heart murmur. They told us that it was nothing to worry about, it was something that all children have but they normally close before they are born. It was followed up in February 2006 and they told us he actually had an ASD. Again this was followed up in January 2007 and they confirmed that the heart murmur had gone and the ASD/VSD had closed.

Before Noah was born I was adamant I would breastfeed our baby, giving him/her the best possible start into the world. Once Noah was born I asked Pete to find anything he could about breastfeeding a baby with down syndrome as I new I would have a difficult time.

I found it extremely difficult to get Noah to latch on, I was worried, he was loosing weight and he was just so sleepy most of the time. To get him to wake up I would have to undress him and blow on his tummy, stroke his face and make a lot of noise. On the third day of being in hospital, I was just so worried about him, his weight loss and the fact that he still wasn’t latching on properly I broke down in tears. They say the 3rd day is always the worst day when you have your baby blues. I didn’t feel I was getting the support I needed from the midwives, until a lovely midwife came to see me and told me they would get the breastfeeding counsellor to see me.

I talked about Noah and his lack of breastfeeding, the midwives were worried about his weight so we decided I would express and give it to him in a cup, every three hours. Can you imagine what that was like especially during the night. I would spend at least 30 minutes trying to wake him up, then it would take about an hour to feed him and then I would have to express again. I hardly got any sleep whilst at the hospital. I was using the hospital expressing machine. It was hard work but I new that I was doing the best for my little man.
Did I feel like giving up? Yes especially during the night feeds and also with the negativity and lack of support I was getting from some of the midwives.

I was discharged from the hospital on the Tuesday I just wanted to go home. Noah was feeding a little bit better and was still taking little bits from the cup.

But by the following Sunday he had lost more weight, he still looked jaundice and had not opened his bowels since the Monday before (a week). The midwife was worried that he may have bowel problems and obviously she wanted to get the jaundice checked out. We ended up back at the hospital. They kept us in hospital to keep an eye on Noah.

It was decided that as Noah’s sodium level was higher than normal, I would put him to the breast for 5 minutes on each breast and top him up with 60ml (by cup). His first feed was fine, the second he didn’t wake up but took it all anyway. The third 6.00am he woke for and took straight away.

On the Tuesday he had done two poo’s and had gained weight as well we were allowed to go home.

After that it wasn’t plane sailing Noah didn’t take to breastfeeding straight away but by Christmas I wasn’t expressing he was solely taking milk from the breast. He was also sleeping through the night from 6 weeks.

With patience and persistence we had done it. It definitely got easier as his strength and muscle tone picked up and to be honest we haven’t looked back since. I’m so glad I was able to breastfeed Noah. It was the best thing I ever did and I believe it has helped with Noah’s speech, he babbles for England.

I understand it may not be possible to breastfeed your baby due to the baby having health problems, low muscle tone etc. But you could always express milk if you feel up to it and give it in a cup.

Here are some added benefits to breastfeeding your baby: -

 Protection from infection and bowel problems. Babies with Down Syndrome are especially prone to respiratory tract infections and problems of the bowel. Your milk will provide your baby with immunities to infection and ease of digestion that formula cannot.

 Improved mouth and tongue coordination. Due to the unique sucking action required to breastfeed, these babies experience mouth and tongue coordination improvement, which promotes their speech and language development later on.

 Increased brain growth. Human milk has a fatty acid known as DHA that is not present in cow's milk. This fatty acid has been shown to increase brain growth and development. Several studies have shown that children who were breastfed generally score 8 points higher on IQ tests than their formula-fed peers. This increased brain stimulation is especially beneficial for the child with this disability.

 Extra stimulation. The extra skin-to-skin contact that goes hand-in-hand with breastfeeding gives babies extra stimulation to more fully develop their capabilities.

 Closeness between mother and baby. Nursing your baby with a special need assures that you spend lots of time cuddling and getting to know your baby better. It also can help you feel that you are doing something meaningful for your child's well-being.

 Enhanced mothering skills. The skills you will use in the early weeks of breastfeeding to help your baby learn to nurse - the encouraging, the coaxing, and the teaching are the same skills you will need over the years to help your child reach his potential.

Below are some more links about breastfeeding a baby with Down syndrome:-

Australian Breastfeeding Association

Answers & Questions with Anne Smith