Babes in Arms – blogging about select baby carriers and slings from around the world

Babwearing at Baby and Kids Expo with the Babes in Arms team April 2011

Baby Christa has turned one! Babes in Arms has been extremely privileged to share her journey right from when her mother Jennifer found out she was expecting, through to this milestone.  Today we share with you Jennifer’s latest update as we wish them future health and happiness as their journey continues. Don’t worry, we’re not letting go of them completely – we will be keeping tabs on what’s happening through Jennifer’s Twitter Updates – @cubbieberry

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Did you know that Babywearing Week also coincides with Mental Health Week and Down Syndrome Awareness Week?  World Mental Health Day is marked every year on the same date: 10th October with this years Buddy Walk on the 16^th of October. I thought it was fitting to share our year overview with you during this particular week. It will soon become evident why….

Babywearing at AuctionRooms October 2011

Babywearing and Mental Health. This hits close to home.

It is in this (final) post that I share that I have been battling with post-natal depression since our last guest blog post.   It is very difficult when one is in that ‘zone’.  One can’t think straight. Things never seem to work according to plan. Often, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Some call it black dog, while others call it the blues.  There are even those who are not aware that they have depression. Some cultures don’t have an equivalent word for it (some Asian languages’ closest translation would be “crazy” “insane” “berserk”)

Babywearing at State Of Design July 2011

Babywearing helped me manage my baby blues and I sought help when Christa turned 1 year old.  I previously battled with depression with my first child, Jiaana, who is now 5 years old. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness Therapy were helpful.  When Christa arrived, and had her open-heart surgery, I couldn’t find my balance, my centre.

Babywearing at National Disability And Carer Congress March 2011

The journey with a child with special needs is a different path than you envisioned and you really need a clear head to work through all the speed humps that slow you down. Together with antidepressants and group counselling sessions at Carers Victoria the pathway became clearer for me. I wore Christa in her ERGObaby throughout my group therapy sessions and one-one sessions with the psychologist.

Babywearing at Puffing Billy May 2011

To be able to kiss and hold my baby within armslength,

To whiff my baby’s scent, the lovely smell of my breastfed baby’s breath,

The babywearing dance we sway to,

The rhythmic steps we take,

Heal and sooth the mind

And calm ones heart

Babywearing while fitting hearing aid headband October 2011

So, off I go, armed with my ERGObaby Performance carrier (which is both compact and light-weight), babywearing my one year old breastfed baby, who has Down Syndrome and other special needs. In just the one year we have survived post natal depression and Christa’s open-heart surgery. We have managed hypotonia (poor muscle tone), hearing impairment and a few curve balls. Yes, we did all that, and that is really amazing.

We were out and about through autumn, winter and now it’s spring. We’ve also hopped on our velos for the first time ever with our ERGObaby carrier when we have a pitstop at nearby café or park

A new year for us, a ‘new normal’ for us begins…….

You can read past posts about Christa’s journey by clicking the links below:

Out and About with Christa – Babywearing & Breastfeeding
World Down Syndrome Day – A Parent Perspective
Hearing Test Made Easy! An Update on Christa
Babywearing and the Special Needs Baby: Meet Christa
Babywearing and Down Syndrome

RESOURCES

Postanatal Depression and Breastfeeding

PANDA – Postnatal Depression

Christa is now 10 months old. She has just learnt to lift her head and roll and she’s practising now to sit down. She’s quite impatient and loves motion, and always wants to be somewhere more interesting than just the view from her play mat. The moment I bring out our ERGObaby carrier, Christa squeals with delight knowing she gets to see more of the world around her!

We took baby steps. First it was mere trips to her specialists and then straight home. Then we would drop off  her big sister Jiaana at her aunt’s place in the city while we mindfully managed to introduce Christa slowly to new sights and sounds of Melbourne.  Finally when we saw Christa having a great time in the ERGObaby carrier while we were walking around the city, hubby Chris and I eventually brought both our kids out everywhere we went, rain or shine !

Out and About in Melbourne - Another Rainy Day

Out and About: Grocery Shopping

Rocking to the Music of Mozart from a Lovely String Trio at Christa's Godparents Wedding

There was one thing I had to figure out: How do I breastfeed Christa while out and about with her in an ERGObaby carrier? It was rather different back when Jiaana was younger : she was already eating solids when we discovered the ERGObaby carrier. With a big sigh of relief, once again Babes In Arms came to the rescue when I stumbled upon a web video of mum demonstrating how she was breastfeeding her baby while in an ERGObaby carrier. It was THAT easy!

There seems no limits to what our little trouper Christa can accomplish! Who would have guessed that despite our baby born with Down Syndrome and having open heart surgery, she is also a babywearing breastfeeding baby!

Out and About: The Hardware Store

Happy Days!

(*for more information about breastfeeding visit http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/down.html *)

Psst, Jennifer (Christa’s mummy) is in the running to WIN a pass to the National Disability and Carers Congress, 2-3 May in Melbourne to give live reports and updates to everyone in the Every Australian Counts Community. She needs to try to get as many votes as possible for a chance. If you have a moment, please click here, and vote for Jennifer (37). Thanks.

We met Jennifer through Twitter early last year when she approached us seeking information on babywearing safety for children with special needs.  Jennifer and her husband had just become aware that the baby she was carrying had a high probability of having Down Syndrome. In May she gave birth to the divine Christa> Christa did indeed have Down Syndrome. From there we have never stopped our conversations about babywearing and special needs. Late last year, we invited Jennifer to become one of our guest bloggers and she has regularly provided us updates about baby Christa’s development and adventures.  A few days ago, we again approached Jennifer to give us a little something for World Down Syndrome Day.

This is her post, from the heart:

2011 marks our first year of awareness of a lovely celebration, one whose subjects some eugenicists think shouldn’t be celebrated at all, but rather eradicated from existence, especially since technology and science will soon be able to detect them through blood tests, and terminate them while in utero simply because the universe gave them an extra chromosome.

The beloved Dr Seuss wrote “A person is a person no matter how small”. As parents, we know the truth of this simple statement. ALL babies are born beautiful. We are truly thankful to Babes In Arms for allowing us to share our babywearing adventures with Christa.

Her profile is completely different to what most Australian parents would consider “typical” – she was born of migrant parents, of Asian descent, born with Trisomy 21 or Down Syndrome, and who had open heart surgery at the tender age of 3 months. Our little trouper Christa has shown us true strength and determination, for her right to live, to be loved and to be respected.

It is our honour to be Christa’s parents. The universe has chosen us, and both our daughters have moulded and shaped us and helped us to become better people. Our calling is loud and clear. We are here for a reason.

And we are proud to share, to raise awareness about Down Syndrome Day, the 21st of March.

Visit www.worlddownsyndromeday.org and local celebrations in Victoria can be found at www.dsav.asn.au

One of the many different medical tests our little Christa had to undergo was a Hearing Test at the Children’s Hospital. The test, although painless and non-invasive, requires the patient to be fast asleep, and anyone with a small child knows what a tricky proposition that can be. We were brought to a relaxation room with a comfy bed and recliner. The medical staff warned us that putting bubba to sleep would require patience as it may take us quite a while.

We were given roughly 2 hours to try to lull into a deep sleep.

Soon after we’d settled, Christa had a relaxing breastfeed and we whipped out our special sleeping technique: The ERGObaby carrier. Sure enough, in a matter of minutes, Christa was fast asleep! Dad Chris had to go fetch the medical staff, who were so surprised at how quickly we had settled our baby, and Christa were amazed at how deeply Christa was sleeping, in such a short time. And sure enough, she slept through the entire procedure!

Meet Christa, whom we’ve been babywearing since she was 8 weeks old. She carries with her an extra chromosome.  Yes, our baby was born with Trisomy 21, also know as Down Syndrome.   My husband Chris and I have known since she was still in utero and one of the first things we asked ourselves, can we still babywear our baby when she arrives into the world?

We’ve been practising attachment parenting (breastfeeding, co-sleeping and babywearing) since our eldest child, Jiaana, was born and we babywore Jiaana in the ERGObaby carrier up until she was nearly 3 years old.

So, long before Christa was born, we prepared ourselves for a unique parenting journey and started finding out as much as we could.   Babes In Arms, who were first to know about our baby, responded to our call for help and researched for us. They found that IT IS OKAY to babywear babies with Down Syndrome. Yay! *big sigh of relief * (Ed note: see original article here)

Dad, Chris, babywearing Christa on our way to paediatrician appointment at hospital (8 weeks old).

Soon after this photo was taken, Christa was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called Atrioventricular Septal Defect or AVSD. Simply put, she had 2 holes in her heart that needed to be patched up straight away.  She was nearly 3 months old when she had her open-heart surgery at Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.

Christa at Royal Children’s Hospital Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (September 2010)

It was quite a shock to see our baby with all those wires, but as each day passed more were taken out and soon we were told Christa was ready to go home.

We asked her cardiac specialists a very important question for when we bring Christa home:  Can we babywear her after open-heart surgery?  Sure enough, the surgeons, fellows and doctors all said, ‘YES, by all means!’ One lovely doctor even said to follow our baby’s cues and she’ll tell you whether she’s ready and happy to start babywearing!

Christa happy at home after nearly 2 weeks in the hospital

We’re now back to babywearing  and are out and about!

Follow Christa’s journey and progress as we blog about her unique adventures and milestones whilst in her ERGObaby carrier!

Down Syndrome is the most commonly occurring genetic abnormality found in humans. It does not discriminate between race or gender and is found in all societies on Earth. There is no known cause, although it does not have anything to do with what the mother or father did or didn’t do before or during the pregnancy. Although there is an increased risk amongst mothers 35 years and above, these days most babies with Down Syndrome are born to mothers under this age.

Down Syndrome occurs when a partial or full copy of chromosome 21 occurs during the formation of an embryo.  The extent to which Down Syndrome will affect a child varies  health wise and intellectually.  Typically, children with Down Syndrome will reach the milestones of their peers, but at a slower pace.

 Medical research has determined that up to 15% of children with Down Syndrome experience a misalignment of the cervical vertebrae C-1 and in the neck.  They often experience hypotonia (low muscle tone) as well. Activities that hyperextend or radically flex the neck or upper spine, or place their legs in excessive abduction (legs spread too far apart) may increase the risk of injury.

If you are intending to use a baby sling or carrier for your baby with Down Syndrome, it is  essential that you use a product that supports your baby’s neck well and offers a physiologically appropriate position for baby’s developing legs. The ERGObaby carrier with the new ‘Heart 2 Heart’ infant insert can provide this type of necessary support. I welcome you to read our post “Using Your Heart to Heart Infant Insert” prior to use to increase your knowledge of appropriate leg spread and placement.

The new ‘Heart 2 Heat’ recently also received a rave review by U.S pre-natal Chiropractor, Lalanya Bridges. Read here for more details – http://blog.babesinarms.com.au/category/ergobaby-carriers/professional-endorsements/

In his ‘Baby Book’, Dr.Sears recommends wearing bubs with special needs particularly for attachment and to enhance breastfeeding success. Coupled with recommendations from an Occupational Therapist or paediatrician, discussions with other mums who have actually experienced your situation will help you develop a babywearing style that suits you and your baby.  It was interesting to note that one of the Sears kids has Down Syndrome.

Recently we received the following testimonial from Holly, a mum to 3 boys, the third of which has Down Syndrome.

“I have three boys and have been wearing my babies for over 11 yrs. Keeping my babies close to me for easy access to nurse and comfort was very important to me as a parent. I must say, I never felt like I had children who cried all the time or where just unhappy. I totally met their needs by wearing them. My 3rd son Sam was born with Down syndrome. I treat Sam no different than my other children with the exception I had to make a few modifications with my babywearing because of his low muscle tone. One of my favorite ways to carry Sam is on my back in my Ergo. I reviewed all of my carriers with Sam’s Physical Therapist and the Ergo Baby Carrier gives Sam the most support through his bodice, allows hip flex and he can move his arms freely to use his “Sign Language” while on my back. It’s funny, I can feel him signing sometimes on my neck. Sam is now 3 1/2 yrs old and weighs 29lbs and is 33″ long. Although Sam can walk, he tires very easily, so an Ergo is always in my reach. This soft structure carrier is a win win for me, Sam and his therapy team. I can’t imagine any other way of parenting.”   Holly Pennell-Salegna, CLC,HBCE

You can visit Holly’s blog called ‘My Monkey Doodles’ here

Every family’s experience of Down Syndrome is unique. Each parent should therefore consult a health professional before choosing the most appropriate sling or carrier to carry a child with Down Syndrome. Occupational Therapists seem most qualified to make a recommendation, but a paediatrician may be able to as well.  Your local Down Syndrome Association will be able to provide further support and link you with other parents who have a child with Down Syndrome.