Tag: Down syndrome parenting
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No Time to Prepare: Facing a Third C-Section in the Middle of Real Life
How am I preparing for a third C-section? Honestly, I am not. Not in the way people imagine. There are no long walks, no quiet nesting days, no mental preparation rituals. There is only real life. And real life right now means taking care of a four-year-old and a two-year-old, both of whom are sick.…
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Just Days Away: Preparing for a Planned C-Section with Three Children on My Mind
Counting Down the Final Days Now there are only a few days left until our third child arrives by planned surgery. This planned C-section with three kids feels very different from everything I have experienced before. People often ask why a planned C-section. The answer is simple. Both of my previous births ended in emergency…
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Waiting, Healing, and Hoping: Life Before a Planned C-Section
The Quiet Before the Planned C-Section I’ve now had two monitoring sessions with the CTG straps, and everything feels calm and stable in my belly. So there is nothing left to do but wait. This planned C-section waiting time is strange. On one hand, everything is under control. On the other, life around me feels…
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Routine and Rules With Young Children
Why Routine Matters Living with a four-year-old and a two-year-old means that boredom simply does not exist. The days are full of movement, noise, and unexpected situations. Chaos is sometimes unavoidable, especially when one or both children are sick. During illness, the daily rhythm can completely fall apart. Even a simple virus means hours of…
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A Day at Home With My Two-Year-Old Son
Settling Into Our New Home We have now been living in our new home for several weeks. Life has slowly started to find its rhythm again. My partner goes to work, our four-year-old daughter goes to kindergarten, and I stay home with our two-year-old son, who has Down syndrome. Daily life with a toddler with…
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Where Is the Help? Reflections on Community, Kindness, and Raising a Family
The Idea of Community People often say that it takes a village to raise a child. In theory, there should be a sense of community between people. Neighbours supporting each other, families helping one another, and parents not having to face everything alone. But honestly, I often wonder where that village actually is. Sometimes it…
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Being Pregnant While Parenting Two Toddlers
I am currently 8 months pregnant. At home I have a four-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son. Life is busy, noisy, and full of movement from morning until evening. Being pregnant after having a child with Down syndrome brings many emotions. Our two-year-old has Down syndrome, and now we are expecting another baby. This pregnancy…
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Settling Into Our New Home with a Four- and Two-Year-Old
I previously wrote about our move to a new home. Now I want to share more about moving with young children; what it has been like living here with our four- and two-year-old children. Despite everything, both children are happy in the new home. Our daughter has her moods, as usual. Our son does too.…
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How I Learned to Advocate for My Child
When I first learned that my son has Down syndrome early in pregnancy, I felt a wave of shock and fear—but I knew from the start that I wanted him. I immediately started reading books about the syndrome and sought guidance from parents who had real-life experience raising children with the diagnosis. I thought sharing…
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Moving: Making Space for a Growing Family
Alongside the arrival of our third baby, another big change is ahead of us—we are moving. These two things are closely connected. We have been living on the upper floor of my partner’s parents’ house for five years now, together with our four-year-old daughter and our two-year-old son, who has Down syndrome. Our third baby…