Tag: Special needs parenting
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Motherhood with a Child with Down Syndrome: When Chaos, Kindness, and Courage Meet
A therapy day that started like any other Today was another therapy day in motherhood with a child with Down syndrome. These days are never simple, but sometimes they surprise you. We were picked up by social transport right from our door. It was comfortable, calm – almost too smooth to be real. My son…
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Holding On in the Middle of Everything: Motherhood, Fear, and Quiet Strength
When love and exhaustion live side by side Some days feel like a contradiction. In motherhood with a child with Down syndrome, there is so much love it almost hurts—and at the same time, a weight that presses on every thought and movement. These feelings don’t cancel each other out. They exist together, constantly shifting,…
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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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Why Physiotherapy and Swimming Matter So Much with a Down Syndrome Diagnosis
Physiotherapy and swimming for Down syndrome diagnosis deserve special attention, because the benefits are immense. From my experience, most children with Down syndrome are hypermobile, meaning their joints are very flexible. Their muscles are often softer and slightly weaker than average, which can make certain developmental milestones harder to reach—and usually means they reach them…
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What Broke Me More Than the Diagnosis Itself
Knowing, Wanting, and Choosing From the Very Beginning This is an honest story about what hurt more than a Down syndrome diagnosis during pregnancy—lack of support, harmful comments, and learning to survive day by day. I learned about my son’s Down syndrome diagnosis at 12 weeks of pregnancy. It was a shock, of course —…
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Living in the Countryside: Joys, Challenges, and Raising a Child with Down Syndrome
We live in the countryside.Our village has around 100 people. The nearest town, with about 10,000 residents, is a one-hour drive away. This is a huge luxury when you consider how many people around the world live in matchbox-sized apartments in concrete apartment blocks. No wonder birth rates are so low. Children are born where…
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Living on One Income While Raising a Child with Down Syndrome
Choosing Priorities Over Perfection Raising a family on one income is a choice that requires clarity and courage. For us, the decision was simple: we prioritize our children and our family life over material comforts. I could go back to work tomorrow—my teaching skills and master’s degree make it possible—but I choose not. Why? Because…
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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…