The diagnosis of Down syndrome can be made during pregnancy through specific tests such as nuchal clarity, cordocentesis and amniocentesis, which not all pregnant women need to do, but which are generally recommended by the obstetrician when the mother is over 35 years old or when the pregnant woman has Down syndrome.
These tests may also be requested when the woman has already had a baby with Down syndrome, if the obstetrician notices an alteration in the ultrasound that leads her to suspect the syndrome, or if the baby’s father has a mutation linked to chromosome 21.
- The pregnancy of a baby with Down syndrome is exactly the same as that of a baby who does not have down syndrome.
- However.
- More tests are needed to assess the health of the baby’s development.
- Which should be slightly lower and have less weight for the baby.
- Gestational baby age.
Tests that give 99% accuracy in the outcome and serve to prepare parents for the reception of a baby with Down syndrome are:
When they know the diagnosis, it’s best for parents to look for information about the syndrome to know what to expect in the growth of a child with Down syndrome.Learn more about the characteristics and treatments needed in: What Life Is Like After The Diagnosis of Down Syndrome.
Diagnosis after birth may be made after observing the baby’s characteristics, which may include:
The more features the baby has, the greater the chances of Having Down syndrome, however, about 5% of the population also has one of these characteristics and having only one is not indicative of this syndrome, so it is important that blood tests are performed.made to identify the characteristic mutation of the disease.
Other features of the syndrome include the presence of heart disease, which may require surgery and an increased risk of ear infections, but each person has their own changes and therefore each baby with this syndrome should be followed by the pediatrician, in addition to the cardiologist, pneumologist, physiotherapist and speech therapist.
Children with Down syndrome also experience delayed psychomotor development and begin to sit, crawl and walk later than expected; In addition, it usually has a mental retardation that can range from mild to very severe, which can be verified by its development.
Watch the video below and learn how to stimulate your baby’s development with Down syndrome:
The person with Down syndrome may have other health problems such as diabetes, cholesterol, triglycerides, like anyone else, but they may still suffer from autism or another syndrome at the same time, although this is not very common.