William Sears is your baby. Beginning of life. Your child from birth to one year read online. How capable are these children?

Here we would like to place a quote from the book by William and Martha Sears " YOUR CHILD: Everything you need to know about your baby from birth to age two"(MOSCOW, KRON-PRESS KORONA, 1994)

In the preface to their book they write: “ We not only wrote this book, we lived it. In the book “Your Child” we share our own experience - we raised eight of our own children and over 20 years of work in pediatrics, thousands of others passed through our hands...”

When Martha's last contraction passed and the baby's head appeared in the birth canal, a chubby hand with a crooked finger also popped out. Instantly, on a hunch, I realized that we were destined to become parents of a child with Down syndrome. We did not expect the kind of child we received.

When we think about Steven, we understand that an unusual child requires a special approach. In communication with such children, the principle of mutual influence is especially clearly manifested. Stephen develops new skills and we learn along with him. He brings out the best in us. Here are the most general provisions associated with this fairly common congenital pathology.

Frequency of this disease

Down's disease, named after Dr. Langdon Down, who first described such children in 1866, is diagnosed in every 700 newborns. The risk of the disease increases with maternal age:

among mothers under 25 years of age - 1 child per 2000 newborns,

under 30 years old - 1 in 1300
up to 35 years - 1 in 400
up to 40 years old - 1 in 90
up to 45 years old - 1 in 32
up to 50 years old - 1 to 8

These numbers can be scary, but it all depends on how you present them. If a doctor tells a woman, “At 35, you are 5 times more likely to have a child with Down syndrome than at 20,” many mothers will refrain from conceiving. This is how I present the same numbers to parents. At the age of 20, you have a 99.95% chance of not having such a child, and at the age of 35, you only have a 99.75% chance. Doesn't it sound much more comforting? Therefore, in my opinion, at 35 years old it is too early to be afraid of conception, at 45 it is possible. But even at 45 years old, you have a 97% chance that your child will not have Down syndrome. So these risk numbers should not scare late-birthing mothers.

Therefore, we do not consider it reasonable to subject a pregnant mother at age 35 to special tests to detect the disease. Think about it: at age 35, your chance of having a child with Down syndrome is 0.25%. The risk of harm to a normal child during the required test is 1%. Currently, even the AFP test (for a-fetalprotein) does not allow an accurate conclusion about the presence of Down's disease in the fetus, which is a source of unnecessary concern for parents. Whether or not to conduct a preliminary test is up to you and your doctor, but keep in mind that the doctor is required by law to offer such a test to a woman over 35 years of age. Think about these numbers when you make your decision.

Why does Down's disease occur?

A normal sperm and egg contain 23 chromosomes each. When fertilized, they form a cell containing 46 chromosomes. Sperm and eggs divide in a normal way called meiosis, producing exact copies of themselves. But sometimes during meiosis a violation occurs, and one cell does not receive a chromosome and dies. The other gets an extra chromosome and continues to live. If this cell (in 95% of cases it is an egg) meets a sperm (or egg), then the resulting egg contains 47 chromosomes. In the case of Down's disease, the extra chromosome is number 21. In genetics, this is called trisomy 21, since the cell contains three chromosomes with the number 21. There are other trisomies, which usually end in miscarriage or death in infancy. Why an extra chromosome causes Down syndrome is unknown. This unequal cell division is called undercleavage. It occurs randomly, and in 95% of cases it explains chromosomal abnormalities in Down syndrome.

A rare genetic form of this disease (in only 2-3% of sick children) occurs due to translocation. In this case, one chromosome 21 breaks its connection with a chromosome of the same number and joins another, creating the appearance that there are only 45 chromosomes in the cell. At the same time, such a person has no deviations from the norm, since he has the necessary genetic material - a set of 46 chromosomes. But when his egg or sperm, which contains a misaligned chromosome 21, unites with the egg or sperm of another person, the resulting cell will have 3 chromosomes 21, although it appears that there are only 46. To determine whether your child has genetic abnormalities and which ones, a sample is tested his blood. The type of chromosomal abnormality (undersegregation or translocation) can be determined by looking at the arrangement of the chromosomes in the blood cell. Although the translocation itself depends on the case, the person who has it is a carrier of cells in which chromosome 21 may be misaligned and therefore his child is at greater risk of developing Down syndrome. If a child has a translocation, blood tests of the parents will show whether this happened by chance or whether there is a risk of passing this anomaly on to future children.

Another type of Down's disease is called mosaic, since in it, along with cells containing an extra chromosome 21, there are also cells with a normal set. That is why not one, but many blood cells are studied. Sometimes, but not in all cases, the lesion is less pronounced in a child with the mosaic type.

Why here?

Chromosomal abnormalities occur randomly. You can't cause them because you did something wrong during pregnancy. A woman is born with a certain set of eggs; new ones are not produced during her life. The longer an egg lives, the more likely it is that something wrong will happen to it. Why this happens to sperm is a mystery. New sperm are constantly created by the body. There is no such thing as an “old sperm”. For some unknown reason, the risk of undercleavage in sperm increases when a man is over 50 years old.

Down's disease and other pathologies

Children with Down syndrome may have health problems, which include various diseases.

— Heart disease: 40% of these children are born with abnormalities in the development of the heart. Some of them can be eliminated through surgery.

- Stomach diseases: approximately 4% of these children have congenital obstruction of the upper intestine (duodenal atresia). The obstruction is removed surgically, opening the path for food.

— Hypothyroidism: develops in 10% of children with Down syndrome. Because the possibility of this condition increases with age and it may not be detected during testing, it is helpful to have your child's thyroid function checked at least every 2 years.

— Vision problems: many children with Down syndrome develop various eye diseases, such as strabismus, nearsightedness, farsightedness, and cataracts.

— Hearing problems: approximately 50% of these children suffer from varying degrees of hearing loss. They are also at increased risk of middle ear infections.

- Unstable vertebrae: About 10-20% of these children have instability in the first two vertebrae - where the spine connects to the neck. Such children are susceptible to spinal disorders when shaken or engaged in strength sports.

All children with Down syndrome should have an X-ray of the upper spine before they go to school or play sports (4 to 5 years of age).

- Frequent colds: with Down's disease, immunity is reduced, which, coupled with a small nasal passage, contributes to the more frequent occurrence of fistulas and ear inflammation in children

How capable are these children?

Children with Down syndrome have reduced intelligence, some to a greater extent, others to a lesser extent. If you intervene in time and apply special methods of education for their development, they will subsequently be able to study in regular classes in secondary schools. The language delay is most noticeable in such children. Their development of motor coordination is also slow, so watching their development is like watching a movie about an ordinary child in slow motion. Since such a child’s passing of developmental milestones is not something predetermined, parents experience special joy when they see that he has nevertheless overcome them.

What these children miss in learning, they gain in communication. Like all children, they have their bad and good days, but overall they are outgoing, affectionate, and exude a relaxed attitude. Their kindness and thoughtfulness are sometimes so contagious that those who see them ask the question, who is normal here? And this is a big plus for children with Down syndrome.

Raising These Special Children

When raising these children, the bonding style truly shines. It develops in you the ability to guess all the needs of the child (almost like a sixth sense). You will need deep intuition and observation, since at first the signals of such a child are difficult to understand (see p. 201 for practical tips on breastfeeding children with Down syndrome).

If you compare your child's behavior and development to other children, you risk losing touch with him. Every time I examined my special child, I thought, “He doesn't look or act right.” In reality, I filled my mind with the depressing feeling that our child was inferior compared to others. And the real epiphany was when I was able to concentrate not on this, but on its special advantages.

On the other hand, if one child is spoon-fed all the time, this can cause discord in the family. There needs to be some balance. Some mothers concentrate entirely on the child with Down syndrome, forgetting about the rest of the family. Such mothers often think: “My child needs a lot from me. And the husband can take care of himself.” In fact, spouses need to take care of each other, then raising a child will be more fruitful.

A word of advice to friends and family: the worst thing you can do is express sympathy for the parents of a child with Down syndrome. Words like: “I sympathize with you, I’m very sorry...” can only humiliate both the child and the parents. In the end, the mother gave birth to a child, albeit abnormal, according to our standards, but this is an individual who will contribute to both the family and society. After the birth of our child, when the parade of friends began to our house, I remember the most encouraging wish of one wise old woman: “I want you to be happy and love your child”.

All rights reserved. No part of the electronic version of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including posting on the Internet or corporate networks, for private or public use without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Books for expectant mothers

"Beginning of life. Your child from birth to one year"

The health of a child depends to a much greater extent on his parents than on all pediatricians combined. The famous children's doctor Evgeny Komarovsky offers a guide that will help you avoid many problems. This accessible and fascinating book will tell in detail about the most difficult and important stage in the life of a child and his parents.

“The health of the child and the common sense of his relatives”

A new edition of a wonderful book by the famous pediatrician Evgeniy Komarovsky.

Everything you need to know about pregnancy and feeding, about the growth and development of the child, about proper care and possible diseases. Accessible, fascinating and very useful information addressed to future and existing parents.

"Waiting for the Baby"

Nine months of pregnancy are the happiest and most responsible time for every woman. Reputable obstetricians and pediatricians with many years of experience, William and Martha Sears, share their professional experience. The book will help you find emotional peace and arm yourself with the necessary knowledge: you will learn about all the changes that will happen to your body, well-being and consciousness.

“9 months of happiness. Desk aid for pregnant women"

Researcher and obstetrician-gynecologist Elena Berezovskaya presents a complete guide for expectant mothers - everything you need to know about planning a baby, the pregnancy period, and preparing for childbirth. The book debunks popular myths about infertility, “hidden” infections, viruses, and Rh conflict. You will get rid of worries, fears, worries and calmly endure pregnancy.

Introduction from Dr. Sears - Bill, Martha, Bob and Jim

We, Bill and Martha, not only wrote this book - we lived it. We share with you our experience of caring for our own eight children and caring for thousands of other children, accumulated over forty years of pediatric practice. Our experience was enriched with new ideas when Doctors Bill and Jim and their families joined our work. Having learned to astutely observe babies and their parents, we recorded everything that works for most parents almost without failure. Every day in our office, we eagerly absorbed practical advice from successful parents. This book was written on the job. The book is generously sprinkled with these tips. We understand that your love for your child and the desire to be a good parent makes you receptive to any advice regarding your child. But children are too precious and parents are too vulnerable for an author offering unverified information. We seriously take full responsibility for what we teach. Each statement has been carefully verified and has stood the test of time.

We also take into account the enormous employment of modern parents. We ourselves live, juggling the suddenly emerging needs of our children and our own professional responsibilities. In our book, we present basic principles that will help you become a responsive nanny for your child as you find an approach that suits your child's needs and fits into your lifestyle. We recommend adopting a loving style of communication with your child to balance the high-tech life of the new age.

From this book you will learn how to take care of your baby so that both he and you show your best qualities.

Since the publication of the first edition of the book “Your Baby from Birth to One Year,” it has become a real bible for caring for young children for millions of parents. We are very pleased to know that our advice has helped new parents around the world enjoy caring for their children. In the new edition you will find new topics, the discussion of which is based on the wishes of our readers, as well as new things that have appeared in pediatrics and in child care methods over the past twenty years.

The euphoria from the work we have done, as a result of which many children and parents around the globe have become happier, healthier and have found joy in communicating with each other, is reinforced by thousands of grateful reviews, 50,000 fans on Facebook, 5,000 readers of our magazine on Twitter and millions of visitors to our site. We are incredibly glad that thanks to this book and our family advice presented in it, we have become, to some extent, part of your family.

Bill, Bob, Jim and Martha Sears

San Clemente, California

January 2013

Doctors Sears online

Thousands of pages of information regarding child care and health issues are now available on the Internet. Our online resource, staffed personally by Dr. Sears, examines in detail many of the issues raised in this book. We continually update information related to children's health issues to ensure you have the latest information.

On the site AskDrSears.com You can find the most interesting and unique insights on issues such as pregnancy and childbirth, feeding babies up to one year old, family nutrition, discipline and behavior, capricious children, sleep and vaccinations.

Our site is unique thanks to:

A detailed guide to over-the-counter medications, including dosage information (see Dr Sears's Medicine Cabinet)

Detailed information about many common and not very common childhood illnesses (in the Childhood Illnesses section)

Monthly review of pediatric news (in the Monthly Pediatric Health News Updates section)

Quarterly review of child health issues relevant to the current season (in the Seasonal Pediatric Health Alerts section)

Answers to your questions (in the Frequently Asked Questions section)

Interesting and funny stories from the life of Dr. Sears

Updates to this book and to all our other books. We will publish all the most important changes and updates, including the most up-to-date medical information.

Also find us on Twitter @AskDrSears and @DrBobSears, and on our Facebook pages: Ask Dr.Sears and Dr.Bob Sears.

©The electronic version of the book was prepared by liters company (www.litres.ru)

Books for expectant mothers

"Beginning of life. Your child from birth to one year"

“The health of the child and the common sense of his relatives”

A new edition of a wonderful book by the famous pediatrician Evgeniy Komarovsky.

"Waiting for the Baby"

“9 months of happiness. Desk aid for pregnant women"

Introduction from Dr. Sears - Bill, Martha, Bob and Jim

From this book you will learn how to take care of your baby so that both he and you show your best qualities.

Bill, Bob, Jim and Martha Sears

San Clemente, California

On the AskDrSears.com website you can find the most interesting and unique insights on such issues as pregnancy and childbirth, feeding babies up to one year old, family nutrition, discipline and behavior, capricious children, sleep and vaccinations.

Our site is unique thanks to:

A detailed guide to over-the-counter medications, including dosage information (see Dr Sears's Medicine Cabinet)

Detailed information about many common and not very common childhood illnesses (in the Childhood Illnesses section)

Monthly review of pediatric news (in the Monthly Pediatric Health News Updates section)

Quarterly review of child health issues relevant to the current season (in the Seasonal Pediatric Health Alerts section)

Answers to your questions (in the Frequently Asked Questions section)

Interesting and funny stories from the life of Dr. Sears

Updates to this book and to all our other books. We will publish all the most important changes and updates, including the most up-to-date medical information.

Also find us on Twitter @AskDrSears and @DrBobSears, and on our Facebook pages: Ask Dr.Sears and Dr.Bob Sears.

Getting started: baby care basics

There really is no such thing as one perfect way to raise a child, just as there are no perfect children and, believe me, there are no perfect parents - only people who have studied children and people who have more experience than you. Being a parent requires “production” practice. An abundance of advice from “experts” can damage a young parent’s intuition and deprive him of his ability to learn from experience. We're going to show you how to become your own specialist. The purpose of this book is to help you and your child adapt to each other, or get used to each other. This is how you can express the essence of the relationship between parents and child.

In the modern world, you can learn absolutely everything you want, the main thing is to read the right literature. The book “Your Baby from Birth to Two Years,” written by William and Martha Sears, will teach you how to become a real and good parent for your newborn child. Many young parents are overcome by panic and fear of what will happen to them after the birth of the child? How can their lives change dramatically? After all, friends, all as one, insist that “fun days” will begin. But all these worries are nothing more than a myth; the process of raising a child is quite pleasant if everything is organized correctly.

In the first days after the birth of a child, young parents are overwhelmed with emotions, warm and completely new feelings. But when you find yourself at home, alone with your child, you realize that you absolutely don’t know what to do next. Each of us has our own internal clock, and newborn children also have it, and their adjusters are the parents themselves. You need to very carefully determine the time when you need to feed the child, when to put him to bed, when to play and eat again. The most important thing is how to alleviate the severity of night awakenings and how to reduce them to a minimum. The main thing that young parents need to understand is that panic and fear need to be put aside and begin the pleasant process of raising and developing your baby in favorable conditions that depend directly on the parents.

The authors of the book are true professionals in their field - they are parents of eight children. The authors’ many years of professional and personal experience present a valuable publication, “Your Child from Birth to Two Years,” which will become a reference guide for every parent who dreams of raising a healthy and happy child and refute the erroneous statements of friends.

Books for expectant mothers

"Beginning of life. Your child from birth to one year"

“The health of the child and the common sense of his relatives”

A new edition of a wonderful book by the famous pediatrician Evgeniy Komarovsky.

"Waiting for the Baby"

“9 months of happiness. Desk aid for pregnant women"

Introduction from Dr. Sears - Bill, Martha, Bob and Jim

From this book you will learn how to take care of your baby so that both he and you show your best qualities.

Bill, Bob, Jim and Martha Sears

San Clemente, California

January 2013

Doctors Sears online

Our site is unique thanks to:

A detailed guide to over-the-counter medications, including dosage information (see Dr Sears's Medicine Cabinet)

Detailed information about many common and not very common childhood illnesses (in the Childhood Illnesses section)

Monthly review of pediatric news (in the Monthly Pediatric Health News Updates section)

Quarterly review of child health issues relevant to the current season (in the Seasonal Pediatric Health Alerts section)

Answers to your questions (in the Frequently Asked Questions section)

Interesting and funny stories from the life of Dr. Sears

Updates to this book and to all our other books. We will publish all the most important changes and updates, including the most up-to-date medical information.

Also find us on Twitter @AskDrSears and @DrBobSears, and on our Facebook pages: Ask Dr.Sears and Dr.Bob Sears.