What are the signs of Downs Syndrome?

[mum2jakeyroo]

Just had ds3 5 weeks ago. He has been a very placid, sleepy and lethargic baby so far. Since he was born I have felt there has been something different about him and dh mentioned that he looked like he had ds. How obvious are the signs at this age and what should I be looking for?
Tia. x

Bumping for you.

I am not sure, but we had a family friend whose baby was dx with downs at almost 6 months so I guess in some cases it must not be that obvious (although this was 20 years ago). Have you talked to your GP? At worst you will come across as a paranoid parent (and they deal with thousands of those) and at best you will be able to put your mind at rest one way or the other.

Thanks goosey. Posted thread twice - pc went bonkers. He is just really lethargic and has a look iyswim.

Would you feel able to post a photo so those parents with a child with DS could advise?

I would suggest you see your GP or HV for a professional check.

I think the one that you could look for at present is this:

"A single crease across the center of the palms of the hands. This is called a transverse palmar crease or simian line"
Also look here

It's NOT a diagnosis so presence or absence doesn't mean anything for sure.

Best talk to your HV or GP. They can help you decide whther you are dreaming things up or there is something really wrong.

If they agree with you, then can refer you for a simple blood test which diagnoses the chromosome abnormality.

The signs of DS are :

low-set eyes that slope upwards, with vertical skin folds (epicanthic folds) between the upper eyelids and the inner corner of the eye
small mouth, which means the tongue may seem big and may stick out
flattening at the back of the head
a flattened nose bridge
broad hands with a single crease
floppiness due to loose muscle tone
small, low-set ears
low birth weight and short stature
gap between big toe and other toes
tops of ears 'turned over'

mum2jakeyroo, if you feel something is not quite right DO go and see your GP or HV. they will hopefully help you to get some proper advice x

Can he hold his head up at all or it just that he is sleepy?

Dd was the 'floppy baby' and couldn't support her head even by 6-7 months well. But I just dismissed it initially as I thought newborn babies don't support their heads. I was really surprised with ds at how much he actually could support his head even at 3 days old (for a few seconds - normal new born level).

Since this is your third I guess you have a better comparison.

Hi. Our DS2 was born with Downs in April & is normally spotted immediately. It is incredibly rare for it to be missed. Things to look for are:-
Single crease across palm of the hand
Bridge of the nose is flat
Thick neck and what funkam said Sorry just saw that.

These things should be checked with every baby born (or did you have yours at home?)

Go to www.downs-syndrome.org.uk

Good luck. Our DS2 seems to win the hearts of everyone around him as he has the biggest smile. See piccies on my profile

Just to say, please feel free to contact me if you need anyone to talk to. I don't have a computer at home but check MN & my e-mail every day at work, which is splatt73 at yahoo dot com.

Is he a slow feeder ? Babies with DS often have problems feeding to do low muscle tone - resulting in a poor suck and they also find the co-ordination difficult.

My son has DS and is now 5. I remember sitting for an hour for each bottle ( we tried breast feeding with no success ) We'd strip him and change his nappy mid feed to wake him to keep him going...

Ditto for the slow feeder thing.

Just wanted to say that it may not be Downs but could still be something.

My dd has a different chromosome abnormality and has a flat nose, the epicanthic folds on the eyes etc which gave her a 'look' as you say but was not caught soon because it wasn't DS. So it wasn't the absolute classic things that they look for.

But in hind sight, the low muscle tone (floppy and poor feeding) in itself should have been enough to warrant an investigation.

So don't feel silly about it - these niggling doubts are not to be dismissed (specially since you are an experienced mum with ds3) so please DO talk to your HV /GP.