On Carrying "Special" Children

Bettina Attenberger, Occupational Therapist

Published in "Deutsche Hebammenzeitschrift" (German Midwifery Journal), issue 12/2002

Carrying Into a Somewhat Different Life

What are special children?
Of course, every child is something very special. A unique and wonderful little personality that you've waited months for. Sometimes, though, a newborn child's life begins differently than you imagined, for example through unexpected physical or intellectual disabilities. In this kind of situation, life after the birth involves much bigger adjustments for the parents concerned than for parents who have brought a healthy child into the world.

Often it's the circumstances themselves that are "SPECIAL", for example through unsettling reactions to the child's unexpected condition from family, friends, or acquaintances. On top of that come frequent doctor's visits, hospital stays, or therapy appointments, which can seriously HINDER a calm family life together. In the period following such a birth, accompanied by fear, grief, uncertainty, rejection, despair, hoping and worrying, asking 'why', and many sleepless nights, using a well-fitted baby wrap or a good carrier can be a very great support.

How Can Carrying Help During This Turbulent Time?

• Carrying babies first of all meets their need for physical contact and security, and can make a significant contribution to a calmer everyday life.
• Parents have their hands free more often, can get tasks done without constant interruptions, and still stay in close contact with the baby, which in turn strengthens the bond.
• The breastfeeding relationship can be positively influenced; for mothers who aren't breastfeeding, carrying can support physical contact with the baby instead.
• Communication between babies and parents works better: in a carrier, the mother notices every movement and every sign of discomfort straight away and can respond promptly, without the baby first having to cry loudly to get attention.

Further Examples of the Benefits of Carrying

• A baby with GORD (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease) can become much calmer through upright carrying on the body: it doesn't keep lying in a "pool of milk", has less damp clothing, and according to recent studies, fewer middle-ear infections too. It's also likely to cry much less, since milk mixed with stomach acid rises back into the oesophagus less often.
• With hip dysplasia, a correctly tied wrap can, in some cases, be a great support for hip joint maturation and, in consultation with the orthopaedist, may shorten the time a splint needs to be worn.
• There are quite a few life situations in which carrying a child on the body can make life together easier. Premature babies, for example, benefit from what's known as "continued kangaroo carrying"; blind children gain a sense of security far more quickly because they can feel their parents; children with Down syndrome take part in daily life more intensively – the list could go on.

The constant movement of the person carrying stimulates the child's sense of balance above all, something we all need, which has a positive effect on brain maturation and motor development. We also promote the tactile sense: the baby feels the wrap, clothing, or bare skin, breathes in the parents' scent, and feels safe and secure.

Individual Guidance

Competent guidance and, if needed, a home visit from the babywearing consultant are important here, so that early help doesn't fail simply because parents have a long way to travel. High-quality guidance must not fall into "pigeonhole thinking" (for example, never!!! putting a child with Down syndrome in a stretchy wrap), because in my view there is no single right carrier for a given disability. A consultant should always keep the individual needs of each family in view, and this applies equally to healthy, disabled, or ill children.

For babywearing consultants without medical training, it's well worth working together with other professionals whenever there's doubt or uncertainty, in my experience. This helps avoid mistakes, and it builds networks that in turn reach far more parents who want to build a strong, carrying bond with their child.

Bettina Attenberger is an occupational therapist and founder of the Trageschule NRW (NRW Babywearing School) in Ratingen. For more than two decades she has focused on carrying babies and children as well as early childhood bonding, and has trained babywearing consultants since 1997. She is also a SAFE mentor and the mother of two children she carried herself.