Ros Escott wrote:

>Sorry, no preliminary data available yet, but I was impressed with a
>report of one mother with inverted nipples who breastfed a Down's
>baby using a nipple shield for nine months  - until one day her
>nipples "just popped out".  She threw away the shield and kept going
>for many more months.

Two quick comments.  In the community of people with disabilities, there is
a strong drive to get people to use "People First" language.  That means to
refer to the person first, then their disability, and only when that
disability is relevant to what you are saying.  So instead of "...a Down's
baby..." the preferred phrasing is "a baby with Down Syndrome."  That
focuses on the baby, not the condition.  Likewise, "the man in the
wheelchair" rather than "the crippled man" or the "woman who is
hearing-impaired" not the "deaf woman."  This isn't just being "politically
correct" for PC's sake, but rather trying to get people to focus on the
person, not the disability.  Also, it is now known as "Down Syndrome"
without the apostrophe, and with the "Syndrome."  Finally, wherever it isn't
relevant, it isn't necessary to mention the disability.  If any baby would
have had trouble nursing from this mother because she had inverted nipples
(would you call her the "inverted nipple woman"?), then the fact that the
baby had Down Syndrome isn't relevant.

Kathy Dettwyler
Mother of three children, one of whom happens to have Down Syndrome.