Communication of the diagnosis of Down's syndrome in New Zealand, 1972-88.

A postal questionnaire was sent to 117 mothers of Down's syndrome children born between 1972 and 1988 in New Zealand, and the response is compared to a similar study of 123 mothers in Scotland whose children were born between 1972 and 1981. Highly significant differences were found in the number of New Zealand children delivered by general practitioners and in the rate of breast feeding amongst New Zealand Down's syndrome children. Significant differences were also found in the later New Zealand cohort with respect to the mothers having seen a social worker, having been given literature and been given an appointment to see a paediatrician. In common with the Scottish study, only half of the mothers felt that their general practitioner or Plunket nurse had been helpful to them after the birth of their child. The implications of the results for the care of Down's syndrome children in New Zealand are discussed.