Seeing other parents in public

So my daughter had an at birth diagnosis of DS after I hemorrhaged at home, and then was flown to a nicu because she also had heart failure. I said goodbye to my 18 month old who I had never been separated from, ever, not even for an hour for the month she was in hospital. It was a very traumatizing experience. My husband also could not come with me. It was a very isolating experience.

I didn’t even know where to start processing. The social worker at the hospital gave me a book about babies with Down syndrome, and I had Google. All I did was watch videos to learn about this huge new part of life and hold my baby and I guess cry too at night. That’s pretty much it. I wish the CDC would put up different pictures.

Anyways, fast forward, things are so good now, so so so much better, she’s out of heart failure, no surgery scheduled, heart is healing, and at age even for gross motor development at almost a year old. She will be walking soon I believe.

So we’re at the grocery store, and I see a young man with his mom I assume, and he also looks like he has DS. And I just feel this impulse, to say “look, us too!”, like I want to talk to her, but I absolutely freeze, I just want so badly to say “I see you, do you see us?”, or something, I don’t know. So then I end up looking like I’m staring at her and her son, and at my baby and back at her and I want to call out or wave, anything, ugh…and nothing comes out and she moves on with her shopping and me too.

So um, I guess my question is this, for those of you experienced parents, like if a new parent came up to you and just wanted to connect, how would I? Would it be a huge bother? Obviously everyone is an individual and everyone has their own day going on, but…I just feel such a desire to say, like hey, us too. How did you do it? How was your experience? How are things going. I honestly don’t know what I want to say but when I see other people like her, other families, I just want to say something.

I don’t know if this makes sense.

Anyways, would love to hear if others can relate, give advice, etc.