Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Mitch & Harry update...

As the readers of my blog would know we have recently been concerned that both boys may have Cerebral Palsy. Today we saw a specialist at the hospital and he is cautiously optimistic that both boys are showing NO signs of CP. He acknowledged that they are developmentally delayed, but he says that their level of language and motor skills would still be considered within the "norm" for their corrected age. It would be remarkable if they didn't have delays due to their extreme prematurity, low birth weight and rocky road through NICU - so Kev & I are both happy that at this stage there are no glaring problems. As for their odd walking style he noted it wasn't consistent with CP - as it comes and goes and he feels that as the boys develop muscle mass and strength they will become more stable.

He also mentioned that extremely premature babies often have learning problems - which aren't always based on intelligence, but on the way the child learns. So we need to be mindful of working with the boys' kindy and school teachers to find the optimal method of learning for both boys. From my very rudimentary understanding of learning this can also be the case for many full term children, but it is interesting. Recent research has indicated that the premature baby's brain is anatomically different to the brain of the fullterm baby and this may help explain the learning difficulties and developmental issues faced by many premature babies.

What does this mean for Mitch & Harry? Life for them goes on as usual - they are happy, sociable little boys, which will hopefully stand them in good stead for the future. We are extremely blessed that despite their awful start to life they are walking, talking and developing. It is certainly not the case for all premature babies born so early. Now we have a plan for some additional therapy to assist them and us in optimising their development. While we are mindful that there may be further hurdles in the future, we are trying to focus on enjoying the boys' childhood while preparing them to be happy, sociable individuals. And they certainly are social butterflies as evidenced by this afternoon in the hospital playground - both boys walked around the play equipment holding hands with a new little friend they met and talking with other children.

Hugs,
Lisa

6 comments:

Jodi Devine said...

Not that this makes it easy or easier but I kinda thought that may have been the case.

So well said!

Jodi
xxx

Lisa - Mum to Mitch,Harry and Jack said...

Thanks Jode - your support means more than you know.
Hugs,
Lisa

Shelly said...

See- every person is different regardless of the label. You are in my prayers and I am linking you to my website... hope you don't mind.

Shelly
http://web.mac.com/sjweiss

Lisa - Mum to Mitch,Harry and Jack said...

Thank you Shelly for your support.
Hugs,
Lisa

Anonymous said...

Lisa
You know my thoughts are always with you and you know that I'm here if you need to let it all out!

Jess

Anonymous said...

My son was born prematurely and spent six weeks in an incubator at the hospital. He is 19 now, a student at a college in Vancouver, Canada studying Computer game design. Glenn is dyslexic and has a very mild speech impediment. On the other hand, he has compensated for that and is a happy, normal fellow for his age. Your kids will be fine.