Cerebral Palsy

[livingwith]

My son was born 10 weeks early, weighing 3lbs, 3ozs. The day we left the hospital in San Jose the doc told us that he had some bleeding on his brain. At the time I had no idea what it could cause, they only told me that later on in Ian’s life he may have some stiffness in his legs. We followed up with early start for physical therapy Eventually we went back to Good Sam (where Ian was born) where he saw the NICU follow-up specialist. One look and she knew by the pointing of his toes there ...Read the full article

[cjwayland]

my son was born 3 lb 5 oz and 10 weeks early. he was diagnosed with cp. his cp is mild. he is now 21 months old and is just starting to crawl. your baby is still young starting early does help. young babies bodies are very resilient. there are not so many sources or information. i remeber my frustration and search for answers. the truth seems to be that professionals will have a "best guess" for future outcomes, but they won't tell you much because people especially babies sometimes are exceptional,individuals and you can't predict with certanty what will happen. They like to leave parents with hope and acceptance over time.
many cp children are very intelligent. its ok to want everything for your child. do consider that communication is what shows who we are to others it is the relationships with each other that make life what it is. help him to interact with the world. walking is all well and good but don't lose perspective its not the most important.

[rajkag]

HI there,

You posted this message quite a while ago -- what has happened since? Have you been receiving additional services as a result of the diagnosis? How is Ian doing?

I'm in the same position now you were in then: I'm waiting to receive a diagnosis for my daughter, but I'm almost positive it will be CP. (She was born 10 weeks early and they found PVL in the NICU, which puts her at high risk of CP). She has been receiving PT and OT since day one, and she is a bright and happy baby, but she is definitely delayed -- at 14 months (12 adjusted) able to sit but only if positioned carefully and with something in front of her to hold onto, and still not crawling.

So I'm anxious and looking for information and often just getting confused/scared by what's out there. Based on my observations she also has spastic diplegia, so I'd really be interested to hear anything more about your situation that you'd be willing to share.

Thanks in advance!