Due to being born early, one of the membranes in Avi's brain did not completely form all the way. When she was first born, they thought the entire membrane was missing but after an MRI they discovered that it was only partially missing. This is called Absent Septum Pellucidum (it took me a long time to get that right!) This meant that instead of being severely special needs, she was just at risk for some developmental delays. Of course, it's so hard to tell with an infant how severe the delays might be but they figured it was a pretty mild case. We received all of this information in her referral pacakge and it was a little scary, I have to admit. Even though we already knew we were saying yes to this baby, the fear of the unknown had me worried. They told us that we would need to follow up with a neurologist once we got back to Canada. We met our paediatrician last month and she was very pleased with Aviannah. She said she was doing extremely well and she wasn't expecting, based on her charts, to see such a healthy baby. We already knew she was doing well, but it was nice to get that reassurance from a professional. She put in a referral for us to the neurologist.
I was nervous going into yesterday's appointment. I know that Aviannah is doing great and I haven't seen any signs of delays. She is not doing all the things a normal 6 month old would be doing but she is at 4 months corrected age and they say preemies take at least 2 years or more to catch up. Even with all that, she still seems to be reaching milestones fairly on par! She also seems super smart to me. She responds to her name and to voices of people she knows. My mom talked to her on the phone the other day and she immediately starting babbling when she heard her voice. I could tell she recognized it! She mimics sounds and actions and has no problem grasping toys and putting them in her mouth.
Even with all that, I was scared there was still going to be something wrong. The neurologist asked lots of questions about her development and did an exam, moving her arms and legs and checking if she was using both sides of her body equally (meaning both sides of the brain are working together and at the same pace). He said typically they do an MRI and he was fully expecting to have to do one with her based on her charts from Las Vegas but after doing the exam he said that she was in no need of one. He said this was not the baby he was expecting to see at all. He said she seems right on par with her corrected age and maybe even a bit advanced. He also said that normally he would see her in 3 months, but since we were following up with our paediatrician, there was no need to see her again unless problems arose.
This was amazing news and I almost started crying right there in his office. I often think back to that tiny, fragile 4 lb baby we met in the NICU, with a nasal canula and wires attached to her. I remember how they told us she would likely need to go home on oxygen and possibly be on oxygen until she was up to 8 years old. I look at her now, a strong, happy 12 lb 6 month old who has no breathing problems whatsoever and I am amazed at what she has overcome. I don't know what lies ahead for her but I know who holds her future. Whatever we face, I know we're not alone. God doesn't make mistakes. It wasn't mistake that she was born early, or that her brain didn't fully form like it was supposed to. He's got an amazing plan for her life and I'm thankful I get to watch it all unfold. She's our perfect little miracle.
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