Pssssssst. Hello?

Is this thing on? This is my first post for 5 Minutes for Special Needs. I figure before I get into the nitty gritty posts, I’d introduce myself and my family. My name is Cheryl. I have a husband- Adam- who I’ve been with for 10 years and married for 5 years. We have 2 children together, Lauren who will be 4 in January and Jillian who just turned 2 in September. Lauren is our “typically developing child” and Jillian has Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy.

Our journey into the Special Needs world started when I was just 12 weeks pregnant with Jillian. I had opted to take the Maternal Serum Screening test (a simple blood test to look for any chromosomal defects). My results came back suggesting there might be a chromosomal defect. Adam and I opted for the amniocentesis. I always feel that I have to reassure everyone by saying that Adam and I wouldn’t have done anything with the results, we just needed to know for us. Thankfully the results came back fine. My OBGYN said that the original test might have registered high if I had (or was experiencing) a problem with Jillian’s placenta. I was closely monitored for the rest of my pregnancy.

At 29 weeks, 3 days, my water spontaneously ruptured. I was placed on hospital bed rest because Jillian was breech and they didn’t want a prolapsed umbilical cord. I received medication to help her lungs mature faster and antibiotics to ward off any infection. I was only on hospital bed rest for 4 days, but it seemed like an eternity since I wasn’t allowed to do much more than a 5 minute shower every 2 days and trips to the bathroom. Our little princess decided to join our family 10 weeks early. The first 48 hours were rocky. She was vented shortly after birth and received at least a dozen medications to keep her alive. After 5 weeks in the NICU- primarily to eat and grow, she came home.

(Jillian 10 minutes after birth)

When Jillian was 6 months old, she was missing milestones. She wasn’t rolling, she wasn’t babbling, she wasn’t really doing much of anything. She was a happy girl, content to just lay on the floor or get cuddled. I brought it up with her pediatrician (who I respect greatly) and he suggested we wait until Jillian is 6 months adjusted. (when you have a preemie, they go by 2 different “birthdays” their estimated due date and their actual birthday)  Jillian was still behind at 6 months adjusted, so, we started Early Intervention.

After a long, bumpy road trying to get Jillian back on track, our pediatrician ordered a sedated MRI. On October 22, 2009, our world was shaken a little when we received Jillian’s diagnosis. I think we just mainly needed to figure out where to go from here. Jillian’s CP is a complication from being premature, she has PVL’s (Periventricular Leukomalacia) basically small brain bleeds (that are very common in preemies) For now? All of Jillian’s “issues” are physical. She can 4 point crawl, but no walking. Her fine motor is fine and her language is off the charts. We’re very thankful she has no cognitive issues.