Georgia had a difficult time nursing.
We both struggled for weeks. This being my first time nursing..I
wasn't sure what it was supposed to be like. I pumped every two hours and we practiced nursing until she fell asleep. She
was mainly drinking from a syringe that I sucked the breastmilk out from a pumping bottle. I was frustrated and stressed and
hormonal. One time, after 45 minutes of pumping and only retrieving 1 ounce of breastmilk..I gingerly positioned the bottle
near my right foot so thart I could reach down and pick up Georgia....it spilled all over the bed and I watched in horror
as the milk soaked instantly into a dark spot. Aaahh.
I was determined to breastfeed and was not going to give
up. Several pediatricians in the group I went to literally handed me cans of formula and said....give up.
At 6 weeks Georgia finally developed the strength in her mouth to
latch on properly and nurse! She continued to improve and nursing was then enjoyable and unproblamatic. After nursing
for 23 months, I am thankful that we were able to do it successfully. I would like to think that the breastmilk made
a difference in her overall health.
About this spot on her neck.....
Several months passed and the tiny cyst on the outside of her throat
did not go away. We consulted a pediatric dermatologist who then refered us to a pediatric surgeon at UCSF. The Dr. told us
that it was either a dermoid cyst...just a fatty benign mass...or a thyroglosal duct cyst....a more extensive problem. The
latter being still benign...although a more difficult surgical proceedure. Either way we had two choices. Forget
about it until it becomes a problem, taking a chance that it may become infected and we would then be in emergency
surgery. Or have it removed right away.
We wanted it done when she was little enough not to remember...and
we wanted it performed by Dr. Michael Harrison at UCSF, the leading pediatric surgeon in the country. Although it was
a very minor procedure...it was reasuring to have the BEST in the operating room. In March of 2002, we brought
her back to UCSF and waited the entire day. We watched another couple start to cry, holding eachother, as the nurse
carried their baby away and into surgery.
At 10 months old Georgia had the cyst removed and it proved nothing
more than that. A dermoid cyst. We left the hospital that same day relieved that Georgia's signifigant medical issues of childhood
were over......
Our 18 month check up.....
Georgia had been developing beautifully. She was clearly bright..she
could point out my nose and eyes at 9 months old. She was affectionate and engaging. She ate well and slept
through the night!!!! She had a funny "crab crawl" ....but this was a source of amusement and not concern for us. Georgia
sat up on time, crawled and cruised along furniture when expected and made her sounds.....baba rara. She was on target except
for the walking. I was not concerned until I took her to our 18 month check up. Our usual pediatrician was not there that
day. We saw a Dr. in the practice that I was not familiar with. The Dr. said that Georgia should be talking. She also noted
Georgia's hesitancy to stand up straight on her command and flatly stated that Georgia had a neurlogical problem. She refered
us to a ped. neurologist for evaluation. I was stunned. I cried all the way home and for the next three hours. I
could barely speak when my husband came home. Neurological problem? What did that mean?
I called the neurologist that very day and she promptly called me
back at 6:30 pm and did a phone inquery. She told us not to worry and scheduled for us to come in...4 weeks later.
Georgia was not walking yet or talking at 19 months old. I was still
not concerned. I knew she was bright...and I had always heard that "all babies develope at different rates"...And I wanted
to believe in that statement.
At the neurologists office Georgia was examined and diagnosed with
Benign Congenital Hypotonia. The Neuro and his RN were not concerned. They said that she had unilateral hypotonia of
childhood and would grow out of it. "Beautifully" was the word they used. They were not concerned about her lack
of speech either. They said that normal langiuage aquisition is not fully developed until age 3. Where the BCH came
from is a mystery. They said she was born with it and it is a very mild case. They said to go home and have more "perfect"
children.
4 weeks later Georgia walked and has been actively destroying our
house ever since. Now at 2 years old, Georgia crawls "normally" as well. Georgia is in bimonthly physical therapy
and is progressing very well. She climbs, crawls, walks, rolls, squats, etc...She also loves to play at our local Gymboree..and
most recently enjoys the benefits of taking balls directly from other children.
We had her evaluated by a dev. pediatrician and formally relieved
our worries about any cognitive condtions such as autism...and so far all blood tests for metabolic diseases have come back
normal!
We have started Georgia in speech therapy to jump start language....so
far she has one word that she uses once in a while...."up".
Georgia is very inquisitive, hesitant and sensitive. She is still
very affectionate, bright and has a great sense of humor....loves funny noises.Georgia could spend all afternoon being read
to - and her favorite images are the moon, a star, a baseball, and a kitty. Georgia's favorite person is her Daddy...and
loves her Gymbo the clown doll. Although sometimes it's still atoss up between Gymboo and Pooh.
We kiss her all the time and she sleeps next to us in bed..occasionally
throwing her leg or arm across our face in the middle of the night.
We hope and pray to God that this is the least of her medical problems...
We suspect that she is over the peak and is on her way to developing
as her peers are. With that said we are waiting for one more test to do..an MRI. Her Neuro reasured us that it would probably
show nothing. We are praying for "nothing" as well.
The MRI Results....
Unexpectedly, the MRI scan proved that Georgia's brain had not developed
fully in several areas...the specifics are on the "test results page"...please look there for the technical information. We
were devastated and had no idea exactly what the abnormalities meant. After a long conversation with our Neuro and three other
brief 2nd opinions, they all concluded that although this is unfortunate, it was not serious. Her MRI was not indicative of
a progressive condition. And that the best thing to do now is to continue with physical and speech therapy to help Georgia
reach her full potoential. Georgia should continue to make progress as she has already, and there is no reason why she should
not have normal intelligence. She is at a greater risk for seizures and learning issues...but only at a greater risk. She
may have no seizures and do very well in school. She will not be a star athlete....but who cares. I am fortunate to have her
as my daughter..and I thank God everyday for that.
If you have read so far....thank you...and please take a second
to pray that Georgia continues to develope as she should...without any further significant problems.
