FINALLY we are home from the hospital. The haven of our home felt so very good and comforting. However, the reality of how life would be was about to show it's face. When one of your friends or family members has a baby, what do you do? Naturally, you pay the new parents a visit and coo over there ever so cute new life. Well, that was not the case for us. At the time I had Cherie, people confused Down Syndrome with Hydrocephalus which is the enlarged head due to fluid build up on the brain. Most people thought that was what Cherie had so they stayed away. There were a few, but very few. The loneliness that began to settle in on me was like nothing I had ever experienced. I had my beautiful baby and lavished her with all my love and attention. Beyond that I felt like we had leprosy. We had very few phone calls or visitors. I still did not have a grasp on the nature of her condition so I just enjoyed her until I was well enough to go to the library.
Less than a week after Cherie was born I hemorrhaged and had to have an overnight stay at the hospital for a D&C. I was very distraught about being away from Cherie. There was still the fear that she only had a few short months to live. And on top of it all I had to miss her first doctors appointment which we made immediately upon arriving home. Our pediatrician had been my pediatrician when I was young and I had great faith in him. I was extremely anxious to know the prognosis. The doctor was very calm and almost nonchalant about her diagnosis. He looked at my husband and said "Treat her like a normal child and she will act like one". He recommended we see a cardiologist at Children's Hospital and not to worry so much. That was a little confusing; however, he has many DS patients that were progressing well and he know it was not the disaster we thought it was.
Christmas was almost upon us and we were getting ready to have her baptised. She was my Christmas gift!!! Little did we know that in just a few short weeks after the holidays we were going to face our first serious illness that put her in the hospital..........
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
"Walking Behind Cherie" page 4
Tuesday……..another lonely day. The nurses no longer stopped by to say hi or visit for a bit. I was left with jumbled thoughts and trying to make sense of the last few days. I was overjoyed when Cherie took well to breastfeeding. Many DS babies do not have strong sucking instincts and cannot breastfeed. I was overjoyed that she received her nutrition from me. It also was such a special bonding time between she and I.
The reason to stay an extra day was to have her blood drawn for the chromosome test. In some cases DS is hereditary and in most cases it is a chromosome malfunction. My mother worked in the pathology department of a local hospital and I had also worked there when I was in high school. I knew the cytologist and his assistant. So we were able to have them come to the hospital, draw her blood and take it back to the hospital where my mom still worked. That gave us great peace of mind. We knew that they would take time with us when the results arrived. During the time that I worked at the hospital I met Bill. He was 10 years older than I and became a very close friend and mentor. To this day we keep in touch! He came to the hospital to draw the blood. It was so exciting to actually talk to a friend about the recent events. He was so very supportive and spent some quality time with me. The nurse had given me a very strong sleeping pill and I still laugh when I think that I fell asleep while I was talking to Bill. “Sleep” a wonderful escape from the present reality.
Wednesday……a day of extreme joy to be able to take our sweet little Cherie home mixed with doubts and fear of the unknown. I was only 20 years old. In my favor I was the oldest of 4 children so I did have some experience with babies. However, I had no idea what obstacles may be ahead of us. Such a time of uncertainty. I knew that I had a lot to learn and as soon as I got home the intense research began. We did not have the internet. The library was our internet LOL.
As soon as we got home we made the call to our pediatrician. He had been my pediatrician when I was young so there was a lot of trust. I knew that he would be able to lead us in the right direction on our path of discovery. And so began our journey…………………..
The reason to stay an extra day was to have her blood drawn for the chromosome test. In some cases DS is hereditary and in most cases it is a chromosome malfunction. My mother worked in the pathology department of a local hospital and I had also worked there when I was in high school. I knew the cytologist and his assistant. So we were able to have them come to the hospital, draw her blood and take it back to the hospital where my mom still worked. That gave us great peace of mind. We knew that they would take time with us when the results arrived. During the time that I worked at the hospital I met Bill. He was 10 years older than I and became a very close friend and mentor. To this day we keep in touch! He came to the hospital to draw the blood. It was so exciting to actually talk to a friend about the recent events. He was so very supportive and spent some quality time with me. The nurse had given me a very strong sleeping pill and I still laugh when I think that I fell asleep while I was talking to Bill. “Sleep” a wonderful escape from the present reality.
Wednesday……a day of extreme joy to be able to take our sweet little Cherie home mixed with doubts and fear of the unknown. I was only 20 years old. In my favor I was the oldest of 4 children so I did have some experience with babies. However, I had no idea what obstacles may be ahead of us. Such a time of uncertainty. I knew that I had a lot to learn and as soon as I got home the intense research began. We did not have the internet. The library was our internet LOL.
As soon as we got home we made the call to our pediatrician. He had been my pediatrician when I was young so there was a lot of trust. I knew that he would be able to lead us in the right direction on our path of discovery. And so began our journey…………………..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
