"Walking behind Cherie" page 5

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..........