Charlotte was born on August 9, 2000 at 8:16 am. After an uneventful pregnancy and a seemingly normal delivery, Charlotte almost died. Her apgar at birth was 1, at 5 minutes it was 2 and at 10 minutes it was 4. She suffered from perinatal asphyxia.
Charlotte spent 12 days in the NICU where she suffered from seizures and lost her gag and suck reflex. An EEG and CT scan was done to determine if there was any swelling or bleeding in
the brain. Fortunately there was not. On August 21, 2000 we brought her home.
The first few months were spent enjoying our fussy little miracle baby but something was definately wrong. She was not developing like her older sister did and was delayed in gross motor skills.
On January 18th, 2001 she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. We were then referred to the Ottawa Childrens Treatment Centre. Other subsequent diagnosis include; hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). HIE is a medical term which loosely translates as "damage to the brain due to lack of oxygen in the blood supply."
Today Charlotte receives regular physio and occupational therapy to help her learn all those tasks that most of us take for granted. Her road is one less traveled and full of bumps but we shall be with her every step of the way. |
