Re: Anyone else have a child with disabilities?
Karen, first of all,
No, my son was full term; we never had any clue about any possible problem(s) and were kept in the dark about the severity of his diagnoses as they came in (the first three years of his life were absolute hell).
When my son was one to three years old, I went through a lot of difficulty and anger coming to terms with the fact that I did nothing wrong before, during or after my pregnancy that "caused" his problems. The people he spends his time with in Special Educaiton and therapies are some of the most awesome human beings I have ever come across. They are angels on this earth, right alongside our little guys... you know what I mean?
Now? Everything is good. I have come out of this such a stronger, more determined person; I am sure you and your family have too.
He has made improvements; he has learned to walk with only AFO's... he cannot talk but nonverbal communication is effective and awesome to see him attempt to communicate and be social with others. Some days are harder than others... yes, but we are happier and better for it.
I don't know your son's diagnosis or his prognosis, but I hope that as your baby grows, each little milestone he hits, however minute, will be on his own timetable... and it will be a precious gift that he and your family have worked so hard to achieve. When Gavin learned to walk ("drunkenly" but he was doing it!!!), we had a huge party for him.... because he was pushing three years old.
Have you ever read that poem about Holland? I thought I'd throw it in, just by chance you haven't yet...
"Welcome to Holland"
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this:
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very, very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.
- Emily Pearl Kingsley
I am here for you if you ever need to talk, vent or whatever to someone who has "been there" too!!