When Anna was about 7 months, so pre-diagnosis, we enrolled in Gymboree. It was local, fit into our schedule and was something to kill an hour so I figured, why not?
Anna was close to sitting up on her own when we started so even though tummy time still wasn't working out well, everything else seemed to be moving along. And then we went to Gymboree. . .
Up until this point I didn't know anyone with children Anna's age so I didn't have anyone to compare her to. But now she was surrounded by babies only a day or two older or younger than she - the differences and her slow development were much more apparent.
Whereas all of the babies were sitting on their own and playing and munching on toys, Anna still had trouble sitting on her own, and although she did engage in some play, she seemed much more content to take everything in rather than participate fully.
It wasn't as if she didn't improve. After all, she was still toppling over during the first session, but only a week later, she was sitting on her own without much trouble at all. I was relieved as we walked into session two only to learn that the others had also picked up new skills. Again I wondered: is her development simply slower than others or does she have a true delay? And if so, why?
The other moms were nice, but it was hard for me not to think that they were going home relieved that their child was progressing without problems. I mean, wouldn't I have felt the same way if I was in their shoes? Yes, I think so.
The direct comparison with babies Anna's exact age definitely pushed me to the neurologist. I could no longer cast aside my own nagging thoughts and could no longer accept well meaning friends' explanations.
Anna and I finished with our sessions a few weeks before her diagnosis and never kept in touch with anyone from class. It was too hard for me to sign up for another session after she was diagnosed. I felt as though I had enough to deal with between Anna and the voices in my head - why add to it? So we created our own 'Gymboree' at home where Anna was only compared to Anna. Perhaps the easy way out but definitely the only way for me at the time.
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Anna - Three Years Old
This is a blog about our three year old daughter who suffered a prenatal stroke. I share her successes, our challenges and disappointments as well as some therapy ideas my husband and I have incorporated into Anna's daily routines. I hope others will find this helpful and share their experiences with us.
Hippie Chick
Anna - Three Years Old
Kid Stuff
Pediatric Stroke
About Me
- Vicki
- West Orange, NJ, United States
- I am Anna's mom, therapy coordinator and activities director! I'd love to talk to moms and dads of other baby stroke 'victims'. Maybe even meet those local to us. Hope to hear from you soon.
1 comment:
I had a very similar Gymboree experience! I took my daughter Rebecca (RH) while she was in the 3 - 6 month range (also pre-diagnosis for us). This was before any of the babies were sitting, but I could still see there was a difference between Rebecca and the other babies. It definitely started some nagging thoughts in my head. I think I started having concerns before my husband, in part because of my Gymboree experience. I also didn't return to Gymboree after our session was over, partly because it no longer fit in our schedule, but mostly because I knew the differences between the babies would become more and more apparent.
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