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Although I suffered from Post Natal Depression, which was diagnosed and treated with a fluoxetine tablet, Andrew himself gave us absolutely no problems. He slept through the night from the age of six weeks, smiled at six weeks and could roll over and hold his head up by the age of three months.
His progress seemed to stop there.
At the age of eight months, he was still doing no more, and we started to become concerned. By now, we thought, he should be starting to sit up and crawl. Our regular paediatrician, who had seen Andrew at six months, and said all was fine, was fully booked and his receptionist gave us the name of another doctor in our area. We booked an appointment.
My husband, Damian, is diabetic, and we thought that the worst news we would receive was that Andrew, too, was a diabetes sufferer. We had seen an article in the Living and Loving on hypotone a month previously and Damian had wondered aloud whether Andrew could have it. I said that Andrew's symptoms didn't seem to be the same as those listed, and we dismissed the thought.
Andrew's appointment with the doctor was on a Friday, and Damian took him whilst I went to work.
I remember the phone call I received from him and the events following it with a dreamlike clarity. The paediatrician had told my husband in no uncertain terms that she suspected our son had Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a debilitiatating disease which leaves the sufferer wheelchair-bound, with a life expectancy of approximately 20 years. She booked us an appointment with Johannesburg's leading paediatric neurologist, and told my husband to book Andrew into an institution because he would never sit or walk.
We were devastated.
I put the phone down with tears pouring down my face and answered a call from my mother. I told her the whole situation and then went home after explaining the situation to my boss, watching his smiling expression change to one of concern. I had to drive about 30 kilometers and it was the longest journey of my life.
We sat shocked at my in-laws' house (my mother had driven there) for several hours, and then began to think logically. We managed to make an appointment for a second opinion with another paediatrician on the Monday, and with a physiotherapist, also on the Monday, and spent the most awful weekend of our lives waiting for the Monday to come.
We were incredibly relieved to hear that the second paediatrician and the physiotherapist suspected a far, far milder condition, low muscle tone, or hypotone, which could be corrected by physiotherapy alone.
We took him immediately for a consultation with a physiotherapist and within a month, Andrew could sit.
We continued the weekly physiotherapy, and soon he started to leopard crawl. We could see his progress, but I was still concerned that there was a chance he had Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This was not dispelled until we saw the neurologist at the Johannesburg General Hospital, who told us he definitely was not a sufferer. With physiotherapy and follow up exercises given by us, his grandparents and the crèche, he himself set aside all doubt by gingerly taking his first steps at the age of 18 months. We since found out that my husband's uncle only walked at the age of four, and this put to rest all thoughts I had that physiotherapy may not have been the right option for Andrew. Without it, he may still not be walking today, at the age of almost three.
Our second son, Brandon, is similar to his brother in many ways. He was born on 27/10/00, weighing in at a hefty 4.57 kgs. He was also born by Caesarean Section, had the same Apgar scores and slept through the night at the age of seven weeks. Although he spent the first week of his life in ICU recovering from an operation on an umbilical hernia, he is the friendliest baby you ever met, smiling at everything.
At five months, he had doubled his birth weight and wore the clothes of a 12-18 month old. Now, at nine months, he can sit for 20 seconds. (Technically you're sitting if you stay up for 30 seconds). We had hoped the one difference between him and Andrew would be that he would not be hypotonic, but he still cannot hold his head properly, or roll over all the way. It was with reluctance that we recently returned to our excellent physiotherapist, this time with Andrew running up the garden path.
This time around we know the exercises, we know the routine and we know the reason, but most important of all is that this time we know that there's light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how hard the road to it may seem.
We're proud to be the parents of two fantastic boys.
Symptoms to watch out for in your child:
Exercises which can be done:
Dietery supplements which can be made:
Always remember to consult your paediatricion or family doctor should you have any cause for concern because although it can be treated alone by a physiotherapist, hypotone can be indicative of an underlying, more serious condition, such as Down's Syndrome.
Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA - Our first son, Andrew, was born by Caesarean Section on 26/05/1998, weighing 3.48 kg. His Apgar Scores were 9 and 10 respectively and he was absolutely fabulous.
Giving additional iron and vitamins
GAYNOR PAYNTER - "My name is Gaynor Paynter and I live in Johannesburg, South Africa. I am a 27 year old female and consider myself to be part of the new generation of South Africans, those who are dedicated to seeing our country shed the mantle of its' oppressed past. The secretarial work I do during the day ensures my children are fed and clothed, but my heart lies in my home, family and writing, which I do during the evening. I am hoping to turn my hobby into my profession as my writing is my way of giving beauty back to the world which has given me everything. I am driven by the pride I feel in the man I married, the children I am raising, the God and country I serve and the writing I do - all these feul the happiness I feel inside myself..." This is her first (but not last, we hope) article for The World's Magazine.
WEB SITE PICK OF THE WEEK: The Theban Mapping Project, organized by the American University of Cairo, Egypt, has to be recommended because our Publisher used to live in Cairo. We have to give him props on that. But no more than the props we give this informative site. Check it out, Kids!
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