Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Too Much Information?

I am so glad I didn't learn about some of the known cause of cerebral palsy until after I had had all of my children. I was nervous enough abour delivery and the many, many elements of it that could and do go wrong on a day-to-day basis... if I had known about this I would have been more of a nervous wreck than normal! I found out that some causes of cerebral palsy are as follow:
*Failure to order a C-Section in a timely manner
*Excessive use of a vacuum extractor
*Failure to detect a prolapsed umbilical cord reducing oxygen supply
*Improper use of delivery forceps
*Hospital staff may not properly read or respond to the babies vital signs
*Failure to declare fetal distress
*Failure to diagnose and treat jaundice or meningitis

Just knowing that, made me want to know cerebral palsy symptoms. At 3 months there may be a lack of facial expressions, the baby may not respond to some sounds, or is unable to follow movement with their eyes.
The child may not be able to bring their hands together at 4 months.
A child with cerebral palsy may not display the coordination to lift their head, or rollover at 6 months.
At 8 months the baby may not be able to sit up by themselves, or without support. There may be a head lag when the child is placed in a sitting position.
By 12 months the child may not be able to crawl.
Drooling is a common problem because of the lack of facial and muscle control.
Muscle tremor or spasticity may be evident, with a tendency of infants to tuck their arms in toward their sides, scissors movements of the legs, or other abnormal movements.
Feeding may be a continuous effort and problematic.
Excessive stiffness when dressing, changing diapers, or bathing.
It is important to realize that the presence of any of these symptoms does not necessarily indicate your child has cerebral palsy. Children develop on different timeframes, and symptoms are often outgrown. Only your doctor can make an accurate diagnosis and provide you with the information you need to care for your child.

Sometimes being aware of something can make you more paranoid about it. Do you think there is such a thing as being too informed?

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