St. Louis Children's Hospital

The big day for Natalee has come and gone. And what a day! I did not realize how very nervous I was for her neurology appt until it was over and I had (literally) sweated through my underwear (TMI?) and given myself a headache from holding my breath in between questions.

I'll spare you the long version in exchange for the outcome. After a detailed interview with us regarding Natalee's development and birth, Dr. Hinkle, the fellow assigned to our case, did a physical exam of Natalee. He watched her waddle walk, crawl, pick up paper, and tested her muscle tone and reflexes. He looked in her eyes, checked her social reaction to him and to us, and was very kind. Natalee was excellent during the exam and never squabbled or complained. She was very quiet and wanted to like the Dr. but was wary of him.

The result of the testing/exam/history is a diagnosis of muscle spasticity. Dr. Hinkle gave us the option of doing an MRI to confirm that Natalee probably does have a very mild brain damage due to birth. However, the MRI would not have changed the outcome or the course of action we take so we felt it unnecessary. Why sedate her to see something the Dr. is already pretty certain is there? Not worth it to us. We left the office with wonderful compliments of her speech and social development--which the Dr. ranked at above average for her age (remember how she barely made noise before her tubes?)! We also left with a prescription for a physical therapy evaluation. Because Dr. Hinkle did find some muscle weakness/spasticity in her legs and wrists, he feels that she will probably benefit from physical therapy. The PT's will evaluate her, and then based on their evaluation, they will decide whether just therapy/exercises/stretches will help her or whether she might need some braces to aide her in walking. Dr. Hinkle was quite positive her PT sessions would be short-lived as he noticed how well she has coped with her muscle weaknesses on her own. He was very impressed with the fact that she has progressed so well thus far and feels quite confident that she'll continue.

We go back in 6 months, after we have some therapy under our belt, for a follow-up. It was a very positive appointment--we very much appreciated Dr. Hinkle and his patience and the time spent with us making sure we understood the diagnosis and the options from here. We're so proud of our girl for pushing herself even though it's obviously been harder than average for her to do certain things. She's a champ and we're so very lucky to be her mommy and daddy.

With this appointment behind us and a plan of action in place, we feel ready to leave for a little trip tomorrow to see some family over a long weekend. And when we get back we'll finish getting ready for baby brother (which is just almost done!) and be ever so excited to welcome him to our family!