Pediatrician Appointments {03.22.17 & 06.27.17}

March is cerebral palsy awareness month. This term didn't mean much to me until the winter of 2011 when after an MRI showed that Sarah had CP which was likely caused by oxygen deprivation while I was pregnant with her. I had heard the term before but on November 25, it became personal. I was the mom of a child with a diagnosis and I now fell into a whole new category of "special needs". 

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a disorder that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills (the ability to move in a coordinated and purposeful way). Cerebral palsy can also lead to other health issues, including vision, hearing, and speech problems, and learning disabilities.

CP is usually caused by brain damage that occurs before or during a child's birth, or during the first 3 to 5 years of a child's life. There is no cure for CP, but treatment, therapy, and special equipment can help a child who is living with the condition.  Cerebral palsy affects muscle control and coordination, so even simple movements like standing still are difficult. Other vital functions that also involve motor skills and muscles such as breathing, bladder and bowel control, eating, and learning may also be affected when a child has CP. Cerebral palsy does not get worse over time.

Cited from this LINK. 

Sarah had her quarterly pediatrician appointment this morning and her measurements are as follows:

March 2017
Weight: 45 pounds (up 3 pounds from December) 1.3 percentile
Height: 47.8" (up 0.8" from December) 4th percentile
Head Circumference: 47.3 cm (no change since last March) -3.7 below Standard Deviation

June 2017
Weight: 49 pounds (5th percentile)
Height: 49 (8th percentile)
Head Circumference: 47.3 (-3.8 below Standard Deviation)