Complex MOMents?

So to all my future readers, you may or may not, be wondering about the reasoning for the name of this blog. In my first post I described myself as a simple and straight forward person, which I am. So why Complex MOMents (get it, cuz I'm a mom :P)? I chose this title because my life really never was complex until I had my son, Noah.



My pregnancy was uneventful. Every appointment turned out great and the doctor's had no worries. On March 13th I was induced due to Noah having low oxygen levels. I did not pull through with the natural labor I had hoped due to having to be hooked up to oxygen which kept me bed-ridden. According to doctor's Noah seemed to be getting better throughout labor so the need for a c-section did not arise. At 4:55 PM, after a 19 hour labor, Noah was born full term weighing in at nearly 7 lbs. They sent him straight to the NICU as he was not breathing when he arrived into the world. I did not get to see Noah until later that night where I was told he would be rooming with me as soon as the observation was over with. That morning I woke up and Noah was not next to me, so my first stop was the NICU. That morning was the start of our 3 week stay in the NICU, where we found out that Noah was having seizures. An MRI was done during his stay, giving us news that new parents never plan or imagine hearing. Noah was born with "global diffusion" brain damage, which basically means both sides of his brain were equally injured. The neurologist told us that Noah would most likely have mild to moderate cerebal palsy. They also told us that he would be delayed in all aspects of his development. Ryan and I were beside ourselves in grief at that point. We still had our child, but all of our hopes and expectations seemed to be crushed at that point. We knew this would be the ultimate test for us as parents and as a young married couple. So from this point our only goal was to get him out of the NICU. On March 29th, we were finally able to take him home. A week later, Noah started therapy and has been in it since he was a month old.


Fast forward to present day 2015, Noah is a happy and healthy 2 year old boy. He loves Elmo, any form of technology with a screen on it, and being outside and around other people. Yes, Noah does have delays. He cannot walk yet, he does still need help feeding himself, and he does not form sentences yet. Noah is a very determined kiddo though and is able to find new ways to work around or with his delays. For example, he may not be able to walk yet, but he scoots around across the floor. Even though he cannot do these things yet, we are very proud that he TRIES.We are very fortunate that we have a child who is very alert of the world around him and who is determined to do the same things his peers are doing.


 What I have written is a very personal part of my life that I still to this day have a hard time talking about for a few reasons.

1. I do not like people feeling sorry for Ryan and I.
2. Doctors can't or won't tell us what really happened.
3. I want people to see Noah for his ABILITIES and not his DISABILITIES.

If you are a parent of a special needs child, you know these reasons all too well. Even though our version of parenthood has different obstacles, it is still very much the same as everyone else. We all wish for our children to experience this life to the fullest and ultimately be the happiest they can be.