What A New Mother Needs To Know About Cerebral Palsy
You've Come to The Right Place
If your baby, toddler or child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP), chances are that your world has been turned upside down. It may be a diagnosis that takes you entirely by surprise or confirms your growing suspicions that something is amiss. While there is no right or wrong way to respond to a doctor's pronouncement that your child has a disability, other parents in your shoes have reported strong reactions to such news including disbelief, grief, denial, anger and shock, the damages of a birth injury like CP can be devastating. All or any of these feelings are normal. As a parent, however, you must recognize two things about this new situation:
#1 The Shock of the Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy
First, you are understandably in shock. Even if the diagnosis of cerebral palsy verified your concerns that your baby isn't developing as expected, the doctor has confirmed one of your deepest fears. One symptom of great emotional or psychological shock is difficulty in processing new information, understanding explanations or even remembering conversations. Recognize that you are in shock and need some extra help in processing all this new information. Bookmark this page and other websites about cerebral palsy you may find on the Internet in your search for answers, so that you can return to reread information difficult to recall. Buy a spiral-bound notebook to scribble notes from meetings, telephone numbers to agencies and even lists of questions to ask your baby's doctors when you meet them next.
#2 The Help You Need for Your Cerebral Palsy Baby
Second, you are going to need help. Not just now and not because you're in shock. You are going to require help in evaluating your baby's condition and needs. You need to know what side effects to any medications your baby's doctors might prescribe. You need to know the difference between occupational therapy and physical therapy and whether and when your baby might need to visit a pediatric occupational therapist or a pediatric physical therapist. You need information to prepare for possible complications before new challenges arise. You need to know what durable medical equipment (DME) your baby might need as he or she becomes a toddler, how to get it and how often it needs to be replaced. In other words, while your heart is asking, "Why does my baby have CP?” your head is swirling with variations of the question, "What does my baby need?"
The Free Legal Assessment, Was Your Baby's CP Caused By a Doctor or Hospital?
Attorney Jason Waechter can help answer your heart's questions about "Why" and your head's hard questions about "What." He offers a free, confidential telephone consultation by calling his office on a nationwide toll-free number, 1-800-708-5433.
20% or 1/5 of Cerebral Palsy cases are caused by brain damage during the birth process. Sadly, medical or nursing negligence during this critical time can result in cerebral palsy. What the hospital or doctor might consider a "regrettable outcome" is actually your baby's permanent disability! Will the medical community even recall this "regrettable outcome" in six years as you struggle to send your child to his or her first day of school? Will they remember in 16 years as your child's classmates prepare for their high school Prom? Will your child be able to attend college? Earn a degree? Work in a career?
Attorney Jason Waechter has assembled a team of experts -- including lawyers, physicians, nurses, physical therapists, financial planners, educational advisors and career planners -- to help answer not only the "Why," but the lifelong "What" of the services, equipment, medical care and specialized treatment your baby will need in the future.
Further, cerebral palsy can result in additional complications if preventative treatments are not started on time. These complications -- such as permanent muscle contractions (contractures), skin breakdown or unmet nutritional needs -- may require additional hospitalizations, interfere with your child's quality of life or even shorten his or her's life expectancy.
Attorney Jason Waechter and his team of experts can ensure that a lifelong treatment plan -- and the money to pay for it -- is in place in order to anticipate and avert potential complications.
Everyone in your life is going to have an opinion about what you should do for your baby and your family. Grandparents and other relatives will try to help or interfere. Co-workers may make suggestions based upon their concern that you may not return to work. Your insurance company may indiscriminately decide that your child's treatment is unnecessary and inform you that the treatments won't be covered.
Attorney Jason Waechter and his team of experts will be devoted to the best interests of you and your baby, not hampered by old family disagreements, impacted by how inconvenient your absence might be to your supervisor or concerned about how much they might conceivably "save" the insurance company by possibly denying your baby treatment.
Attorney Jason Waechter knows from experience that the parents of a baby newly diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy are looking for answers -- and rightly so. Your questions range from "What is Cerebral Palsy?" and "How Did This Happen?" to "How Are We Going to Afford This?"
Along with his invitation to contact him by telephone for a free consultation, he is providing the following information about
Cerebral Palsy to help you in your search for answers.
What Does My Baby's Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy Mean?
Introduction
You will soon become all-too familiar with the neurological medical terms used to define and classify Cerebral Palsy. In the meantime, write down any medical terms that you are unfamiliar to you your notebook and ask your baby's doctors or nurses to explain them to you. Don't be afraid to ask questions, ask someone to spell a medical term you don't know or to repeat an explanation. If you begin to have difficulty getting information from the medical or nursing staff, pick up a hospital telephone and ask the operator to connect you to the Patient Advocate office. Patient Advocates are usually nurses or social workers required by law to investigate patient complaints and ensure that proper care and information is
provided.
Will My Baby Get Better?
No one knows. Cerebral palsy is not a variable disease, such as lupus, that causes a known problem that sometimes gets temporarily worse. It is not a progressive disease, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease, that continues to cause more and more severe symptoms over time. It is said by experts that some patients will remain the same, some will get worse and others will get better. Specialists often look to evaluate a toddler's motion at age two, citing that a child's progress at this age will give some indication of expected progress as they grow older.
Studies do show hope, however. It is a fact that children who receive treatment for cerebral palsy do better than children who do not receive treatment. The earlier the treatment, the better. Studies also show that children who receive occupational therapy, physical therapy and other kinds of supportive treatment have a better quality of life. The need for early, intensive treatment and all the positive outcomes it can provide is another reason for you to contact Attorney Jason Waechter as soon as a diagnosis of cerebral palsy is made.
Cerebral Palsy 101
According to the organization My Child Without Limits.org, cerebral palsy is a condition characterized by the brain being unable to control the body's muscles. This condition can range from mild to severe. A child with mild cerebral palsy may have difficulty with handwriting, uncontrollable tics and appear clumsy. A severe case of CP may cause a child to be unable to sit upright, become wheelchair-bound and unable to speak. Cerebral palsy is a condition that usually remains static. Unlike other similar seeming diseases, cerebral palsy doesn't progress from one stage to another, resulting in a decline in abilities.
There are specific and special medical terms to describe a child's muscle tone and what part(s) of the body it affects. You will soon become very familiar with these technical medical terms, but for now you only need to understand that because the brain is unable to fully control the body's muscles, the muscles may be too tense, too slack or a variation that includes uncontrollable body motions. Cerebral palsy can affect a child's upper half, lower half, left or right side, or both the arms and the legs on both sides.
Bonding With Your Baby
Sometimes, parents may be afraid to hold or touch their baby if he or she seems different from other babies or after such a diagnosis is given by doctors. Don't let a label hold your love back. Your baby is still your baby with or without a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Emotional and physical bonding is as important to the health of your baby as food or air. Without the development of bonding, an event called secure attachment can never take place. Secure attachment can be described as your baby learning to trust in your love and your care. Without secure attachments, babies fail to grow, stay healthy or reach developmental goals and progress. Because of cerebral palsy, your baby will have to work to try and reach goals that other children obtain almost without effort. So, bonding and secure attachment is extra special for a baby with cerebral palsy.
The New Normal After Your Baby's CP Diagnosis
When most people imagine a family photograph, they rarely see one of their children in a wheelchair or using special arm crutches to walk. All parents want their children to be healthy and happy. With proper medical care and special treatments, cerebral palsy patients can be healthy. With love and attention, your child can be happy. The new normal refers to you and your family's acceptance of your family as it is now. Grandma may have high blood pressure. Sometimes you might experience migraines. Your baby has cerebral palsy. You are still a family. Adaptations or changes in the usual routine may be necessary. You may stop cooking with salt for grandma or avoiding chocolate for your migraines and learn to perform stretching exercises on your baby. But you are still a family.
Call the lawyer with the team that can make the difference for you, your family, and your baby. CALL NOW 1-800-708-LIFE (5433).
© 2011 Jason A. Waechter. All Rights Reserved. | Email Jason A. Waechter. The content of this web site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice. For proper legal advice you should contact Jason A. Waechter. While we have made a careful effort to obtain information from reliable sources, we are not responsible for errors or omissions.