Thank youI just wanted to say a huge thankyou to everyone who has contributed to making Kian and Esmae's quilts!
They are absolutely beautiful, and the fabric used is just lovely, so much thought has gone into them and I'm just so emotional thinking about the past 7 months or so!
Thank you so much, they will be loved and treasured always!
|
BiographyMe and my husband were shocked and delighted to find out we were expecting identical twins back in 2014! What a blessing! Things were going well until about 27 weeks when our sonographer revealed the girls were showing signs of TTTS or twin to twin transfusion syndrome. This happens to identical twins who are sharing the same placenta. The placenta malfunctions and feeds one twin all the nutritional blood and oxygen and starves the other. The doctor told us they would monitor and induce labour if necessary.
We made it to 35 weeks when labour started naturally, but Esmae was showing signs of distress. She was born breech and wasn't breathing. We thought we'd lost her, I felt so helpless as I was still in labour with Esmae's twin sister.
After 3 resuscitations Esmae stabilised and was quickly taken to the NICU. Her blood levels were low and she was very anaemic and bruised from the difficult labour.
At first she was tube fed, but after 10 days they allowed her home with her twin. She continued to have feeding problems, suffering reflux but she seemed to slowly improve.
At around 6 months old, we noticed there was a huge gap in the rate of development between her and her twin. By 12 months her twin was walking and doing all the things she should. Esmae could only roll from her back to her tummy and needed help with everything. We were referred to a paediatrician and after an MRI scan she confirmed Esmae has cerebral palsy. She was unsure if Esmae would ever walk.
Esmae is now 3 and doing so well bless her! Her speech is very delayed, she has learning difficulties, but she has worked so hard in physiotherapy and over Christmas has begun to take independent steps and walk a little!
She still uses her Kaye Frame as she's unsteady some days' When out and about its safer to use her special buggy, but she's striving for independence!
She attends the same special school as her older brother, in the nursery department.
She's due to have an operation to correct her eye squints this year. She may need a big operation when she's a bit older to cut the tendons that cause her the muscle spasticity in her legs.
She also wears AFO splints to strengthen her collapsed ankles.
She's our little firecracker and nothing will stop her!
|
