VINCENT CASEY HARDY

His birth was difficult and very quick, with both mother and baby very sick from septicaemia. Several days later we found out that he had suffered a grade four intraventricular haemorrhage during the birth or soon afterwards, perhaps as a result of the infection (morganella).

Vincent weighed 1325 grams ( 2 lb 15 oz) and was 41 cms long when he was born, which is a good size for a baby at that age. His first few weeks of life were a real struggle for him and for us. Once he got past 4 lbs he began to thrive.

He was in neonatal intensive care at Monash Medical Centre for 6 weeks, and then in special care for another 3 weeks before he came home, weighing 6.5 lbs, still 4 weeks before his due date, and in time for Christmas with us. On his due date, January 6, 1995, he weighed 8 lb.

Vincent was very susceptible to respiratory problems during his first winter, and creche proved to be unsuitable - six visits to creche each resulted in a new bug, culminating with a week in hospital with bronchialitis. These problems were solved by organising one to one care for him until after his second winter. When Vincent was two years corrected, he began going to a local creche three days a week without any problems. In his third winter, he had only one slight cold and no other illnesses.

We knew that the IVH would probably result in problems with the side of his body opposite to the side of the brain bleed. At about 5 months corrected, we began to notice increased muscle tone in his right leg. Vincent was diagnosed with mild spastic hemiplegia (Cerebral Palsy affecting one side of the body), and we began occupational and physio therapies. Although the hemiplegia made physical movement harder for him, we were relieved that it didn't cause him any pain. Vincent had daily massages, and physiotherapy provided mostly by us, until he began walking. Once he was able to walk, the weight bearing helped to improve the muscle tone of his affected leg

We wondered what the physical and psychological consequences of Vincent's prematurity would be. His motor development was slower than usual but he proved to be an energetic and determined little child. At 9 months (corrected) he could sit up (still a bit wobbly), roll over, lie on his tummy to play, push himself up with straight arms, use both hands to bang toys together,and generally have a good time. At 13 months corrected he was crawling in his own particular style, pulling up to stand, saying a few words and enjoying being able to explore and wreck the living room.

After much anxiety on our part and a lot of determination and falling over on his part, Vincent started walking on his second birthday! He has a distinct limp, particularly when he is tired, but he loves being mobile, and he loves music and dancing.

Vincent is now 3 years old. He is an expressive, affectionate child with excellent verbal skills. He has a great passion for technology and loves anything with a control panel or keyboard. He can turn our Mac on, and rename the files - most files on my desk top are now called "3..000000000000...........3" or something like that.

The CP continues to play a part in Vincent's development, although he is unaware of it. He has learned to be a bit careful and has very few accidents. He can run, awkwardly but quite fast, and knows how to correct his pace to avoid falling. He has no problems with playground equipment and can climb well (too well!) We have a trampolene which he loves, and this has helped him learn to jump and keep his balance.

When Vincent was born so early and so sick, we felt terribly sorry for what had happened to him. We loved him and were committed to caring for him but we thought that he would be a somewhat tragic figure. Instead he is a complete joy, full of life and charm. We are enjoying him tremendously. He seems to have no memory of his early traumas, and for us the grief of his early birth is gradually fading as he grows. We felt so miserable at first and were comforted by some of the email we received after posting a help notice on misc.kids.

We'd like to talk to other parents of very premature babies, especially anyone who's baby has had problems with intraventricular haemorrhage. Our email address is garyh@vicnet.net.au.

Anne Casey and Gary Hardy

The following links are to postings in the Preemie-l archives.

Information about IVH can be found in neonatologist Dr Doug Derleth's article on head ultrasounds

We believe that massage really helped to reduce the consequences of Vincent's brain bleed. Preemie-l memberLaurie Blacker has written a beautiful guide to premature baby massage.

If you haven't visited it already, Thomas Clark King's CyberNursery is a great starting point for information and swapping stories about premature babies - and a great example of creative home page construction. Cute baby too.

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