Brain damaged newborn?

Question

Does anyone have a child who has had brain damage as a newborn or know a child who has?

My daughter is currently in icu and has been for 3 and a half weeks with RSV and because she was so sick ( we almost lost her) she got some brain damage. She is only 2 weeks (corrected) so we don't know how it will affect her yet.

I was just interested in hearing other peoples stories on brain damage and having a seriously sick child.

She gets out of icu tomorrow :)

Answer 1

When my little brother was born he took his first breath and caused both of his lungs to collapse. He went without oxygen for a couple minutes as they could not figure out why he was not responding to cpr. He certainly suffered some damage as a result but he is now three years old and is mostly at his normal level. Each year that passes he comes closer to closing the gap between himself and his twin sister. They had to do various types of therapies but I can really see the difference. The level of brain damage is hard to tell at such a young age and she may just have something minor that you will have to work with, if anything at all. If possible, don't treat her like she has brain damage, expect the same things from her that you would any other baby. She may surprise you and live up to those expectations. Just remember that every baby develops differently. Congratulations on her getting out of icu tomorrow. Enjoy your baby girl and don't fret about the damage unless you see definate signs that she needs assistance. Even then, she made it and that's truly amazing in itself.  

Answer 2

My son (who is now 14 months), had meningitis when he was 1 week old.  We didn't know that that was what he had at the time.  We knew he was terribly sick (or "scary sick" as the doctor called it) and thought he had a kidney infection, which he very well may have had on top of the meningitis.  The illness caused him to go into seizures, and he wound up in the NICU for a week.  While he was there, among dozens of tests, he had an MRI that showed he had some brain damage (periventricular white matter it's called), it's the sort that happens to stroke victims, or the kind that can lead to cerebral palsy.  He was closely followed the by hospital for the next 6 months at which point he had a follow up MRI.  This MRI showed that his brain was healing -- a complete miracle.  And honestly, we never noticed the brain damage affecting him (which could be because he was so small, and the damage affected his movement and memory centers of the brain)    

Since recovering from the illness, he has done nothing but thrive, and is a completely happy and healthy little boy!  I'm terribly sorry to hear about your little girl!  It's an awfully scary, and emotionally exhausting way to start a new life.  How exciting that she's able to come home tomorrow!!  What a blessing and a true miracle!  She's an incredibly strong little girl for making it through!  I hope she continues gain strength and thrive as well.  

Blessings to you and your family

Answer 3

No, I don't know anybody with a brain damaged newborn. Good luck and God Bless You!

Answer 4

I'm very sorry to hear that, I hope everything turns ok for both you and your new daughter.

I have a daughter that was born with pneumonia, she was in icu for a week, luckily it was found in time and they were able to treat it.

Answer 5

I knew a little boy who had a stroke at birth.  Yes, children do have strokes, and just as often as adults do - scary, isn't it?

Anyway, he sustained brain damage to one hemisphere due to his stroke.  With lots of physical, occupational, and speech therapy, he's a typical child now.  He's smart, articulate, and active.  He has slight weakness on one side of his body, but people don't even realize it unless you tell them.

Remember that the young brain has a lot of plasticity, and so can rewire to work around damage.  Get your daughter every service you possibly can to ensure that she reaches her full potential.  Good luck, and congratulations on your new baby.