So as some of you may know I am a mother of 3 beautiful kids. A girl named Amari who is 8 and 2 boys, Noah who is 4 and Ezekiel who is 1 (16 months to be exact). My rugrats are my greatest blessing and they have made me the women I am today. When I found out I was pregnant with my 3rd child I was shocked. I have always wanted a big family but since my husband is the bread winner around here we hadn't planned on a 3rd child for a couple of years. Of course our plans aren't always Gods plans so after a week or so of nervousness I loved the idea of a new baby. The smell, the cute little toes, and the fun of planning every little detail. My pregnancy with Ezekiel was different to my other ones due to the fact that I lost a lot of weight and I never was really hungry. Around 8 months I found out the cord was around his next, thankfully it wasn't tight at all so they just monitored it to make sure he wasn't under any stress. On January 13th 2014 I went into labor. I was having contractions and dilating fine. When I got to 6cm my water still hadn't broke which was also weird for me since with my other kids they popped on their own. The nurse came in and broke my water which sucked big time lol. After a few hour I still was at 6cm so they gave me Pitocin since I seemed to be stuck at 6cm. I waited and waited which seemed like forever and the doctor came in and she said the baby was turned to the side and had extreme pressure on his head. She decided it was best to have an emergency C-section. I was so scared but I was prepared to do what was necessary to have my baby safe and sound in my arms. After an hour my baby was out and in my husbands arms. The stay in the hospital was normal and in 3 days I was on my way home with my new bundle of joy.
* Carbon Fiber Design *
* Ezekiel aka Zeke*
After we got home it went as normal as it possibly could. The kids loved him and so did I. When he was around 3 months my husband noticed that his head was shaped a little funny. I saw it also but I thought it was due to the C-section and it would changed as he grew. I took him to the doctor just to be safe and when she measured his head it was very misshapen. She sent us to a specialist at the Short Hills Cranial Center to get an evaluation. The specialist told us his head was severally misshapen and he had Plagiocephaly and that he would need a special helmet to correct his head. Plagiocephaly basically means misshapen head and if it isn't corrected he could suffer from head aches, eye problems, ear infections, and other issues. The helmet basically works by putting pressure on the side that is normal and leaves space for the side they want to grow and even out. He would have to wear the helmet 23 hours and day and could only take it off for 1 hour a day to clean it and shower. I couldn't believe it and to be honest it was something I had never heard of until they told me. I took it for what it was and they took the measurements of his head for the helmet. They did that by putting a stocking on his head and cut holes to show his eyes, nose, and mouth and put him on a machine that took a digital scan of his head. They mailed the paper work to the insurance who denied to pay for the helmet. They said it was cosmetic and not necessary. I appealed the denial and sent in paper work from his doctor and the specialist saying he really needed it. While I waited to hear from the insurance again Ezekiel started physical therapy once a week for Torticollis which means tight neck muscles that usually accompanies Plagiocephaly.
* At Therapy with Mrs.Sue *
After a month the insurance denied it again and I was so aggravated. I couldn't understand why they did not want to help us. I appealed again and was denied again. After this my husband and I just decided to try to come up with the money ourselves. Time was passing and the longer we waited to get the helmet the worse his head got. My mother in law did a fund raiser at her school and with their help and the help of family we got the money. God is good and He knew what we needed and found a way to help us get it. We paid and in 2 weeks his helmet arrived. We choose a plain blue color and order stickers to decorate it. When the time came and they finally put his helmet on I broken down and started crying in the office. I hadn't cried once but for some reason once I saw him with the helmet it all hit me. No mother wants to see their child suffer or go through anything that might cause them pain and he was so little. After a couple of minutes I was ok. They said he would have to break it in at first by wearing it 1 hour the first day and increasing the time each day until he hit the 23 hour mark.
* First time with his helmet *
* The stickers made it look super cute *
Seeing him wear the helmet was a little hard for me. He would sweat so much with it on. Everytime I toke it off his hair was drenched in sweat. Then the funky smell that came with it was not cute lol. We had to clean it every day with a rag and alcohol but it still had the funkiness to it. He could not go to the beach, pool, or park that whole summer due to the fact that he might break out in blisters from the heat. I prayed and prayed and God heard me because he only had to wear the helmet for 3 months when the doctor said a year or more. As I sit here and write this it still amazes me how people would stare at him and give him weird looks. It made me upset at first but than I realized it could have been their first time seeing it just like I hadn't heard of it neither have a lot of people. I also want to say that this can be avoided by making sure you give your infant plenty of tummy time. The sooner the better and also change their head position every time they go to sleep. I really believe its something every mom should get informed about before leaving the hospital. You would think that would be the end but its only the beginning of my babys story. Once he was cleared to stop wearing the helmet he still had to attend physical therapy for his neck muscles. Than I started to notice that he wasn't doing the things a 9 month old should. He wasn't sitting on his own, he wouldn't bare no weight on his feet, and he wasn't rolling over. I discussed these things with my doctor and she recommend to increase the therapy to 2 times a week. Than after a could of months he started scutting on his butt like a little frog which was awesome cause he was moving but still no standing. My doctor sent me to Children Specialized Hospital where he saw Dr. Bently and she said Ezekiel has Hypotonia which is a big word for low muscle tone. Since he has been in therapy for a while and still wasn't standing they said he would need leg braces. As you can imagine I was shocked. I feel as though he has been through so much already when will it end. They sent him to do blood work and see another specialist to see if it can be genetic. Thank God everything came back normal with those test. 2 weeks ago he got his leg braces and has to break them in just like the helmet until he is wearing them all the time.
* My baby can make anything look good *
He is now going to therapy 4 times a week. 2 times they come to my house from early intervention and the other 2 I go to Saint Barnabes Hospital. He is doing better thank God. He is rolling over on his own, he is going from sitting to belly and no more tight neck muscles. A couple of days ago he was taking steps with help from his therapist and at home we help he walk a little each day. We are suppose to do an MRI of his brain but I am still on the fence of doing that. He is very smart and I see nothing wrong with his social or mental skills its mostly all motor. Also for that MRI he has to be sedated and I don't know how I feel about that since he is still so little. Right now I am just being still and praying to God to see what he thinks my next move should be.
* Walking on the treadmill *
* Standing on his own and playing *
With every day that passes I see Zeke doing better and better. I sometimes find myself stressed out and crying over everything my baby has to go through but than I see all the kids at the hospitals and doctors that I go to and I see how truly blessed I am. Ezekiel is healthy no sickness that are terminal and improving with time. I have seen God move tremendously in his life. He answers my prayers each and every time maybe not as fast as I would like but always in His perfect timing. My biggest fear is that he will look at his older brother and wonder why he cant do the things he does, But than I see how big my God is and my fear is nothing compared to His love. I know one day I will see Ezekiel running around with his brother and sister driving me nuts.
