Torsten was born on Thursday, June 28, 2012. Unlike his parents with their chronic tardiness, he arrived 2.5 weeks early. A sonogram the day before he was born showed that my amniotic fluid level had continued to drop and was dangerously low. That combined with the fact that he was breech and his leg had stopped growing led us to a planned cesarean birth.
After he was born, there were some issues with his blood oxygenation and he had fluid on his lungs, so he made a quick trip to the NICU, but was out in no time. We spent the next 3 days in the hospital bonding with our new treasure. Torsten had swooped in and, overnight had become our world.
At the hospital he slept constantly. We were sure we'd hit some kind of baby jackpot. The nurses commented on what a calm and content baby he was. Of course this all changed the night he came home. We had a side-sleeper all ready for him next to our bed, with clean sheets and a pacifier tucked in the corner. That same side-sleeper has yet to be used and is now housed in the attic. Better luck with another kiddo. Torsten alternated between sleeping in our bed and his crib for the first couple of months. We took plenty of criticism for the co-sleeping, but it worked for us at the time and I don't regret it one bit. When you're waking up every 2 hours to feed a crying baby, it's much more convenient if that baby is right next to you than if he's four rooms away. That being said, I was ready to evict him after a couple of months of bed sharing. Daddy was ready for him to go sooner.
At the 2-week appointment with Torsten's pediatrician, they found a dimple just above his bum. We had noticed it, but didn't think anything of it, since plenty of doctors had examined him both in and out of the hospital and nothing had been mentioned. Now though, Dr. McClard was concerned enough to order an ultrasound. She said that it could be nothing, but because his sacral dimple was deep enough that she couldn't find the end of it, we would need to have it checked.
For those unsure of what a sacral dimple is, it's an indentation, either shallow or deep, at the bottom of the spine/back. In Torsten's case, there is a small hole in the center of the dimple. The depth of that hole was the cause for concern. So off we went for an ultrasound.
While waiting to be called back for his ultrasound, I remembered a test I'd had done during pregnancy that had come back with abnormal results. It was the Spina Bifida test and I had gone to a specialist afterward to have everything checked again. According to the specialist, everything had been fine and we had nothing to worry about. I hadn't even thought about those test results for months, but now, sitting in the hospital waiting room, it came back to me like a tidal wave. I started furiously doing searches on my phone and was completely panicked by what I was finding. A sacral dimple can very well be a sign of Spina Bifida. I couldn't believe it hadn't occurred to me before.
We got the results of the ultrasound on a Friday afternoon. They were somewhat vague. They said that the end of his spine was in extremely close proximity to the dimple, but weren't conclusive as to whether or not the spine was connected and/or if there was a larger problem at hand. Dr. McClard explained that she is not an expert in this area and that she would need to consult with a neurosurgeon for a definite answer as to what was going on and what we should do. Since it was a Friday, it wasn't hopeful that we would hear anything back until Monday... or Wednesday. Apparently neurosurgeons are too busy to reply to little pediatricians or to put worrying parents out of their misery in any less than 3-5 business days. At least the news, however late, was not terrible. We were told that we should not worry, but should have an MRI at 6 months just to be sure nothing is wrong.
So we went on about our business, watching our handsome little guy grow, love life, play and learn new things every day. What a joy the past months have been. Torsten is an adorable baby and we are often told that he looks like an actual doll. I was recently asked by a 4-year old girl if he was real or if he was a baby doll. He's also extremely sweet and is constantly caressing our faces, arms, hands and whatever else he can reach. He's very curious and loves checking out new things and places and loves to read books. He's funny and loves to smile, laugh and have lengthy discussions with anyone who will talk to him. He's independent and often likes to just be left to do his own thing, mostly flopping around on a blanket on the floor. I'm grateful everyday that I get to be his mommy.
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