Words you can't imagine hearing

"Something's possibly wrong with our child" - words you can't imagine hearing. I took Stryker to Hanger for his head scan this afternoon. Logan was hard at work & would try to meet us there later. A stocking was fitted to his head & a hand-held scanner took images of his head. He was such a good boy patiently allowing them to make 4 scans. A computer program displayed the images along with measurements. The results are in & were devastating to me. Stryker's head shape abnormality was 7.3 mm (normal = 2-4 mm) & 16% off normal. After hearing those words, I did not hear the rest of what she was saying. All I could think about is how we had overcome so many odds from 30 wks of pregnancy until now. Having a preemie, you only pray to have a healthy child. This was the first devastating news that I had heard since thinking Stryker was going to be born at 30 wks. In my career as both a respiratory therapist & a physical therapist, I have been involved with patient cases where this one could not compare to the emotional turmoil those parents go through. But, parents never want anything wrong with their child. The rest of the appointment was spent trying to fight back tears & be strong for my family. Thankfully, Logan walked in at this point. He held Stryker while the lady went through the scan results again. A corrective helmet is recommended if a child is at 6 mm or greater on head shape abnormality. The child has to be 6 months of age. Stryker is 4 months; therefore, we will be returning for a follow-up head scan on July 26th. If the abnormality is still greater than 6 mm, then he will be fitted for a corrective helmet. The helmet is worn 23 hrs/day for around 4 months. Hanger informed us that it's always harder on the parents than the children. At least he won't remember wearing it, but I will. We're trying everything possible to prevent the helmet: laying on left side, feeding him in our right arm, stretching, sitting & tummy time as much as possible, limiting car seat time, no laying in swings, etc. Prayer is a powerful thing. We pray that Stryker will be healthy now & in the future. We also pray that he does not have to wear the helmet but if he does, we can be strong enough to handle our little boy wearing it. Each trail in life, God is teaching us something.