After Atley came home from the hospital at two months old, he relaxed and enjoyed being held and cuddled. He was almost always smiling and happy, but developmentally, he was far behind a two month old baby. Atley was very weak and could not bottle feed. Even breathing was difficult, and he had a horrible time gaining weight. Atley's strokes during his first fragile week of life had left him with hypotonic cerebral palsy. This is a neurological disorder caused when the brain does not send enough signals to the muscles, causing them to be floppy and look very thin. There is no cure for this problem, but building muscle strength helps compensate for the low muscle tone.
Keller holds Atley on his first day home, June 2000.
Atley's big, gummy smile, 3 months old.
Atley and "super-chunk" Parker, 4 months old.
At seven months old, Atley had stomach surgery for reflux (fundoplication) and had his uncomfortable nasal feeding tube replaced with a more permanent feeding tube leading directly into his stomach. This style of feeding tube a " button" is comfortable and hidden under clothing. Atley's stomach became much worse after his fundoplication and his feedings had to be stretched out to almost 24 hours a day. He had a small, portable feeding pump to keep the food going all day long.
Atley showing off his "button" and fundoplication scars - 7 months old.
A Nissen Fundoplication stomach wrap to stop severe reflux.
Please stay tuned for Part Three...
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