Dani,

The mother of the baby with the brain injury from an accident is
fortunate to have you there to support her, and so is the baby!

I just wanted to share a few thoughts about my own brain-damaged child.
My adopted son , Thomas, had both lungs collapsed right after birth by
an over-zealous tech who was trying to bag him.  It was approximately
half an hour before they discovered the problem.  Prior to that, they
had been doing CPR, thinking that he was in cardiac arrest.

The exact extent of the brain damage has not been determined, but he's
shown very little evidence of it.  I can't prove any of my claims, but I
believe that the way I raised him enabled him to overcome alot of it.  I
was not able to provide a large amount of breastmilk for him but,
between me and some donations from a friend, he probably got about half
of his diet in breastmilk.  I believe that every drop was important in
helping his brain grow and develop to the maximum potential.  The
nurturing and stimulation were also extremely important.  We know this
to be true just from seeing how a lack of it can produce developmental
problems in a child with no organic explanation for them.

Another thing I did that I felt was very important was to encourage him
to try anything he wanted to do.  If that meant climb on all the
furniture, I just held my hand under him so I could catch him if he
fell.  I felt it was really important for him to challenge himself as
much as possible, in order to make use of his full potential and
overcome the effects of the brain damage as much as possible.

Thomas is now eight years old and an absolutely incredible athlete.  He
is in normal school, but does get extra tutoring in reading, which he
really struggles with.  He also is prone to mood swings, that may have
something to do with the brain damage.  But he has done incredibly well
for a child who came so close to death and, realistically, would be
expected to have alot more problems.

I think the mother of this baby really needs to be able to know that she
is doing the very best to help her baby overcome his brain injury and
how important it is for her to nurse him.  Hopefully, this will not only
be the best thing for her son, but help her deal with her guilt about
the accident.

Best wishes,
Darillyn