Mafalda with 9 days old in the Hospital
Click in the images to see it in full size
Mafalda was born at march, 12, 1997, at 10:45 am. She's from Almada (a city near Lisbon), Portugal. She was diagnosed with hydrocephalus at her 32nd week in utero. As soon as the doctors discovered that she have hydrocephalus she started to be followed in the Garcia da Orta Hospital. She was born in her 37th week with a c-section but not induced by the doctors.
When she was 48 hours old, she had a surgery to put a middle-high shunt. She had a CODMAN®-MEDOS® nonprogrammable Valve Shunt System without Prechamber. She didn't react very well with the operation. At night she was stopping breathing and the doctors didn't know if it was because of the anesthesia or because of hydro. Fortunately it was because of the anesthesia and in the next day she was breathing ok.
She was in the hospital until she was 18 days old. When she was 9 days old we took her first photograph. Here she is in the hospital.
Mafalda with 9 days old in the Hospital
Click in the images to see it in full size
You may be asking yourself if she had a head bigger than normal. Well, yes, she did. In this photos her cephalic perimeter was 40cm. The "top normal" is around 36cm. But, as you can see, it seems she has a perfectly normal head. So, if you fear that your baby will look strange, don't!
The next three months she started to smile, "talk" and play. But her head was still growing. The shunt wasn't the right one for Mafalda. When she was 3 1/2 months old (June, 30) the doctors had to change the shunt for a low pressure one. After this operation the cephalic perimeter stabilized in the 46cm until she was 9 months old. From 9 months until now the cephalic perimeter is growing normally.
Mafalda with 5 months old, after lunch
As expected, Mafalda didn't develop normally in the motor aspect. When she was 5 months old she started to go to the physiotherapy twice a week. Only at 6 months old she started to stand her head. The motor development is going very slowly.
When she was 15 months old and she didn't sit yet. But she was working on it. Fortunately the intellectual development appears to be ok. She calls papa, mama, grand mother, asks for bread, says hand, etc. Of course all of this in Portuguese <G>. If you ask her where is papa, mama, cat (we have two, she knows what name corresponds to what cat), TV, her photograph, and some other things, she looks to the person (or the thing) and smiles. You can also ask her for a kiss that she'll send you one. :-)
Mafalda with 14 months old
Mafalda started to talk when she was 19 months old. By this age she knew 50+ words and started to say small phrases with three or four words. She's now 23 months old, and she says 150+ words. She sits down, but doesn't like it very much. She still doesn't walk and nobody knows if she will. But we think so.
This page was updated at February, 28, 1999. I don't have time to update this page very often. But if you're interested with Mafalda's development or have any doubt you would like to see answered, please fell free to e-mail us.
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