31 for 21: Healthy

Since having Hailey, I have encountered a great deal of expectant mothers.  I know that it is common to hear, "as long as the baby is healthy".  I have removed that comment from my conversations.  Yes, everyone prays for a healthy baby, but it doesn't always happen that way. 

There are two reasons for this.  First off, as long as the baby is healthy, what?  You don't have a choice when your baby is born. He/she is either healthy or they are not.  There is no in between and it isn't something that you control.  You aren't going to have a baby, find out that they have a heart defect and hand them back.  He/she is YOUR child!  You are going to love that child, research the condition and do everything you can to help them be healthy or manage their condition.  Please note here though, I am referring to Hailey's heart surgery and not her Down syndrome.  Yes, Hailey's heart did have a defect.  We researched her condition and our options.  We managed her condition until she started having heart failure.  We chose a course of action.  We were lucky...we won that battle!

When people say "as long as the baby is healthy", most are referring to everything...organ defects, lung issues, chromosomal defects, physical defects.  The "perfect" child.  That truly isn't really the case.  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, healthy in humans is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain.  Hailey is healthy (knock on wood - I am superstitious)...she is free from illness, injury or pain.  She is not suffering.  She is not sick and she certainly is not in pain.  Her heart is working as well as yours and mine, maybe even a little better. 

Yes, she does see more doctors and -ologists that the rest of the family combined, but most of it is preventative.  We take her to the ophthalmologist to make sure she is seeing correctly.  If Hailey doesn't see well, she can't learn.  We take her to the audiologist to make sure she can hear correctly.  If Hailey can't hear well, she will have issues with speech.  And she won't respond when I tell her "no" or yell "Hailey Dawn" :-)  She sees her cardiologist once a year to reaffirm that her heart is working properly.  We have bloodwork completed twice a year to check her thyroid levels.  Poor thyroid levels can cause a huge gamut of issues with a person.  These appointments are necessary to assure that Hailey is healthy and stays that way. 

Yes, some children with Down syndrome do have other health concerns, just as some typical children have health concerns and illnesses.  We have been very fortunate with Hailey's health...she's one tough cookie!

This is what our healthy looks like in our house and I thank God for it every day.

I had to share this one because I find it so funny!