This is a touching story of a psychotherapist dad, a social worker mom, and a miraculous journey.

On March 28, 2009, 32 weeks pregnant, what was supposed to be a regular checkup sent shockwaves to a hopeful family: the baby had pleural effusion and his lungs were undergoing atrophy. The doctor recommended us to go to the Emergency Room immediately. Upon arriving at the ER, because it was a Saturday, other than a regular body check, we had to wait until Monday for a senior doctor to do a formal diagnosis.

On March 30, after being seen by a senior physician, it was decided that the excess fluid must be drained immediately. A cold, hard, steel needle needs to be inserted through mommy’s belly into the baby’s chest to release the fluid. The doctor expected more fluid to be accumulated later, and a preterm birth at 36 weeks will be required.

March 31, before the operation, it was found that the baby’s situation was worse than before: his heart shifted to a central position because of the excess fluid in his lungs, and the blood vessels were under pressure, leading to a decrease of blood oxygen level. The operation must proceed immediately. The screen was showing the baby while the needle was being inserted, but mommy dared not open her eyes for one second. All she heard was the doctor asking the nurse to hand him the needle. Each needle withdrew 10 ml of fluid, 10 ml… 20 ml… 30 ml… until the 7th time, the doctor indicated more fluid can be drawn out, but mommy was suddenly very anxious, worrying that under prolong operation, the baby may move around and be easily hurt by the needle.

Moreover, the less fluid, the more difficult it was to extract it, and the easier it was for the needle to puncture the baby’s lungs. However, mommy understands that the more fluid was extracted, the better it was for him, because his lungs would not be compressed anymore. Finally, after 10 extractions, a total of 92 ml of fluid was withdrawn. The doctor noticed the baby’s lungs were expanding; his heart was back to the rightful place on the left and his blood oxygen level was again normal. Mommy finally dared to open her eyes and saw the baby’s lungs expanded on the screen. Several days of fear were finally gone, and only then did she find out that a large group of doctors were observing the entire process!

After the operation, mommy was suffering from a lot of pain and was confined in bed. She was so exhausted she went to sleep without having dinner. That night the baby kept kicking; it was a great joy for mommy, knowing that the baby was alive and well.

On April 1st, during checkup, surprisingly the baby’s lungs were filling up with fluid again, and his condition was even worse than before. It was so sudden that everyone was taken aback. The doctor decided to extract the baby, and scheduled the operation on April 2nd. The joy of pregnancy, the agony of discovering his pleural effusion, the excitement of a successful operation, and the fear of his recurring condition… it was a roller coaster ride, torturing this couple.

In the morning of April 2nd, mommy felt no movement from the baby, and the doctor found his blood oxygen level dropping, thus we could not wait for the scheduled operation in the afternoon. The doctor decided to extract the baby immediately, and an entire team of doctors were on standby. When the baby was born, he was rated a score of “zero”, meaning he was not breathing or crying – no sign of life. He was immediately transferred to the intensive care unit.

[When he was born, his hands and legs were all hooked up with tubes and had to breathe through a machine.]

[Every day, 100 cc of fluid was extracted from his lungs.] [A family photo in the ICU.]

The doctor predicted a long treatment process. Most premature babies had to be hospitalized for one or two months, and he told us to expect a longer recovery time. Thank God, he was only hospitalized for two weeks! It was only two days after the expected delivery date, as if it was a normal birth!

The Difficulty We Faced

During the recovery process, besides being developmentally delayed by seven weeks, he was severely insecure with people and the surroundings. He refused to be touched, even gently; he was troubled by noises, even soft chatter. He was unusually nervous; he would frown even during sleep!

[Supposedly soothing gentle massage would make him frown; if sustained, he would cry out loud! It was worrisome.]

The psychotherapist dad and social worker mom were thankful that their baby could come home, but were afraid that he would be severely developmentally delayed. Since he lacked oxygen at birth, his brain may have suffered damage. Using their professional knowledge, they designed specialized activities to stimulate his brain and allow it to grow in a balanced and complete manner.

“We designed activities to provide multi-faceted stimulation, including vision, hearing, touch, smell, vestibular balance and muscle joint, in order to promote his brain development. We also said to ourselves ‘many children are insecure, our baby is only more severe, but most importantly it can be healed, and we have the method, the time, and the love!’ During the activities, we systematically helped our baby to be accustomed to the various stimulations, and allowed him to take initiative so that he felt in control. We slowly helped him realize that people are not scary and the environment is safe!”

[Baby massage time]

Our Fruit of Labor

After a month or so since he came out of the hospital (i.e. 3 months old), he was already willing to be touched and massaged. When he was about 6 months old, he already caught up with the developmental goals. Some tasks, like changing hands while holding objects, were even ahead of others! Moreover, he was no longer afraid of strangers. He can even be held by strangers and have fun playing!

[Changing hands while holding an object]

Underlying Theory

“The brain attempts to understand the world through seven senses: vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell, vestibular balance, and muscle joint. More stimulation means more opportunities for the child to experience the world, and the learning pace of a baby is far beyond our imagination. Therefore, we strategically integrated many sensory ‘games’ into our everyday interaction. It is perhaps stretching to call these activities ‘games’, because he did not know how to ‘play’ yet! In fact, many parents neglect the stimulation of smell, muscle joints and vestibular balance, and are unaware of how to provide such games. Actually, it could be as simple as letting a baby smell fresh fruits. To a newborn, it is already a fun and exciting game (please consult professionals before attempting)!” Dad said.

“Different stages have different psychological and physical needs; by satisfying all these needs, children can have an all-rounded development. We are lucky because in our profession, we understand children’s different needs, so we designed many activities to help our child experience the world fully. Of course, most importantly parents need to be loving and patient!” Mom added excitedly.

“We added those activities during our daily interactions, so that our child doesn’t feel pressured while we help his brain develop. Even if I am busy on weekdays, when I come home after work, I always spend at least half an hour to play with my son, and definitely more during holidays!”

“Therefore, with thanksgiving hearts, we are determined to share our knowledge with everyone. We have gathered a group of professionals to establish the Child Psychological Development Association. Through various activities, including playgroups, seminars and trainings, we aspire to give all children a happy and healthy childhood.