It seemed like everything was going just fine with my second pregnancy, and just two weeks before my due date at a routine ultrasound, the doctor noticed an extra sack of fluid attached to my sweet baby girl. We were referred to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where we were told that our baby girl would have Spina Bifida. Brooklyn was born the very next morning and just a few hours after she was born they took her to her first surgery to close the opening on her back.

Over the next few days the neurosurgeons monitored her head size and did several ultrasounds to see if the fluid was building up in her brain. They determined that it was and at just 14 days old Brooklyn had her second surgery, this time to insert her shunt. Not all babies with Spina Bifida develop hydrocephalus and we were hoping Brooklyn would fall into this small percentage and that she would not need a shunt. After 30 days in the NICU, we got to bring our sweet baby home, and she has been a joy and blessing in our life in so many ways.

We made it through her first year with no shunt revisions or any other problems at all and we were so excited about that. When Brooklyn was 14 months we discovered that something was not right, it was a shunt malfunction and she had her first revision. We are happy to say that she has had no other problems with her shunt since and is now almost 2 years old. She keeps us busy with all of her follow up doctor’s appointments and physical therapy, but we love her more than words can express!

She has been having many problems with her bladder and bowel recently, but she is doing awesome and has surprised everyone by how well she can walk with her walker and braces on. She is the happiest baby I know, is so outgoing and friendly, and has the biggest smile around!