Sophia’s Story

Sophia was born on October 26, 2023. After almost 22 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing, we had to move to a C-section because she was stuck under my pelvic bone. Loved ones who had been waiting for hours finally got to catch a glimpse of her. A couple of days later, we brought Sophie home.

She was a very calm, sleepy baby. I didn’t think much of it at the time, I had actually prayed for a good sleeper. She loved cuddles, eating, and owls.

Around 6 months old, we noticed her eyes starting to turn inward, and she got the cutest pair of purple glasses. Our pediatrician mentioned a few times how unusually calm Sophie was for her age, but again, I brushed it off since her dad and I are both fairly calm people.

Our pediatrician recommended an EEG, and we agreed. A couple of weeks later, we went to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Around that same time, we started noticing that Sophie mostly used her right arm and didn’t do much with her left. As first-time parents, we didn’t think too much of it, we assumed she might just be right-handed.

The EEG came back normal. We mentioned her left arm to the neurologist, but also shared that we had seen some improvement over the previous weeks. She told us that if nothing changed in six weeks, we should come back for an MRI. Since we thought Sophie was improving, we didn’t go back.

About two months later, at her well-child checkup, our pediatrician strongly encouraged us to return for the MRI. I was extremely hesitant because Sophie would need to be put under anesthesia, she was too young to stay still for the scan. After many conversations and a meeting with our pediatrician, I finally agreed.

On September 13, 2024, we returned to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital for the MRI and follow-up with the neurologist.

That’s when we learned that Sophie had suffered a perinatal stroke, a stroke that occurs between 20 weeks of gestation and up to one month after birth. We believe it may have happened during delivery.

They showed me the image of her brain, highlighting where the stroke had occurred. I remember immediately breaking down. I was also pregnant with our second child at the time. It’s one of those moments as a parent that you never forget. Sophie was 10 months old when she was diagnosed.

I think one of the hardest parts is not knowing everything the stroke has affected. There are so many things it could have impacted, like her speech that, thankfully, it didn’t. As her parents, we want the very best for her and to be as proactive as we possibly can. So we pray and trust that God will reveal what we need to know, when we need to know it. And even if Sophie’s future looks a little different than what we once imagined, that doesn’t mean it will be anything less than good. God is faithful and loving, and we get to lean on Him and trust Him through it all.

She had already been in physical therapy since about 4 months old due to mild torticollis. The neurologist told us that, to the best of their knowledge, the stroke had primarily affected her left arm. They encouraged us to continue therapy and said there was a good chance she could build enough strength that the difference might not be noticeable over time.

Sophie is now two years old. She attends physical and occupational therapy once or twice a week. She has had eye surgery to help correct her eyes from turning inward. Her doctors have said there’s no clear proof that her eye condition is caused by the stroke but there’s also no way to rule it out.

She was delayed in walking and didn’t take her first independent steps until she was 22 months old. There’s also a possibility she may need a brace on her left leg in the future. We are learning new things every day.

Sophie is tenacious, gentle, and full of curiosity. She loves learning and takes everything in. She is incredibly smart, and I truly believe she will overcome anything that comes her way.

Her story may not have started the way we expected, but God knew her long before we ever held her. We trust that He will continue to guide us in every step we take for Sophie. Every day, she shows us what resilience looks like one small victory at a time. And we know this is only the beginning of all she is capable of.

This picture was taken just last week, she was so happy to be out on the playground and she thinks doing “thumbs up” is really funny, which is what she’s doing!