A Little Miracle
Our Klárka was born on October 4, 2009. The delivery was long, but in the end, everything turned out well and Klárka was fine. During a check-up with the pediatrician at three months, we were sent for rehabilitation to the University Hospital in Pilsen with suspicion of increased muscle tone in the back muscles, which was immediately confirmed. In practice, it looked like Klárka was arching her back a lot “into a bow,” she didn’t prop herself up on her tummy, and couldn’t reach for the toys we kept offering her. From four months old, we practiced exercises four times a day and went for check-ups every 14 days, later every three to four weeks. The initial check-up was by a rehab doctor, then we saw a rehab nurse. The doctor recommended several exercises, including the Vojta method, but the nurse decided light exercises would suffice and reassured us that Klárka was just more deliberate and everything would be fine.
This lasted for 4 months; Klárka started playing with toys but still didn’t want to roll over. She seemed completely satisfied lying on her back and showed no interest in toys out of her reach. Finally, she managed to roll onto her right side in the 7th month. I was very relieved then and thought that now things would surely progress. Check-ups became easier and easier. The exercises decreased, and both the nurse and I were waiting for Klárka to start crawling on her own. Rolling over always cost Klárka enormous effort; she always left her right hand under her body and then struggled to pull it out. There was no sign of crawling. Additionally, a squint appeared in her right eye.
When Klárka was 8 months old, quite by chance, we visited Mr. Václav Krucký. We mentioned we were in rehab and would like him to examine her. What he told us after the examination was shocking. Klárka had a severe coordination disorder with a tendency toward Cerebral Palsy; developmentally she was at the level of a three-month-old. Mr. Krucký said the previous care was completely wrong and had actually harmed Klárka. If she had done Vojta therapy from the start, everything would have developed normally. If intensive Vojta therapy didn’t start immediately, Klárka would not walk, or would walk very poorly.
It is hard to describe what my husband and I went through the following week. It was feelings of anger, regret, fear… For four months we believed we were in the hands of experts, while we just watched Klárka’s development lag and silently move toward Cerebral Palsy. I wondered how it was possible that people in such positions do not understand basic child development and how many other parents are in a similar situation.
The prospects were not rosy at all. It was uncertain if the exercises would be successful enough to remove all pathological symptoms in such a short time (by the end of the 1st year). We started traveling from Pilsen to Karlovy Vary every week. Each week we left with slightly modified exercises and the realization that Klárka’s condition was slowly improving. Practicing the Vojta method changes your life; you have to plan the whole day to find time four times a day. Often I felt that relatives looked at me as a mom who is hurting her child. I often heard: “Is it really necessary? She looks healthy.” Only when they saw her progress did they understand. I started believing again. Klárka started to move on her tummy.
Then came the ten-month check-up. Mr. Krucký said some primitive reflexes still persisted, preventing Klárka from crawling and walking. I realized we were still on a thin line. It was very stressful; we had to extend the exercise time and practice tirelessly. After a week, we rejoiced. Extending the time brought results quickly, as Klárka finally began to crawl and discover the world herself. Further progress followed rapidly. At 11 months she was already standing in her crib. At a year, she started walking around furniture, and a month later came the first steps with help. At 15 months, Klárka stood alone and took her first independent steps. On Jan 14, 2011, Mr. Krucký ended the therapy. Since 16 months, Klárka has been running on her own. Our great thanks go to Mr. Krucký for his excellent care. Today Klárka is 20 months old and her joy of movement is our joy too.