{"id":19471,"date":"2026-03-11T07:43:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T07:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/a-mothers-love-for-a-special-needs-child\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:07:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:07:57","slug":"a-mothers-love-for-a-special-needs-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/parenting\/special-needs-children\/a-mothers-love-for-a-special-needs-child\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mother’s Love for a Special-Needs Child"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was three hours before we knew. Three hours I had to wait and wonder. And worry. I\u2019d barely had a chance to hold my newborn son, Isaac, when the neonatology nurse whisked him away. \u201cHis blood oxygen levels are low,\u201d she said, \u201cbut he should be fine.\u201d I tried to settle back in my hospital bed and relax.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think our baby\u2019s okay?\u201d I asked my husband, Ray.<\/p>\n

He squeezed my hand. \u201cNo news is good news.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not for me. My mind kept cycling through everything that could be wrong. Disabilities. Birth defects. Developmental delays. <\/em>If it was serious, they would\u2019ve told us by now, right?<\/p>\n

My doctor had warned us from the very first sonogram. At my age, 43, I had a much higher risk of having a baby with chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome. I wasn\u2019t worried then. I was just thrilled to be pregnant.<\/p>\n

I never thought I\u2019d get married, let alone have kids. Not with my history. My mother was mentally ill and my father was an alcoholic. It fell to me to keep everything together. Except I couldn\u2019t save Mom from mental collapse, couldn\u2019t keep our family from falling apart.<\/p>\n

By the time Ray came along, I was 37 and had given up on finding a soul mate. What business did I have raising a family with my baggage?<\/p>\n

Ray was 12 years older, a talented painter. His family had struggles too, and he knew what it was like to grow up the way I had. We fell in love and got married. I gave birth to our first son, Pierce, when I was 40.<\/p>\n

Three years later, I was pregnant again. An answer to prayer, I told people. An ultrasound revealed markers for possible birth defects. My doctor recommended amniocentesis to test for genetic disorders. But the procedure carried a risk of miscarriage, and besides, I was determined to have my baby regardless.<\/p>\n

Now I wished I had answers. What if Isaac had a condition that would keep him from living a normal life? Would he be an outsider like I\u2019d been growing up? What if he was so severely disabled that he didn\u2019t recognize me as his mother? What if he didn\u2019t know I loved him?<\/p>\n

God wouldn\u2019t give me that kind of responsibility, would he? Not after I\u2019d failed my parents. He wouldn\u2019t entrust someone like me with a child who had special needs.<\/p>\n

The nurse came back in. Finally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen can I see…\u201d I started to ask. Then I saw the look on her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsaac has Down syndrome,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ll know more when the tests come back. The doctor will fill you in.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: BRINGING JOY TO SPECIAL CHILDREN<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The week I spent at the hospital was a blur. More tests, consultations, information packets, phone call after phone call from well-meaning friends. \u201cWith God\u2019s help, we\u2019re taking things one day at a time,\u201d I e-mailed everyone.<\/p>\n

But reality set in when we brought Isaac home. There was no nursing staff on call. No book that could really tell me how to parent a special-needs baby.<\/p>\n

At night I lay awake, fears mushrooming. Ray and I were older parents. What would happen to Isaac after we were gone? Would he be able to get a job? Live on his own? Was it fair to saddle Pierce with being his brother\u2019s caregiver?<\/p>\n

Isaac met with a developmental specialist right away, and I employed my own kind of therapy. Morning, noon and night I rocked him and sang him songs that I made up. I swaddled him in a blanket I\u2019d made out of soft fleece. Anything I could think of to strengthen our bond, to show him I loved him, to quiet my worries.<\/p>\n

He fit so naturally in my arms, just as his brother had. But he didn\u2019t respond to me the way Pierce had at the same age. At two months, Isaac didn\u2019t smile or coo at the sound of my voice. When I nursed him, he looked past me. Never at me. I moved my face to catch his gaze. Nothing. Not even a flicker in his beautiful hazel eyes. It was like I didn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy own baby doesn\u2019t know me!\u201d I sobbed to Ray.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t stress,\u201d Ray said. \u201cIsaac will develop on his own schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n

What if he never did? What if he never knew me?<\/p>\n

Running on the treadmill in our bedroom became my stress relief. As I ran, I told God my fears and frustrations. I reached out to other special-needs moms. They all seemed to have their lives together. It was like they understood their child\u2019s every need on a deep, almost spiritual level. Me? I couldn\u2019t even get my baby to look at me.<\/p>\n

Isaac started physical therapy at five months. Maybe things will change now, <\/em>I told myself. His therapist, Mary Jane, specialized in early intervention treatment. At Isaac\u2019s first few appointments, she worked on helping him roll over, reach for toys and sit up on his own.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: SEA OF ANGELS<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHypotonia, or low muscle tone, is very common in children with Down syndrome,\u201d she said. \u201cOur goal is to increase Isaac\u2019s strength little by little.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hypotonia could affect Isaac\u2019s mobility, even his ability to interact with other kids. If he couldn\u2019t hold a ball or a toy, he might get left out at playtime. I worked on the exercises with Isaac the next day. Pierce watched from his corner of the play mat, planting kisses on his baby brother now and then. <\/p>\n

No matter how I stretched and moved his limbs and torso, Isaac\u2019s body stayed floppy. He could barely lift his head.<\/p>\n

I woke up early one morning to pray, then jumped on the treadmill. Why had God given me <\/em>Isaac? He needed a more capable mother, someone who could really reach him and help him. I strapped on my wrist weights and picked up my pace. Too bad Isaac doesn\u2019t have weights like these to build muscle tone. If only\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n

I stopped the treadmill and studied the weights. The design was simple\u2014a weighted band, adjustable strap and Velcro closure. Could I make Isaac his own mini version? Hadn\u2019t Mary Jane talked about building strength little by little?<\/p>\n

I hopped off the treadmill and grabbed my sewing basket. Scraps of blue fleece dotted with cars and trucks, left over from the blanket I\u2019d made Isaac. That would work for the band. What about the weight? I needed something light, something he would hardly notice.<\/p>\n

Sand? I scooped a cup from Pierce\u2019s sandbox in the backyard and got to work. My creation was complete in an hour. I weighed it on the kitchen scale\u2014less than an eighth of a pound. Could this really work?<\/p>\n

When Isaac woke, we went through the exercises again. This time, I slipped the bands around his wrists. I stretched his arms and legs. We reached for toys and turned the pages of a book.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe looks like a baby bodybuilder!\u201d Ray said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

We did exercises with the weights for half an hour each day. After two weeks Isaac seemed less floppy. Mary Jane was blown away by his progress. \u201cIsabella, I\u2019m so impressed!\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen weights like these for little kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

I gave Mary Jane the ones I\u2019d made to test out with her other clients and put together a new set for Isaac, filled with a quarter pound of sand. I upped our exercise time to an hour. It was the highlight of my day. Isaac still wouldn\u2019t meet my gaze. Maybe he never would. But now I knew I was helping him.<\/p>\n

Mary Jane\u2019s other patients showed promising results with the weights. I searched online for similar products. I couldn\u2019t find a company that sold weights for infants or special-needs children.<\/p>\n

If my little invention worked for Isaac, surely other kids could benefit. What if I started my own company? \u201cGo for it!\u201d Mary Jane said. I tested fabric options, contacted manufacturers and researched safety standards.<\/p>\n

Isaac\u2019s progress was slow but steady. By nine months, he was strong enough to wear the weights beyond exercise time, even when he nursed. With Mary Jane\u2019s help, he learned to grasp toys and roll over on his stomach. Ray, Pierce and I cheered every time Isaac reached a new milestone.<\/p>\n

One morning while he was nursing, I sang Isaac one of my made-up songs. \u201cI love Isaac, my dear little Isaac. How I love Isaac, my pride and my joy….\u201d Isaac\u2019s gaze shifted. His eyes locked on mine. I didn\u2019t dare move. He looked at me for what felt like an eternity. Not past me. At me. <\/em>Like I was the only person in the world.<\/p>\n

He knows me! <\/em>I wanted to shout. He knows I love him! <\/em>How could I have doubted it? Isaac would learn to do everything he needed to. Socialize, walk, talk. Not on some developmental chart\u2019s timetable, or my timetable, but in his own time. In his own way, as God designed.<\/p>\n

Today Isaac is a five-year-old chatterbox who charms everyone he meets. MightyTykes, our company, is thriving too. Our weights have helped thousands of children of all ages and abilities. They\u2019re different by design, like all of us, and like the mighty tyke who inspired them.<\/p>\n

Did you enjoy this story? Subscribe to <\/em>Guideposts<\/strong><\/a> magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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