I had been a dietitian for almost five years when my daughter Ivy was born with a GI defect, heart defect, and Down syndrome. Luckily for us, her Down syndrome diagnosis gave us a fast pass into early intervention. We started receiving occupational therapy (OT) in the NICU when Ivy was just 3 weeks old. Once we were settled back at home we were enrolled with Early Steps, Louisiana’s early intervention program. At 3 months old Ivy began receiving in home OT, speech therapy (ST), physical therapy (PT), and special instruction (SI).
Due to Ivy’s medical complexities she required a gtube to support her nutrition needs. Living in a rural area, we traveled over an hour to New Orleans to see our GI team routinely, but infrequently. With the regular support of our early intervention team and virtual checkins with our GI team, Ivy was weaned from her gtube to nursing and eating soft solids by 6-1/2 months old. During that process her speech therapist said something along the lines of, “I wish we had a dietitian to support all of our tube weaning kiddos.” That led to me figuring out that dietitians can (and should!) be a part of many, if not most, early intervention teams.
Ivy’s early intervention providers offered such compassionate and insightful care to Ivy, while constantly sharing knowledge, resources, and invaluable support to our whole family. They inspired (and encouraged) me to become an Early Steps dietitian, so I did. I enrolled as a provider in 2018 and haven’t looked back!
Having Ivy changed the course of my life in many ways, and this career shift is a shining example. I have discovered a world I never knew existed, that I get to be a part of, personally and professionally. It is so rewarding learn, share, and grow beside families who get to experience the extraordinary joys and struggles of caring for children with disabilities and medical complexities.
If you’re interested in seeing more of Ivy’s story we have an Instagram account, Up with Ivy, follow along and let us know if we can follow your journey too!