Heidi and Sophie Phillips

This is Sophie's story.

Sophie was born in August 2004 following a pregnancy with more than a few problems.? We were told that there might be something wrong with our baby but despite many scans and blood tests she seemed to be growing and developing as she should.

We had a lovely five year old son and when Sophie arrived our family was complete.

When she was a week old she was admitted to hospital with weight loss as she was not feeding well.? We spent two weeks in hospital, where she was tube fed and many tests were done to find out why she was floppy and not feeding.? We came home with a well baby but many questions still unanswered.

Unfortunately over the next few months Sophie had Bronchiolitis twice and was readmitted to hospital for treatment.? We spent next year on tenterhooks as she needed to sleep with a monitor that detected if she stopped breathing.? Luckily she went from strength to strength and is now fit and well.? Throughout all this Sophie remained a pleasant happy little girl who did things in her own time (her Grandma calls this 'Sophie Time'!).

Sophie is now two years old and adorable (but of course we are biased!).? As yet we have no diagnosis apart from Global Developmental delay and Hypotonia (low muscle tone).? Despite quite a few tests we do not know why Sophie has these problems and how they will affect her in the long term.

We are very lucky to have excellent OT's and physiotherapists in Kidderminster, where we live, and a wonderful family who love and nurture Sophie, and provide Robert, myself and our son Elliot with the support we need, because these last two years have been an emotional roller coaster to say the least.

Sophie and I attend various groups and she had regular physiotherapy and Hydrotherapy, but something was missing, I felt that we needed something more holistic, something that would pull all of the therapies together and give us a feeling of hope.?

That's when Sophie's physiotherapist suggested Megan Baker House and handed me a leaflet, and here we are.

Sophie only starting coming to Megan Baker House in June 2006 and we haven't looked back since.? We were made to feel very comfortable from the first phone call and now we look forward to coming twice a week to the parent and child group where Sophie is making steady progress.? Sophie has gone from being a passive, quiet little girl who was happy to sit, or lie and let the world pass her by, to being an inquisitive, sometimes noisy little girl who is showing more interest in life in general.

The Conductors and helpers here have told me that Sophie is clever and can do a lot of things we did not think she would be capable of.? She finds many of the exercises difficult and tiring, but will now kneel on all fours and hold her head up with sheer determination and sometimes a lot of noise!? We are also working on rolling, crawling and walking with lots of help.? She is encouraged to drink from an open cup and stand from a crouching position.? All of this is done in a fun manner with singing and lots of cuddles.? We ALWAYS come home with a sense of achievement and fulfilment.

Everyone at Megan Baker House is lovely, giving us support, lots of encouragement and above all hope.? They are very knowledgeable about disabilities and if they don't know the answer to a query they know someone who does.