Feeling heartbroken over my daughter’s developmental delays. (16 month old)
I guess this is partly a rant and partly me looking for advice from parents who have or are in a similar situation.
My daughter has had developmental delays since she was a baby. She’s been in physical therapy since she was 2 months old and now receives both PT and OT. We’ve made progress, and I’m so proud of her, but some days are really hard.
She’s 16 months old and is just now starting to show interest in standing. She crawled later than expected, isn’t walking yet, and now we’re waiting for SMO boots because now there is pronation in her feet. It feels like every time we make progress, another hurdle pops up.
What hurts the most is seeing other children her age running around, climbing, exploring, and doing things that seem to come so naturally. I know every child develops at their own pace, and I truly believe she will get there one day, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling sad sometimes.
The hardest part is that I don’t really have support from people around me. Most people just tell me, “She’ll grow out of it” or “Don’t worry, she’ll catch up.” While I know they’re trying to be helpful, sometimes I just want someone to acknowledge that this is hard and that it’s okay to be worried.
For parents whose children gave or had significant gross motor delays, low muscle tone, needed orthotics, PT, OT, etc., what was your experience? How are your kids doing now? Did you ever struggle with comparing your child to others?
I love my daughter more than anything, and I celebrate every milestone she reaches. I just needed a place to let this out because some days this journey feels very lonely. ❤️