Stress

[Guest guest]

Gail and everyone.....thank you for sharing your stories and ways of dealing

with the stress. WOW, it makes me feel SOOOO normal to not be the only

one!!! Like Judi, the DS didn't really mean much at the beginning because

we were dealing with 13 week premature babies. I wasn't only dealing with

my uncertainties BUT my husbands as well. I can remember taking off a

couple of times but I just could NOT leave the kids....I would take them

with me. I had to always be the strong one for our kids sake.....I HAD to

stay sain (who knows, maybe I am nuts but just think I'm not . I feel

that I had a triple whammy with the prematurity, ds AND my husband's

negativity towards . This was hard for me being a first time mother

and 7 years younger then my hubby and yet having to be the more mature one.

For us, the first 5-6 months the ds had no effect, 6-24 months had a

profound effect......more the medical/feeding problems then the diagnosis,

24-36 months was slightly better and now things seem alot better. I would

have to say that things are probably just as stressful now or even MORE so

as they were the first two years because our youngest is high needs BUT our

stress managing skills have improved. Some stresses are gone that were

there before but new ones are here (). I guess what I am saying is

that the " magic " number for the universal picture to improve for us was 3

years.

, mom to Nicala,aa & ,ds (3) and (1)

BTW What really helps me is complaining, I am sure that I have driven my

internet friends nuts with my complaining but its what I need!!