'The worst moment of our lives': Auckland toddler's fighting spirit after mum told not to resuscitate her

Sophie Dove showed unwavering perseverance in her fight to survive.
Sophie Dove showed unwavering perseverance in her fight to survive. Photo credit: Michaela Dove

A "bright and beautiful" little Auckland girl is fighting to regain control of her body after suffering severe brain damage when she was deprived of oxygen at birth.

Sophie Dove's first battle was to survive, her mum says, entering the world blue and immediately requiring 30 minutes of resuscitation to establish breathing on her own despite her mother's normal and healthy pregnancy.

At five-days-old Sophie was stable and opened her eyes for the first time, offering hope to her parents who felt like they made it through the hardest part.

The joy was short-lived, however, when her parents - Jarrath Chapman and Michaela Dove - were told later that day about the severity of her brain damage.

The illness affects Sophie's muscle tone and her ability to move.
The illness affects Sophie's muscle tone and her ability to move. Photo credit: Michaela Dove

It was explained that Sophie's condition was so bad, it would be better to "let her go" if she had any more trouble breathing on her own.

"It was the worst moment of our lives," Ms Dove told Newshub.

"I hadn't yet been able to hold her or meet her properly - I honestly just felt like I had lost her and felt full of grief.

But little Sophie showed unwavering perseverance. There were no further breathing complications, and Sophie was diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and then three months later diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

The doctors didn't think she would be able to breastfeed, Ms Dove says, but the family left the hospital with her exclusively breastfeeding and the feeding tube removed.

The illness affects Sophie's muscle tone, which can be weak and rigid. The abnormal muscle tone affects her ability to control her movement and posture.

"It's tricky for Sophie to get her body to do what she wants it to do which makes it hard for her to learn things," Ms Dove said.

"When she gets excited or frustrated or tries really hard to do something all her muscles go rigid and she gets stuck.

"It is still a challenge for her to control her head and she is still learning how to sit unassisted or crawl, making it difficult for her to move, play or learn without physical help and support to do so."

Sophie's parents are working tirelessly to ensure she has the best treatment opportunities.
Sophie's parents are working tirelessly to ensure she has the best treatment opportunities. Photo credit: Michaela Dove

The one-year-old, who turns two on Wednesday, is an incredibly loving, sociable and determined little girl who is very enthusiastic about life, her mother said.

"Now that it is understood that the brain can regenerate, repair and rewire it is so important to be able to access technologies and therapies that support those processes.

"It's my hope that this approach will help provide Sophie with the best possible quality of life and the ability to move and walk independently."

Ms Dove explained that it is imperative Sophie gets help within the first few years of life while the brain is developing at a rapid rate, and to reduce the damage that is done to her developing body that is caused by abnormal movement and muscle spasticity.   

"It's also the time when babies are learning movement patterns which will become habits so the more we can help her to learn 'normal' movement, the easier it will be for her to move independently," she said. 

The illness affects Sophie's muscle tone and ability to move.
The illness affects Sophie's muscle tone and ability to move. Photo credit: Michaela Dove

It is believed Sophie's condition is due to a prolonged second stage of labour, her parents say, and that Ms Dove should have been transferred to hospital sooner. The case is currently being investigated by ACC as a treatment injury claim.

Sophie has responded well to therapies so far and her parents believe that with the right opportunities, she will continue to make progress.

The initial brain injury that causes cerebral palsy is non-progressive which means it doesn't get worse over time, but the impact on the body from having abnormal muscle tone and movement can get worse.

Sophie goes to movement therapy three times a week, sees a Chiropractor that specialises in functional neurology twice a week, swims twice a week and attends a sensory playgroup once a week. She also undergoes intensives sessions, where she works on one therapy for 5-10 days.

"Intensive periods of therapy have been shown to be far more effective than just doing a therapy once a week regularly so we intend to access more intensive therapy programs, we have heard of some good ones in Australia and in the states that we are looking into," Ms Dove said.

Her parents are now fundraising to access further treatments to enable her the best chance at a good quality of life.

“Sophie is a bright and beautiful little girl who is working so hard to be as independent as possible but without a lot of help she could potentially end up trapped in a body that she can't control and that causes her a lot of pain.”

Newshub.