Discussion with a friend about cerebral palsy

[Ozgirl75]

I was chatting with a friend today in a cafe and a woman came in with a child in a wheelchair who looked significantly disabled with cerebral palsy.

When we left and went for a walk I commented that when I was growing up (1980s) you would see so many more people around with cerebral palsy of differing levels, in cafes, parks, all over the place - we even had a school near us entirely for children with CP. Nowdays it’s so much rarer and it made us wonder why.
Is it that fewer people have really difficult births and therefore there are just fewer people with CP? Or is it worse that people feel they can’t go out and about and live their life? Or something else?
Any thoughts?

I think you are right op. I think safer births have played a significant role as well as healthier pregnancies and a better understanding of the potential causes of cerebral palsy

Well that’s good - I had a moment of worrying that it was because people felt that they couldn’t go out and about but actually fewer people with CP presumably means more safe and successful births.
I know there is often a question mark over the increase in caesareans but maybe this has made a difference too.

I belive this year there have been less individuals with cerebral palsy and learning disabilities out and about as many will be in the high risk covid category and a lot of residential care homes have been in full lockdown for almost a year. Integration and community care has become the standard so if there were a high number of individuals born with cerebral palsy, you would continue to see this reflected in the community, so I think we can assume the decree is due to healthier pregnancies, births and birthing technologies

My DC both attended a special needs school and kids with physical disabilities were very much in the minority.

Outcomes for early babies is better too so less incidence of CP on those children too

Giving birth is much safer now, but also fantastic things are being done once a baby has survived a difficult/premature birth to protect the brain, like temporary cooling procedures and medications. Mothers in premature labour being given things like magnesium to protect the babies’ brain have also been revolutionary👍👍👍

I feel a bit emotional thinking about all this (mum of four preemies)!

Well this has really made me feel very pleased that I asked. All those babies lives saved that otherwise might have been very different. Medical advances really are so wonderful.
Thanks to everyone who answered this thread.

As well as the other answers, I would imagine that where you grew up probably had more than the average number of families with a child with CP, because of the school - that is, people may have moved there for that school.

As a mum of a preemie with CP, many people are surprised if i mention he has CP, as a PP mentioned i received magnesium before having him and early intervention meant he has been able to learn to walk with the help of splints and orthopaedic shoes. We live rurally and don't know anybody locally otherwise with CP either!

I suppose so much has changed in pregnancy and birth in one generation. When my mum was pregnant with me in 1977 she had no scans, no diagnostic testing, no Pre natal vitamins, and when she went into labour, it was hours before anyone realised I was breech and she had an EMCS.

Whereas 32 years later I was scanned and blood tested from 8 weeks, monitored closely as I had gestational diabetes, allowed to labour for a few hours and then with foetal heart monitoring they saw he wasn’t happy and I was whipped in for EMCS.

I was fine but even my mum says “one generation earlier and if I had been born at home we might both have died”.

My uncle had CP, born in the 1930's, home birth with no dr present, oxygen deprivation during birth. Wheelchair user, impaired speech (could only be understood by family) - one of the smartest people I knew growing up - he aced every tv quiz show! So much less likely to happen now thank goodness.

I was born in 1964 with Cerebral palsy affecting my left side
I agree with all the above In my case, my Mum smoked throughout pregnancy which would've decreased Oxygen through placenta.. The dangers were unknown then.. even theGP's smoked
As a Mum of 3 myself I'd say Foetal monitoring during labour spotting dips in heartbeat, and therefore Oxygen is the most significant factor, although there are others My DS1 was a crash caesarean due to cord Prolapse and had to be resuscitated, Thankfully he's fine but years earlier the outcome less certain
Hope my rambling makes sense

I work in special school and in my class of 9 we have two children who have CP.. and I would say that is pretty much the average number per class throughout the school. However CP has a huge range from barely perceptible to absolutely limiting.. our school tends to have children with more severe disability (non mobile/non verbal, tube fed) I do think there are fewer children with a moderate level of disability due to better monitoring and births.

Having said that.. (and I know this is anecdata not data!) the childrens' hospice where my DD2 is a nurse is seeing babies born during the pandemic who might have survived/had less catastrophic problems had they been monitored better :( Which is awful..and unacceptable.

We have more medically complex children than we used to have ..from even 15 years ago.. children who would have died shortly after birth are now surviving.. which is mostly wonderful, but some have such catastrophic disabilities with questionable quality of life , (I mean always in pain, constant seizures etc) so we do have a long way to go yet.

Yes. I do often see children who although they are much loved. Have very little quality of life and it makes me wonder how far we should go. Should a 15 year old who is the first person with his condition to have lived past ten. Have major spinal surgery that has now made him unable to mobilise as he had to. Just because we can doesn't mean we should.