Ashley Fleischman became pregnant for the first time at age 37. Excitement quickly turned into worry when an abnormality was found during her first ultrasound at 11 weeks. The diagnosis was gastroschisis: a condition where the abdominal walls do not come together to close, leaving the intestines free-floating outside of the baby’s body.
Some cases are minor; unfortunately, hers was not.
To manage her emotions and avoid undue stress on herself and her baby—a son to be named Legend—Fleischman turned to reading.
“Reading to Legend while pregnant helped us both,” said Fleischman. “At the beginning of the pregnancy, I read aloud all the patient information and research papers I could find to explain what was going to happen, and what to expect. Even though he didn’t know what the words meant, reading it out loud made me feel like he understood each step we were going to make throughout his journey and recovery.”
She also read a lot of her own favorite childhood books, including the book series Little House on the Prairie. Fleischman also noted “Legend would get so excited; start kicking and squirming every time I read Dr. Seuss or anything that rhymed. He loved the rhymes!”
As the pregnancy progressed, Fleischman traveled bi-weekly to Milwaukee for appointments, where she also created a birth plan. She was scheduled to deliver at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in February 2020. However, Legend had a very different plan.
“Legend came two months early (32 weeks) on Dec. 30, 2019, and was the final baby born at Marshfield Children’s Hospital for 2019,” said Fleischman.
Immediately following the birth, the new parents were quickly able to see Legend, but he then was whisked away, heading into phase one of surgical repair: repairing the abdominal wall, which would require removal of the appendix and placing a limited amount of the intestine back into the abdomen, with a silo holding the remaining intestinal tract and fluids. The surgical process was repeated daily until all of Legend’s intestines were put back into his body.
Fleischman was unable to hold Legend for the first week of his life. She only had limited contact through the incubator, where she could gently rub his cheeks.
“He was hooked up to so many tubes, wires, and the silo on his tummy,” said Fleischman. “Not being able to hold him was really the hardest part, so reading was essential in creating our connection.”
Legend’s initial repair was just the beginning of a long journey. Over the next few years, he would need several more procedures to address complications, including surgeries for feeding intolerance, malrotation, and hernias.
“Listening to my voice soothed him, and I believe it helped him feel safe and secure when he couldn’t be held,” said Fleischman. “Knowing I could spend hours reading to him was extremely cathartic.”
The family received many books while at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin for several of his stays and received the all-important support and encouragement at Legend’s checkups from his Reach Out and Read-trained clinicians, keeping shared reading a regular part of his routine as he grew and thrived.
Legend looked forward to his well-child visits at Marshfield Medical Center-Marshfield Pediatrics and Fleischman noted “he enjoyed picking out the new books at his appointments.”
Legend is now six, thriving, and loves to keep busy. Whether it’s building with Legos or a STEM/STEAM building project, drawing and coloring, doing parkour/gymnastics, or reading, his love of learning grows. He wants to do everything, and he excels at everything he tries to do.
“Our bond has grown significantly since reading in utero,” said Fleischman. “Now it is like second nature for us to grab a book, snuggle up, and read. We always discuss each book. What we liked, what we didn’t, what we learned, and what we would and/or could do differently.”
She can also see that his vocabulary has grown, and his interest always piqued in finding out what ‘new words’ mean.
Despite the stressful pregnancy and start to life for Legend, Fleischman has come away with a strong belief in families having access to shared reading programs like Reach Out and Read.
“I am extremely passionate about the Reach Out and Read program because reading can take you anywhere you want to go,” said Fleischman. “It’s a great way to help grow a young mind, allowing children to build confidence and self-esteem, while fostering their own independence, and motivation. With reading the possibilities are endless.”
That is true for Legend and his younger sibling Deja, who both have an exceptional fondness for books.
All thanks to a strong Mom—and Dad—who read aloud from the start.