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Nov 18, 2007 6:32 pm US/Central

A Very Special Baby Book For Special Kids

Reporting
Maya Nishikawa
(WCCO) Baby books hold cherished memories for many families but for some parents these traditional books don't tell the whole story.

Special needs families are finding a different way to celebrate their children.

Like a lot of baby brothers, Ian gets plenty of attention. He's the third child in the Fallgatter family. Mother Daria Fallgatter wanted to make a baby memory book for him just like she'd done for his sisters.

However, this time, Fallgatter didn't have a typical pregnancy. Her son Ian was diagnosed prenatally with spina bifida. The book's places for typical milestones became painful reminders.

"After he was diagnosed, I would look through it and it just didn't work for him and didn't work for me," said Fallgatter.

Rhonda DeBough-Insook knows just how that feels. Her daughter Leah had Trisomy 18 and faced many physical and developmental challenges. Typical baby books meant spaces that couldn't be filled, dreams unrealized.

"It was an ache that people had," said DeBough-Insook.

So, she created the Very Special Baby Book.

"It's kind of a book of hope. Like, you're not alone, you can celebrate this child," said DeBough-Insook.

The pages are open ended and framed with DeBough-Insook's original artwork. It's designed to be customized.

The book also has pages just for special needs kids like the diagnosis story and helping professionals.

Most of all, DeBough-Insook hopes it gives parents an outlet to tell their story. Unfortunately, her daughter Leah passed away before she finished the book. It's now a tribute to her life.

"This is how I take what I got from that and pass it forward and make a positive experience out of something that was really traumatic," said DeBough-Insook.

So now Leah's story is helping other families tell theirs.

"I try to think of Ian reading it and reading his story," said Fallgatter. It's a story and a book made just for him.

"Made me very happy to write in it and I don't feel any sadness when I look through the pages," said Fallgatter.

 DeBough-Insook also donates the books to special needs groups. The very special baby book is sold at Children's Hospitals and online, which you can access by clicking here.

 

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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