When I thought of 'success,' I pictured a thriving career and high-achieving children. Then my daughter was born with complex medical needs.

The author's definition of success changed when her daughter was born.

Courtesy of Jamie Davis Smith When I was younger, I viewed success through the lens of typical milestones.

I pictured a career as a lawyer, a family, and kids who would go on to their own thriving careers.

When my daughter was born with complex medical needs and disabilities, my perspective changed.

When I was younger, I pictured a career as an attorney and a family with high-achieving children who would one day build successful careers of their own.

I built my life around these goals.

I went to law school , got married, and let my job dictate when I started a family.

For a while, everything seemed to be going according to plan.

I had a thriving career as a civil rights lawyer that I loved, and I got pregnant right on schedule.

Almost as soon as I saw two pink lines, I dove headlong into planning my child's future .

I made a mental list of the activities she would need to be well-rounded and, laughably, even considered how the right preschool could eventually propel her into one of the country's best colleges.

I planned to return to my full-time job a few months after giving birth and assumed that would go according to plan, too.

However, my priorities shifted abruptly when my daughter was unexpectedly born with complex medical needs and disabilities.

The author's daughter was born with complex medical needs and disabilities.