Thais

[Anonymous]

Hi Thais. Just wondering how all the therapy has been going with Matthew? I haven’t checked out the other site as I’ve been super busy, so not sure if you posted over there about it. Hope that everything’s been going well.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for asking!!

I have not updated because it has not started!! It is so frustrating – i told you all the issues we were having with these people and they just continue! BUt tomorrow is the first day of feeding therapy and then wednesday will be PT. We have not yet scheduled the speech because we think he will not need it – he understands a ton and makes now the gaga and yeye and also things together like keyeyega so we hope we are going to be fine!

But Matthew is a new baby – really, since he stopped throwing up he is delightful and we are so much more relaxed about the therapy – we are in no rush because finally, we see some light at teh end of the tunnel and we see him thrive and he is doing so well… so we will do the feeding but are really going to take it slow and on the PT – well he is walking everywhere and his balance is not perfect and he cannot get up yet but he is making progress on the floor… so he will get there!!

I will update on what we are doing in feeding in case someone can benefit but my view is, if it is going to require the intensive program at the end, which we think it will, why stress so much and not enjoy him, you know?? OH and we are going to the GI tomorrow and i think we may start periactin. Not because i want to him to eat more – we are happy with whatever he eats but i think it will be easier to do the therapy (ie push down on tongue and hold his chin etc) if he opens his mouth 30 times and not 15, if you know what i mean??

I hope work goes OK this week. I have not asked anything about bottle weaning because i know it is stressful for you… but daycare means that she is skipping on sleep feed?? Hope she gets over her cold soon!

((HUGS))

[Anonymous]

Thais, I am so glad to hear that Matthew has stopped throwing up and is

doing so great with his walking and floor progress. Let us know how the GI

appt goes tomorrow.

[Anonymous]

I’m so happy to hear Matthew is doing so well. Isn’t it amazing how when the puking stops you get a new baby?! I look forward to reading your posts about his therapies. Hope they go well!

[Anonymous]

Thank you guys

[Anonymous]

Thais, I’m so glad to hear that he is doing so well. I just checked into the other site today, and couldn’t believe what a little man he looks like in his pics… he’s grown so much! ADORABLE!

Glad to hear that the feeding therapy is starting and hope it goes well. You’ll have to keep me posted (now that we’re feeding therapy “graduates”- HAHA- I look for any advice that I can get elsewhere). Good luck with the periactin- I think that anything is worth a shot. Also feeding therapy should be easier if he’s hungry. As for all the face and jaw manipulation, Hailey wouldn’t let me do that to her either. We’re just now trying to shove an infident brush into her mouth, but she clamps her mouth shut so tightly that you’d think I’m trying to torture her. It’s awful.

Thanks for asking about work. It’s been harder than I expected having a clear mind with all of the sleep deprivation going on here. She’s been quite clingy at night, doesn’t want to be put down, and because of the puking, letting her cry isn’t really an option… so not much sleep happening around here. The cold probably doesn’t help, but I expect that runny noses are going to be something that we need to get used to around here if we’re going to stick it out with the daycare. As for bottle-weaning, we haven’t started. She does miss out on her afternoon bottle, but she gets one in the early morning (around 5 am), one before bed, and one around midnight. We added the 5am one just as a way to get calories in. At daycare, she’s offered sippy cups of soy milk throughout the day, and I even sent in some small 4oz bottles, and told them that they can offer them to her and see if she’ll take it. I noticed when I was there that she was going over to the other kids and taking their bottles and playing with them, so I thought it’s worth a try. She has taken her bottle and drank an ounce or so of water while awake there, but not formula. I’m actually not in a big rush to wean her. She eats so poorly, so fussy, that she needs the nutrition, so I plan to keep her on the bottle for as long as she’ll let me.

Anyhow, good luck tomorrow. Keep us posted. I’m really SO SO happy to hear how well Matthew is doing. You guys have had a rough road. I hope that the end of the vomitting means the end of his reflux.

HUGS.

[Anonymous]

Hey Lori

Yes, the pictures are good aren;t they – he is a big boy! He is doing well and is so cuddly – never thought this day would come!!

Working must be so tough, thinking about Hailey’s problems and all but you deserve to give it a try!! I think that if she gets more used to the daycare, she may well eat there….we had some friends over this weekend and Matthew ate a meal in front of one of my girlfriends and he was fine! Sometimes they amaze us.

Feeding therapist was here – he is going to be good for Matthew. HE is patient and good and Matthew was smiling to him and everything. We discussed what we are going to do…. so we are going to attack the issues in 2 ways

1. Desensitation (ok, cannot spell prob) – we are going to start with brushing and decompressions – a few minutes with each diaper change and then when he is falling asleep – he needs the pressure to fall asleep, as i usually have to put some weight on top of him. We are going to start upper body then move to the jaw etc and then inito the mouth. We are going to use the NUK, the toothetes and the infadent.

2. Drinking from a cup and a straw – not because we want to bottle wean but because drinking from a cup requires jaw stability, so it is an indirect way of making him practice it and the straw because it requires fixing the muscles and lip closure and sucking

We are going to do one session a week outside of feeding, so that we can work on brushing, with the pacifier to go from hot to cold to flavors etc and one session during feeding so we cna work on pushing on the tongue, supporting his chin etc

So all in all – i think we have a plan…. will keep you updated on what else we are doing…

((HUGS)) for tomorrow!!!

[Anonymous]

That’s great that Matthew likes his feeding therapist! I hope he does great with him.

Please post any ideas the therapist gives you to teach Matthew to drink from a straw or sippy cup. Myles still will not take anything from a cup or straw and only takes one bottle a day. It’s driving me nuts. I’m still spoon feeding him breast milk, formula and juice becuase he won’t drink anything.

Thanks and good luck with the feeding therapy.

[Anonymous]

Glad to hear he likes the feeding therapist and that you have a plan. Sounds encouraging.

As for work, I do have a lot of guilt about it, but I thought about it A LOT when deciding, and we think that this has potential to be a good thing for us all. The hard part is that I’m doing it because we need the money, not because I like the work… I could take or leave my job (I love my career, but this is not my favourite area)… it can be draining- not my favourite area of practice, but a good opportunity nonetheless, at least in terms of pay and hours, so I feel exhausted and my legs ache by the end of the day for some reason. I do think about Hailey during the day, but more that I’m so excited to get to the daycare and get my babies and hug and squeeze them until my arms fall off. I miss them so much by the end of the day, especially Hailey b/c I’m not sure that I ever cut the cord there, if you know what I mean. She has recently started eating some of the food that I’ve sent from home in “Hailey amounts”- which is abismal, but nothing from their food and not really drinking, but it’s a start, I suppose.

What kind of pressure do you use for Matthew when he goes to sleep? We need to do this for Hailey too. What’s a toothette?

Anyhow, good luck and thanks for the update!

[Anonymous]

I dont think i ever cut the cord with MAtthew either!!!

OK – so we are going to start periactin – really low dose because it makes them groggy and then we will see. She was happy with height and weight and guess what – she commented on how advanced he is on his receptive language… she started asking where is etc and was amazed he was pointing at everything. She said not to worry about words… as long as they understand, they will come.

Christine – i will post all the sessions so hopefully you and others can get something out of it and i am also taking notes (i am really anal, i know)

Lori – the toothetes are some flavored sticks with something at the end…? I don’t have them but when the time comes i will let you know. To sleep, i have to put my arm on his body, for weight, to calm him down… what do you do with Hailey? I also tap his back or leg or arm with my other arm! No guilt – you have to think about teh longer term as well as short term. I am sorry that you need the job financially… hope that you will be able to move areas soon!

[Anonymous]

Talk about cutting the cord….I’m so neurotic about my kids that I secretly wish I could get a job at Liza’s pre-school just so I could keep an eye on her while she’s there! The problem is I’d have to take my other two with me!! If she were my only child I’d probably be the volunteer mom who never went home! Just to be close to her.

Thais, thanks for taking notes and sharing your info with us. And great news about his receptive language. I thought he sounded very advanced when you were describing all he understood in another post.

ndrose2006-9-11 19:0:27

[Anonymous]

That’s great about the receptive language Thais! Good luck with the periactin.

[hellbennt]

I don’t mean to intrude

but I am fascinated by the pressure thing-

I always ‘just’ did this kind of thing w/ Jonah (I even have posted about putting a beanie baby on his back) and I find that Ari can go to sleep (on his belly- ok don’t turn me in, lol!) with me putting slight pressure/rubbing his back…no one ever ‘told’ me to do it…I just ‘do’

what does this mean? anything? nothing?

[Anonymous]

That’s so great with his new feeding therapist and all his receptive language!

Hope the Periactin goes well too – keep us posted.

[Anonymous]

Laura,

Many moons ago (I’m OLD) before the back to sleep campaign, and babies were allowed to sleep blissfully on their tummies (the way I think babies were born to sleep), that’s how I ALWAYS helped babies fall asleep. I’d lay them on their tummies and gently pat them until they were almost asleep, then keep my hand on their backs applying pressure until they were sound asleep. Worked like a charm.

You’re beanie baby idea is brilliant. I never thought of that. Of course, they didn’t have beanie babies back then.

I feel sorry for today’s babies sleeping flat on their backs. I know it’s a safety issue but I think it’s lousy for the baby. So, don’t worry..I won’t turn you in.

[Author]

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