Hellobee

Shortly after we got D’s CP diagnosis, we were approved to get regular pediatric physical therapy. We met with our PT when D was 7 months old, and she took about an hour to evaluate D. At this time he wasn’t sitting up on his own, couldn’t stand tummy time, and would grab some for objects. She wanted us to come and work with her once a week, and unlike the EI services, she would mostly work “on” him and then give me a few exercises or techniques to do with him at home. She said it was good that we weren’t dragging our feet, and that the earlier he got PT the more it would benefit him. We talked about the areas the neurologist was concerned about (mainly ankles, right arm/hand, and left leg), and we planned to focus on those. She also felt his tummy was weak – understandably given the number of abdominal surgeries he had! – and that he had a tendency to stiffen up, so she wanted to work on those as well.

D around when we started PT & now at 13 months! 

D really hated her at first! She would start off with stretches and massage, but he has always been a cautious baby so he didn’t like being held or touched by a stranger. He would actually start getting upset as soon as we walked in the room. But when I would try the same stretches and massages at home, he wouldn’t even acknowlege that I was doing anything. That told me that they weren’t painful for him, thank goodness! I won’t say that our PT is one of his favorite people, but he very rarely cries or gets upset during the sessions anymore.

PT for infants (and I suppose children) is so funny – although you can physically move their bodies the way you want them to go, a lot of it is doing the convincing or tricking to get them to do what you need! After the first few sessions I quickly got with the program and brought in a bag full of D’s toys that he could mouth and play with as he wished. The toys were either used as bait, distraction, or rewards to do various moves. The PT room had tons of toys, but most were for bigger kids. As D gets bigger and more mobile it’s a constant challenge; he wants to climb on the trampoline and play with the skateboards and is uninterested in his regular stuff!

Some of her recommendations were actually aimed at Mr. T & me – we had to consciously hold him on the other side of our bodies so his weaker hand would face out, or offer him things on that side first, or even restrain down his good hand. We stopped just picking him up from laying down and instead helped him to a sit-up (helping less and less as he got stronger), and then picking up him when he was sitting. We stuck him on his tummy constantly, and I would hold down his good arm (that he would use to push off), so that he either had to stay on his tummy or use his weaker arm to push off.

At times I feel like I am first D’s therapist, and only second his mom. To combat this I try to keep a looser schedule and just vaguely try to do each of the exercises a few times a day, and to just have free play / regular life for the rest of it. The PT and I both feel that his arms/legs have even functionality now at 13 months, and he’s quit pointing his toes so much – woo hoo! He’s very strong and now we’re just focusing on getting him walking independently, although he’s pushing around his walker like a champ and does ok holding hands and taking steps. I’m looking forward to the day he’s walking on his own, since as long as the PT doesn’t have concerns about his gait, she’ll discharge us! We’ve recently dropped down to once every other week since he’s doing so well.

I really appreciate all the progress D has made. I was able to see a big difference in D after each area we focused on (in concert with the exercises we were doing with our EI occupational therapist), and I think we were able to fight back against all the gross motor delays he faced in his hospital stays. Hopefully his abilities continue to grow!

Does your LO get PT or other therapies? What has your experience been like?