OT and PT Today
04/03/2013
I share a room with Anabelle. My futon is at the foot of her crib. I can tell by listening to her breathing if she is awake or sleeping. Since she rarely cries, I try to listen closely, so I don’t let her get anxious or frustrated. She has started making some noises, but not very loud. At 1:30 a.m. I heard Anabelle begin to cough and gag. I jumped up and called for help. Her dad came running from the living room. He turned off the feeding pump. I held her upright and tucked her in my left arm, while I grabbed the suction bulb out of the feeding backpack and begin clearing her airway.
I’m praying out loud for God to help her breath, clear her lungs, and help me to know what to do. I gently blow on her face and she breaths in deep trying to cry at the same time, but only a faint wet rattle sound escapes her lips. I try to keep my voice steady as I look deep into her little eyes, “It’s going to be okay baby, just breath. Maemo is here.” I change her clothes that are damp from where she spit up, when trying to clear the mucus that was blocking her airway. She is straining, grunting, acting like she is trying to move her bowels. I had started adding Karo syrup to her formula on a daily basis after visiting the pediatrician Monday, but maybe it was already beyond the point that the syrup
would produce results. I gave her an enema and again immediate results. She finally has relief from her discomfort. I wrap her in a fresh blanket and rock her back to sleep all before 2 a.m.
When she awoke later at 10 a.m. she had lots of smiles. I got her ready for the day and then we began our therapy. We begin with massage, followed by a side-lying activity using her musical puppy dog to stimulate her to reach. Then I placed her in her bouncer and surrounded her by a string of lights that I use to place her hand on to facilitate awareness and promote grasp. She likes this activity. She fell asleep holding the lights.
Later that afternoon she was visited by OT Patty and then after a rest period, PT Patty. Both of the therapist continue to see progress as she begins to develop. She is somewhere between a 3 ½ month old to a 4 month old level using developmental charts as a reference. There are a lot of factors, but as long as she doesn’t have a setback with an unexpected illness, we are cautiously hopeful she will continue to gain new skills. She was worn out by the end of the second session and took her afternoon nap.
She slept for maybe an hour, which is alright. I get nervous she is going to stay up half the night, if she sleeps any longer than that in late afternoon. We skip our walk today, due to inclement weather. Instead, I give her a bath and we spend Maemo and Anabelle time reading her books and getting lots of kisses.
Good Night
