I absolutely adore Kerry!I recently told you about Olivia's modified crab walk that she does. Basically, while on her back, she'll lift her bottom off the floor and crawl backwards with her legs. Her physical therapist told me that I need to discourage her from doing that, but it's hard because Olivia loves it. She can basically get anywhere she wants to go and she's so proud of herself. One reason I believe she does this is because it allows her to get around without putting pressure on her arms. I'm not sure why she is always so hesitant about using her arms. She doesn't want to extend her arms (especially her left.) She doesn't want to support her upper body with her arms, reach for toys with her arms, bang on a table, etc. Any ideas about this or how to help her increase strength in her upper body? I also have a few questions that I'm hoping somebody will help me with.
1) What is the best thermometer to have for babies? I just have the under-arm one and it takes forever. It's hard to keep Olivia still for that long. She had a slight temperature of about 99.1 the other night and I want a thermometer that I can trust a little more.
2) Any idea where I can buy Sali-Wipes? I've looked and looked with no luck. We used them with Olivia in the NICU. They are basically individually wrapped saline wipes to help keep her eyes clean. At home I use saline solution and cotton balls, but that's kind of inconvenient to take in a diaper bag.
3) Any advice on how to increase strength in Olivia's arms. Her PT just said to position them under her during tummy time, but she doesn't want to keep them that way.
Thanks to all my loyal blog readers. You're the best!
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10 comments:
Temporal artery thermometers are pretty good!
I agree...I have a temporal artery scanning thermometer (scan across the forehead)and I love it. It's fast and very accurate. I bought it at Wal-Mart.
Ryan was also very hesitant about using his arms. He didn't like tummy time, didn't bang on things, didn't wave, etc. He is still behind some in the fine motor area, especially with his arms and hands, although he is doing much better now. We did a lot of play with his arms and hands like patty-cake. I wish I had some great ideas for you, but we didn't push the issue much and eventually he learned he could use his arms and hands.
You might ask your pharmacist about the sali-wipes.
Olivia sure is cute!
Julie
We have a Bebe Sounds 5-second thermometer. It will take a temp, under the arm, orally, or rectally. Under the arm takes 20 seconds, orally it takes 5. It seems to be pretty accurate with the Dr.
I don't have much advice, but our PT said to practice the crawling position by putting Charlie over our leg so he would have to push up on his arms and have his legs bent (He had a little bit of high tone and extension problems) In that position we would put some kind of interesting toy in front of him so he'd be motivated to push up.
Just a word of encouragement too... we had similar issues with things the PT would want us to work and we did as much as possible without overdoing it and eventually, he worked himself out of those issues. Sometimes I think they just need time. As preemie moms we are trained to evaluate every move our baby makes and it can drive you nuts!! Just think how many babies do things at their own pace and are just fine. You guys are awesome parents. Keep up the good work!!
Love
Neva
PS- I had to laugh when you talked about the drs. keys and how Olivia wouldn't touch them. I thought the exact same thing when she did that with our baby :-)
Jodi, I have always used the thermometers that take the temp in the ear. I recently purchased a new one from safety first because the girl's smashed my other one. I like this one because it's accurate and only takes seconds to get their temp. It also has a light on the end of it for those middle of the night temperature checks.
My Olivia started to move around in the exact same way your Olivia is. She always used her legs to push herself backwards. After a few weeks she switched to her belly and would pull herself along the floor to get to where she wanted to go. I worried about her all the time. But eventually she got the hang of lifting up her knees and using her arms to crawl. Whenever I would sit on the couch I would hold her hands and let her stand up to help her get some strength in her legs and eventually she did. She was a true preemie in the sense that she was behind in all this stuff. It took her a long time to crawl and a long time to walk.
Just keep doing what you do. Your a great mom!! She will get there, it just sometimes takes them a little longer.
Shannon
Couple of things that my PT said to try in order to strengthen the arms...
Tummy time on Mom or Dad's chest. They seem to be more interested in staying on their elbows when they have Mom or Dad's face to look at.
Have her push on the big PT ball while you're applying some resistance to the ball. A lot of times, we'll put Kinnick and Carver on the ball (on tummy) then roll the ball forward and backwards - eventually bringing them to their feet to stand. Then you can let her push the ball away. This will help strengthen the legs, too.
I agree with the temporal thermometer. We bought ours at Costco for $32 and it is fabulous! It is quick and easy. It even beeps while you take it and if it beeps really quick you know the temp is going up.
Hang in there with the PT. I don't have any suggestions, but encouragement. You sound like a great mom and do a wonderful job!
I of course have no advice since I have never had a baby, let alone a micropreemie, but I just wanted to say that I don't think you have anything to worry about. I think Olivia will start using her arms when she's ready. Oh and when I played paddy cake with her she did seem to resist throwing her left arm in the air, but the more I did it, the easier it was. Maybe she feels like her arms are her security blanket or something. You know how she loves to suck on those hands! You should be so proud of how much she communicates with the world. Her motor skills will come!
Emery wouldn't put any weight on his arms, either. I bought the Little Tikes 5-in-1 play gym and would prop him on it so he would have to reach with his arms and balance on his knees. I firmly believe that is what helped him crawl.
Have you checked Amazon for the sali-wipes? I've bought a lot of medical supplies off of amazon.
http://www.thecutekid.com/parent-resources/baby-crawl-tips.php
I saw this site and thought it mught help you teach her to crawl. Hope it works!
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