Finally, some reassurance!!
Well AJ had an appointment this morning with the physiotherapist at the Children's Development Centre this morning. I'd thought the appointment was for her "full team assessment" with physiotherapist, speech therapist and occupational therapist, which the paediatrician had told me she would refer us for... however apparently it can take a while to get booked in for such an appointment (due to the difficulties of getting all three people together at the same time) and they didn't want to leave us waiting that long so thought they would at least get us seen by one of them in the meantime.
I have to say I'm glad they did cos it was a very useful appointment and I finally feel a bit reassured that there is nothing too badly wrong with AJ and that she will get there in time.
The overall upshot of the appointment was:
The physiotherapist agrees that AJ is somewhat behind developmentally in her movement but a) doesn't feel that there is any serious issue there and feels that she will catch up, and b) feels that her delay is mostly due to her prematurity, combined with the fact that she was a "tummy-hating" baby (i.e. didn't like being on her tummy).
She explained to me that the last 6-10 weeks in the womb are when, as baby runs out of room and tries to move in a confined space, they use their abdominal muscles a lot as they try and push their limbs out and wriggle around. Because AJ still had a fair bit of space in which to move around by the time she was born, she never learned this and so her abdominal muscles (what they refer to as your "core strength" or "core stability" in e.g. Pilates) are not as strong as they could/should be, which is part of why she doesn't pull up and doesn't try to balance herself. So she has shown me a couple of exercises to do with her to help develop her abdominal strength.
She also noted that when she stands AJ locks her knees (and also doesn't flex her knees properly when taking steps) and also tends to stand bearing her weight on the outside of her feet - this apparently is common in babies who don't/didn't crawl. Because she doesn't crawl, she has never properly learned to use her arms to bear her weight and steady herself - this is another reason why she doesn't pull up or hold onto things to balance herself - and so instead she is trying to use her legs/feet to balance herself. So she has also given me an exercise to do to encourage AJ to bend and flex her knees when moving from sitting to standing.
She also tested AJ's range of movement in her ankles and feels that she does have a degree of hypermobility in her joints, which is again making it harder for her to balance. So she is referring us to orthotics to get AJ a couple of pairs of little walking boots made that are quite stiff around the ankle and will provide better support to her ankles, making her feel more stable and enabling her to balance better.
So all in all it was a really positive appointment - I've got a better idea of why AJ is behind in her movement and some proactive things I can do to help her development and the wheels are in motion to get us more help (the special boots and the full team assessment). It was also reassuring that the physiotherapist doesn't feel there is anything serious to worry about... in fact, she was asking me if I take AJ to a local Sure Start Centre because some of them offer developmental play groups, aimed at encouraging mobility etc... she said that they have various classes/groups there at the Child Development Centre but they are for kids with diagnosed issues and that AJ is not "bad enough" really to need what those classes offer. Which is great to hear. :) She also made a comment that she doesn't feel AJ will need the services of the CDC long-term, like others might. :)
*phew*
Although, as I've said before, I keep telling myself that there is nothing seriously wrong with AJ, as she is so bright and aware etc and she does develop - just at her own little pace - it is still a constant nagiing worry at the back of my mind as to why she is so behind and whether she will catch up... so it's a huge relief and reassurance to be told that there is nothing major wrong and that she will get there, with a little bit of the right help and encouragement. And I'm thrilled to bits to have been given some exercises to do with her because I was unsure of how best to help encourage her and wary of actually putting her off/creating negative associations by pushing her too hard (as she already tends to fuss and cry if you try to push her into moving in ways she doesn't want to).
So. All in all, a good appointment. Now just got to wait for the orthotics appt and the full team assessment appt... and the physiotherapist said she will try to get us fitted in before Christmas, bearing in mind my current condition! :lol:
I have to say I'm glad they did cos it was a very useful appointment and I finally feel a bit reassured that there is nothing too badly wrong with AJ and that she will get there in time.
The overall upshot of the appointment was:
The physiotherapist agrees that AJ is somewhat behind developmentally in her movement but a) doesn't feel that there is any serious issue there and feels that she will catch up, and b) feels that her delay is mostly due to her prematurity, combined with the fact that she was a "tummy-hating" baby (i.e. didn't like being on her tummy).
She explained to me that the last 6-10 weeks in the womb are when, as baby runs out of room and tries to move in a confined space, they use their abdominal muscles a lot as they try and push their limbs out and wriggle around. Because AJ still had a fair bit of space in which to move around by the time she was born, she never learned this and so her abdominal muscles (what they refer to as your "core strength" or "core stability" in e.g. Pilates) are not as strong as they could/should be, which is part of why she doesn't pull up and doesn't try to balance herself. So she has shown me a couple of exercises to do with her to help develop her abdominal strength.
She also noted that when she stands AJ locks her knees (and also doesn't flex her knees properly when taking steps) and also tends to stand bearing her weight on the outside of her feet - this apparently is common in babies who don't/didn't crawl. Because she doesn't crawl, she has never properly learned to use her arms to bear her weight and steady herself - this is another reason why she doesn't pull up or hold onto things to balance herself - and so instead she is trying to use her legs/feet to balance herself. So she has also given me an exercise to do to encourage AJ to bend and flex her knees when moving from sitting to standing.
She also tested AJ's range of movement in her ankles and feels that she does have a degree of hypermobility in her joints, which is again making it harder for her to balance. So she is referring us to orthotics to get AJ a couple of pairs of little walking boots made that are quite stiff around the ankle and will provide better support to her ankles, making her feel more stable and enabling her to balance better.
So all in all it was a really positive appointment - I've got a better idea of why AJ is behind in her movement and some proactive things I can do to help her development and the wheels are in motion to get us more help (the special boots and the full team assessment). It was also reassuring that the physiotherapist doesn't feel there is anything serious to worry about... in fact, she was asking me if I take AJ to a local Sure Start Centre because some of them offer developmental play groups, aimed at encouraging mobility etc... she said that they have various classes/groups there at the Child Development Centre but they are for kids with diagnosed issues and that AJ is not "bad enough" really to need what those classes offer. Which is great to hear. :) She also made a comment that she doesn't feel AJ will need the services of the CDC long-term, like others might. :)
*phew*
Although, as I've said before, I keep telling myself that there is nothing seriously wrong with AJ, as she is so bright and aware etc and she does develop - just at her own little pace - it is still a constant nagiing worry at the back of my mind as to why she is so behind and whether she will catch up... so it's a huge relief and reassurance to be told that there is nothing major wrong and that she will get there, with a little bit of the right help and encouragement. And I'm thrilled to bits to have been given some exercises to do with her because I was unsure of how best to help encourage her and wary of actually putting her off/creating negative associations by pushing her too hard (as she already tends to fuss and cry if you try to push her into moving in ways she doesn't want to).
So. All in all, a good appointment. Now just got to wait for the orthotics appt and the full team assessment appt... and the physiotherapist said she will try to get us fitted in before Christmas, bearing in mind my current condition! :lol: