PT & OT Essentials in our first year

Virginia started PT and OT in the hospital just about a year ago.  We were primarily focused on bottle feeding techniques at the time.  I wont talk about bottles here, because that journey warrants a whole post of its own ;) The other thing that we worked with PT on at the time was using infant massage as a way of helping Virginia.  Virginia seemed to have some emerging sensory issues and was always very sensitive to light, sound and touch.  I really believe that the infant massage that the PT taught me was helpful for Virginia.


This Lotion was our favorite to use for massage and general post bath moisturizing.

Upon coming home from the hospital we were immediately working on play techniques to help with her gross and fine motor development.  Below are our favorite items in chronological order from when we used them.

These links and this toy were good for grasping and visual tracking.

This mirror was used for tummy time very early on and still is a favorite today. It is big but not too big, stands up easily, shatterproof, easy to clean, and doesnt have that "fun house" effect that many infant mirrors have.

My mother is a pediatric PT and I have to say I was initially skeptical when she showed up at our house with the wingbo , but this prone swing really transformed tummy time for Virginia.  She lasted twice as long in the wingbo as opposed to tummy time on the  floor.  We used links, the stand up mirror, and suction cup toys with it to keep her entertained.  It also can be used off of the stand like a more traditional swing, although we haven't tried that yet.

We used this weighted stability ball  as an alternative for tummy time and eventually for core exercises.  The sand weight at the bottom gives it more support and control.

Typically I fall in favor of simple toys - board books, wooden blocks, stacking cups, small musical instruments.  Virginia loves these types of toys, but needed something a bit more motivating (lights and sounds) for some of the activities that she hated found more challenging ;)  These were the real motivators for her: musical garden , piano , and bongo drums .

As we struggled to find a sippy cup that worked the OT suggested using a honey bear container to teach her to drink from a straw.  Sure enough, a few days of working with the honey bear container and she was able to easily transition to a zoli cup.  I've linked to an actual honey bear training cup but we just emptied and sanitized a honey container that we had in the house and used a dunkin donuts straw.

We have a few new items that I anticipate that will be helpful with our  PT & OT in the coming year.

bilibo

pewi ybike

Any items or toys that you found helpful?  Any suggestions for us for the upcoming year?

Post NICU essentials

Im sure the things that we found helpful in those first few weeks after coming home from the NICU aren't all that different from what parents of a full term baby would need, but below are some things that were essential to us in those first few weeks.  Hopefully some of the preemie parents that find this blog find this list helpful.  

 I joke that I bought purell by the case, but this was absolutely essential.  We had one in each room of our house, one in each car, one in the drink holder of the stroller, and one in the diaper bag.

an air purifier was an absolute essential.  We have one in Virginia's room and another downstairs.  It seems to really reduce the dust and dander and provides nice white noise.  

These little portable night lights made it easy for us to check on her throughout the night or change a diaper without really waking her up.  They turn on as soon as you pick them up from their charging base. 

We did not come home with an apnea monitor because the only A&B episodes that Virginia had in the final weeks of her NICU stay were during bottle feeds.  She was still having pretty bad episodes during feeds and the docs thought that a monitor would cause us more anxiety than good and they typically only prescribe monitors for babies going home on oxygen.  With that said, I did research and consider getting an angelcare or snuza monitor but in the end decided that a simple video monitor would be enough to calm my nerves.  We spent 4 months with medical monitors and for us it was time to move on.  

The bottle warmer became essential, especially in the middle of the night when we didn't have the time to let the bottle warm in a a pitcher of warm water.

Virginia had super tiny feet.  The only socks that fit her and stayed on were the newborn socks from Baby Gap.  

We often kept a hat on V during the day.  Our favorite was this super soft kissy, kissy hat.  It was stretchy and light but warm and stayed on her head well.  

We used cloth diapers from day one of coming home from the hospital.  The only ones that fit really well for her in those first few weeks were the fuzzibunz xtra smalls

If we had to leave the house I typically just carried Virginia in her car seat carrier.  It was easier for me to control curious strangers.  This JJ Cole cover was especially helpful when it was still cold out because it provided warmth and protection from germs.  This one fits over the carrier like a shower cap so I didnt have to worry about the fit of the straps like I would have with one of the covers that looks more like a sleeping bag.  

I also "wore" Virginia alot.  Again this was to keep strangers (and their germs) away.  My favorite carrier when Virginia was small was this baby hawk mei tei carrier.  Virginia also had a "witching hour" that lasted from 6pm-11pm where she ate every hour and refused to be put down.  This carrier saved my sanity, especially on the nights that Heath was at class. 

These burpy bibs got and still get so much use.  During those early days they were essential for catching the extra dribble during bottle feeds.  

 Everyone should have at least a dozen of these prefold diapers.  We use them on the changing pad, we rolled them for a bolster during tummy time, we rolled them as a support for when Ginny had a touch of torticollis, we used them to wipe the condesation off the bottles when they came out of the warmer, and soo much more 

Most preemie parents suggest the rock n play sleeper for nighttime sleep for preemies with reflux.  Thankfully Virginia never had major reflux problems and preferred to sleep in her crib from night 3 onward, but this little sleeper was ESSENTIAL for daytime naps.  Unlike swings it reacts to the babies movement and gently rocks as the baby stirs.  Unlike bouncers it sits up high, almost exactly at chair height which made it easy to rock, replace pacis or keep her entertained while I was pumping.  It has a small footprint, folds up nearly flat and is generally awesome.  

This vibrating chair was the only way I was able to shower each day.  It is pretty basic, just plays a lullaby and vibrates but that was all Ginny needed to take a nice long snooze on demand.  

Virginia slept in fleece swaddle me wraps for several months.  They kept her warm and soothed and were super easy to put on even when deliriously tired.

The aden and anais swaddles and the carters cotton swaddle blankets were our go to blankets for getting V into a tight swaddle.  The A+A ones were especially good when she was super tiny because they could easily be folded down before swaddling.

This fold out black and white book and caterpillar toy were the only ways we could get Virginia to tolerate even a few minutes of tummy time.  

Preemie moms and dads - what other items were "must haves" for you in the NICU or when you came home?

Bedrest Essentials

Last week I wrote about things that were helpful to us during Virginia's NICU stay.  Today Ill write about the things that saved my sanity during bedrest.  Ill eventually get to writing about post NICU essentials, pumping for a preemie essentials, PT/OT essentials etc.  Its easy to find lists of "what to register for" or "what to pack in your hospital bag" or "newborn essentials" but I haven't come across many recommendation lists that are applicable to bedrest, NICU stays, or life after NICU.  Hopefully someone finds this series helpful.

Not many people anticipate bedrest and can prepare.  If you have a friend or a family member that is suddenly faced with bedrest and you want to help, here are some of the things that helped me through my month of varying degrees of bedrest (home bedrest, hospital bedrest, strict hospital bedrest, and hell-ish strict hospital bedrest.)

Communication & Visitors-  the number 1 thing that helped me were the calls, emails, notes, skype dates, text messages, & VISITS from friends and family.  Many of my friends and family members also knew the times and days that Heath wouldn't be at the hospital with me and were especially conscious to call, skype, or visit with me at those times.  Only positive attitudes were allowed and my heart swelled with so much hope and love from all the support.

Entertainment- I read, watched TV, browsed the internet and did work but I also appreciated the all the books and magazines that I received.  Upcycled & random magazines were best because that ensured that I didn't receive 4 copies of the current issue of US weekly :) I very quickly got up to speed with pop culture!

Food- The food at YNHH was really pretty good.  I ordered the same rotation of items each day even though there was a 4 page menu of options.  What can I say, I was living on routine and I was prepared for a long stay and wanted to pace myself.  The fruit selection on the hospital menu was pretty blah so I really appreciated the edible arrangement that a group of friends sent.

Water Bottle- My camelback water bottle was a lifesaver because I could drink from it while laying down.  I had to drink several bottles of water each day to convince the docs from keeping me off of IV fluids and the camelback bottle made it much easier to do so.  

Manicure set - my nails grew quickly when I was pregnant and because I was laying in bed all day having a manicure set became a welcome activity.  I have never had such great nails as that month on bedrest. 

Nice Toiletries-  When you are only allowed to have a 2 minute shower every 3 days or (gasp) only a sponge bath, some nice toiletries (leftover L'Occitane samples from a hotel stay were my choice) goes a looooooong way.  Hospital supplied toiletries include one bottle that is shampoo/conditioner/body wash/deodorant in one and smells like, well, a hospital.  

lululemon headband- see above for a description of my shower privileges.  My hair looked like hell 97% of the time and these headbands were able to tame the mess without giving me a headache.

The hospital is SO dry and chapstick is a must.  This Nivea chapstick was my favorite.

My Pi Phi friends may be the only ones to appreciate this.  I got a special "wish cookie" while in the hospital and not only was it delicious but made me so happy.  I twirled my finger under that cookie and made alot of wishes for the 36 or so hours that the cookie lasted :)

Games- I probably had 20-ish words with friends games going at any one time.  It was surprisingly fun and seriously helped pass the time.

Clothes and Linens- Hospital pillows are similar to sleeping with a gallon ziploc bag filled with packing peanuts.  My pillow from home (with a non-white pillowcase) was an absolute essential.  I chose to wear hospital gowns and use the hospital towels & linens.  It would have been really nice to be in my own clothes and to have a towel that was larger than a receiving blanket but I didn't want to put anymore responsibility on Heath by burdening him with laundry.   If  you know someone on bedrest, helping with household chores such as laundry, walking the dog, helping with other children, or running an errand  is so helpful.