Premies

[41mama]

<<. When our second came along, she was in the hospital for 12 weeks, and we saw a developmental specialist regularly. She had a nurse practitioner that we could call whenever we had questions; so for the first couple of months at home, we probably called weekly. Then we had a develpmental specialist who came to our house for weekly sessions>>
My dd was born 6 weeks early at 5 pounds, so we had probably a less intense version of what you experienced. She went home after 2 weeks, but we had a terrible time getting started nursing. To make a long story shorter and less graphic, when she was about 8 weeks old I realized that if I nursed more frequently, I may be able to stop expressing milk and giving it to her by bottle. We gradually were able to cease all that stuff. Anyway. We have to follow doctor's orders when we're dealing with premies because they are the experts and the kids' lives are potentially in danger. However, there's a way of dealing with premies called "kangaroo care" in which the mom carries the baby around in a sling and nurses a lot, with lots of skin to skin contact. These babies apparently do very well, although I'm not an expert on it. Christie, who is trying not to get into a discussion about Ezzo because I've only read one chapter of his books but I don't think anybody in the Bible was nursed on a schedule.

[41mama]

Is it your premie daughter who's having the toothbrushing sensitivity issues? If it is, I'd bring it up with the speech therapist or OT because there's something called Sensory Integration Dysfunction which can cause problems, and I wonder if she'd be especially sensitive if she'd been intubated. Christie

[blinc]

Does intubated mean having a breathing tube put in? Do you think that would cause teeth sensitivity? I don't have kids, but I do have a next door neighbor with a little girl that had to be put on a breathing machine for awhile, and the mother Karen, also has a horrible time brushing her daughters teeth. I've never heard of this, and I'd really like to pass on some info. if you have any?

[41mama]

<<Does intubated mean having a breathing tube put in? Do you think that would cause teeth sensitivity? I don't have kids, but I do have a next door neighbor with a little girl that had to be put on a breathing machine for awhile,>>
Well, my understanding (I used to work with older kids who had been on ventilators for long periods of time) is that they initially put a tube in the baby's mouth to use with the ventilator. It doesn't bother their teeth, but it's very unpleasant and they start to associate contact with their mouths with pain instead of pleasure, so they just don't like their mouths messed with. The kids I worked with wouldn't even eat. Christie

[blinc]

Wow. Do you have any ideas what Karen could do to help her daughter? You know, her little girl doesn't even like to eat.. she's a real picky eater. Although, it could be unrelated I guess, it's sure making me wonder. Are there things to do that helps to break the association of pain?

Oh, her daughter was put on that breathing machine around 2 yrs. old and is now almost 4, if that makes a difference. :)

[41mama]

Hmmm. Why was she on a breathing machine? Was it an actual ventilator or was she getting medicine through a tube that didn't go down her trachea? If she has any services through speech or occupational therapy or even nutrition, I would suggest she ask the professional who knows her child. (I guess doctors know some stuff too, LOL. She could probably ask her pediatrician.) Christie

[jamesglewisf]

Boy, somehow I totally missed this thread. Just saw it today.

Thanks, 41mama, I'll ask the speech therapist about brushing teeth. I would have never thought of the intubation thing. She was on a respirator and fed through a tube for a long time.

And yes, there is no Biblical reason for feeding on a schedule. I don't remember the Ezzo's claiming that. They pretty much say up front that the Bible has nothing to say about infant care and feeding schedules.