I am having another weight-has-been-lifted, clouds-are-retreating kind of day. :) Olivia had her first appointment with a craniosacral therapist today, and it was amazing!
I'm getting ahead of myself. I should explain some things first...
CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY
"Craniosacral therapy if a light touch manual therapy that uses no more than the weight of a nickel of pressure to release restrictions in the body. These restrictions are often structural in nature. The CranioSacral system includes the membranes and fluid which surround the brain and spinal cord and extend to the bones of the face, down to the sacrum and tailbone. This system directly impacts the nervous system."*
FOR INFANTS
"Pregnancy and the birth process can put stress on the baby through the many obstacles and compression forces placed on the baby's system. A baby who spends an extended period in the birth canal or a baby born Cesarean section without the natural forces of gravity can be at risk for possible problems down the road. A baby who has difficulty nursing is in need of craniosacral therapy to assist with managing oral motor skills and alignment issues."*
FOR OLIVIA
Olivia has had a couple of pretty tough months, and we have been struggling to find ways of making her more comfortable and well. We have had her on and off of a couple different kinds of medication for reflux, but they just didn't seem to be working (in one case, it seemed to make her worse!). I regularly to go a mama/baby group at Happy Bambino and have been sharing our struggles with other women there. Just this past week, a woman recommended a craniosacral therapist as a new option. We thought we'd look into it.
I nabbed a cancellation spot this morning at 10 a.m. Olivia and I headed out and had our first session with Patty. We filled out some background information, and Patty talked to us about our experiences, about why we thought this work might help Baby O. At the appointment, Olivia spoke for herself, too!
The work Patty did was pretty cool. She examined Olivia's skull, neck, spine, sacrum, and because of Olivia's reflux woes, felt for her digestive organs, too. The areas most worked on today were the digestive organ sphincters, the cranium, and the neck. Patty found a lot of tension in all areas. She believes that the vacuum extraction that was part of Olivia's delivery is a key contribution to this tension.
THINGS TO TRY
I came home with a great set of new tools, things to try with Olivia in the next week or so before our second appointment. First, inversions! Yay for upside-down baby time!! Hehe. This encourages spinal relaxation and may allow Olivia to work some stuff out herself as she squirms around in the air. Second, spinal massage. Patty showed me how to encourage relaxation in Olivia's spine as she is upright in my arms, especially in her super-tense thoracic region.
The most interesting light bulb that went off in my head today was about Olivia's posture. She likes to be upright most of the time, is prone to arching, and is generally uncomfortable on her back. Patty explained that the tension is such that Olivia gets temporary relief in these positions, even though they only exacerbate the problem in the long run. Our third thing to work with Olivia on is getting more comfortable in flexed positions, the opposite of her tendency to arch and remain rigidly upright. I have a sling I am going to try with her that I can lie her down in and try to encourage more of a cradle posture for her.
Tummy time is also a good thing. Now that Olivia is so strong, she has been holding herself up on her hands and knees lately, and this is a great way for her to use different muscles and get in healthy developmental postures.
LUCK BE A LADY
Alrighty, we'll keep everyone posted on how this all goes! Fingers crossed!
* Taken from Patty's literature on her practice.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Of Slurpy Contentment and Such Lovely Things
Olivia and I had a wonderful time at our play group this morning/afternoon. She is in such high spirits again today! After two five-hour stretches of sleep, I'm not surprised. Mama is feeling pretty good, too!! That's right, between 8:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., she only woke up once. A new record-setting night of sleep. :)
When she is feeling well, it is so much easier for me to get out and about and connect with other people. We joined a group of moms for lunch at Texas Tub's Taco Palace after our play group and had a blast! Most weeks Olivia has not felt well, was crying or in pain, so we headed home right away after group (if we made it through). It is such a huge blessing that she is feeling so much better; a lot of other regulars noticed today and were happy for us. I hope we may continue to find ways of making our sweet little boo-boo healthy and happy.
GROWTH CHECK-IN
Let's see, if she weighed 16 lbs., 3 oz. at the end of last week, she must be close to 16 and a half pounds now! Biiiig girl! Soooo big! It is fun to notice different signs of her growth: the number of rolls on her tummy and legs, the way her feet don't fit into those cute little booties anymore, her oh-so-cute-and-squeezable cheeks that dominate her face, those hands that are so open and inviting to play these days, and the chin, THE CHINS, I can't get enough of the soft folds of her middle chin! Hehe.
WEEKEND PLAY
This weekend was so fantastic, I must share silly tales of fabulous times! On Friday afternoon, I put Olivia in her highchair while I was fixing some lunch. She was not too thrilled about the set-up, but I was so hungry I had to find a way to make it work! I ended up wheeling her around the kitchen in her highchair, spinning it around and crying out "Weeeeee!!" Well, wasn't that the ticket! She smiled and GIGGLED and was in seventh heaven, and Mama got drunk on her laughter. Especially after what happened during lunch: a rousing game of "Boo!" Sort of a precursor to peek-a-boo, and her new favorite, I think. I had to call Papa Hayes and let him know how happy our baby sweets was.
On Saturday morning the three of us headed to the Farmer's Market up on the capital square. Too, too fun! Olivia babbled and cooed all the way there. We played on the lawn and had fun along the loop, seeing what was for sale this week. We bought lamb brats for a Memorial Day picnic, eggs (on special: $1/dozen!), and raspberry jam. Mm-MM! Oh, and we couldn't pass up a pastry or two: a dairy-free, wheat-free rhubarb bar for Mama and a hazelnut-chocolate chip scone for Papa.
Olivia had a playdate with her fairy godmother on Saturday afternoon while Mama and Papa went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. Which was AWESOME and we totally recommend for any Jones' fans. (Tho' we both had to shake our heads at Lucas' stamp on the film with the CGI gophers...*groan*) Olivia got to try out her new entertainment center (verdict: maybe too much too soon!), took a nap, slurped down a bottle, and played played played in loving company.
Our big excursion of the weekend was on Sunday evening. The three of us went to the Arboretum for the first time this spring. Aunt Sal had clued us in that the lilacs were in bloom, and the Arboretum has a world-class lilac garden. We weren't sure if the weather would hold out for us, but fortunately it did. We wandered through the apple orchard and were giddy on the blossoms' sweet scent-scapade. We ventured into the woods and enjoyed all of the fresh spring growth. And of course, we had to do some running around and frolicking through the lilac garden!
Yesterday was a good day to be with family. We headed out to the Franparents' home in Verona for an afternoon meal of Farmer's Market brats with chips, veggies, and super sweet strawberries. Papa and Boo-Boo took an afternoon siesta, while Mama and Gramsy took a walk through the prairie and woods nearby. Then it was time for dessert: rhubarb pie! Mmmm... I am still smiling at that. :) Yay for Mumsy's pies!
TODAY AGAIN
Well, another nap has come to an end, and I am off to play! Love to all - hopefully you will take a peek at this again; we are still writing, I promise! We'll do better in June to make up for May. :P
When she is feeling well, it is so much easier for me to get out and about and connect with other people. We joined a group of moms for lunch at Texas Tub's Taco Palace after our play group and had a blast! Most weeks Olivia has not felt well, was crying or in pain, so we headed home right away after group (if we made it through). It is such a huge blessing that she is feeling so much better; a lot of other regulars noticed today and were happy for us. I hope we may continue to find ways of making our sweet little boo-boo healthy and happy.
GROWTH CHECK-IN
Let's see, if she weighed 16 lbs., 3 oz. at the end of last week, she must be close to 16 and a half pounds now! Biiiig girl! Soooo big! It is fun to notice different signs of her growth: the number of rolls on her tummy and legs, the way her feet don't fit into those cute little booties anymore, her oh-so-cute-and-squeezable cheeks that dominate her face, those hands that are so open and inviting to play these days, and the chin, THE CHINS, I can't get enough of the soft folds of her middle chin! Hehe.
WEEKEND PLAY
This weekend was so fantastic, I must share silly tales of fabulous times! On Friday afternoon, I put Olivia in her highchair while I was fixing some lunch. She was not too thrilled about the set-up, but I was so hungry I had to find a way to make it work! I ended up wheeling her around the kitchen in her highchair, spinning it around and crying out "Weeeeee!!" Well, wasn't that the ticket! She smiled and GIGGLED and was in seventh heaven, and Mama got drunk on her laughter. Especially after what happened during lunch: a rousing game of "Boo!" Sort of a precursor to peek-a-boo, and her new favorite, I think. I had to call Papa Hayes and let him know how happy our baby sweets was.
On Saturday morning the three of us headed to the Farmer's Market up on the capital square. Too, too fun! Olivia babbled and cooed all the way there. We played on the lawn and had fun along the loop, seeing what was for sale this week. We bought lamb brats for a Memorial Day picnic, eggs (on special: $1/dozen!), and raspberry jam. Mm-MM! Oh, and we couldn't pass up a pastry or two: a dairy-free, wheat-free rhubarb bar for Mama and a hazelnut-chocolate chip scone for Papa.
Olivia had a playdate with her fairy godmother on Saturday afternoon while Mama and Papa went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. Which was AWESOME and we totally recommend for any Jones' fans. (Tho' we both had to shake our heads at Lucas' stamp on the film with the CGI gophers...*groan*) Olivia got to try out her new entertainment center (verdict: maybe too much too soon!), took a nap, slurped down a bottle, and played played played in loving company.
Our big excursion of the weekend was on Sunday evening. The three of us went to the Arboretum for the first time this spring. Aunt Sal had clued us in that the lilacs were in bloom, and the Arboretum has a world-class lilac garden. We weren't sure if the weather would hold out for us, but fortunately it did. We wandered through the apple orchard and were giddy on the blossoms' sweet scent-scapade. We ventured into the woods and enjoyed all of the fresh spring growth. And of course, we had to do some running around and frolicking through the lilac garden!
Yesterday was a good day to be with family. We headed out to the Franparents' home in Verona for an afternoon meal of Farmer's Market brats with chips, veggies, and super sweet strawberries. Papa and Boo-Boo took an afternoon siesta, while Mama and Gramsy took a walk through the prairie and woods nearby. Then it was time for dessert: rhubarb pie! Mmmm... I am still smiling at that. :) Yay for Mumsy's pies!
TODAY AGAIN
Well, another nap has come to an end, and I am off to play! Love to all - hopefully you will take a peek at this again; we are still writing, I promise! We'll do better in June to make up for May. :P
One Month Later...
My goodness, has it really been a month since we last posted?! Dear Aunt Nancy sent a lovely email inquiring about the Hayes family health and general well-being, filled with love and yellow card wisdom, complete with downloadable music therapy, noting that our blogging had slowed to a mysterious standstill. So here I am!
It has been quite a month for us. Olivia's tummy woes have not abated, and we recently finished up a shaky trial with a new medicine. Done with that one for good! She actually had a fantastic weekend, and we hope her contentment will continue throughout the week. :) A friend of Sean's recently recommended seeing a chiropractor who works on babies. We are intrigued and interested in scoping out that possibility.
Oh, I hear someone waking up from her nap! More later...
(New pictures from the past month in our photo gallery!)
It has been quite a month for us. Olivia's tummy woes have not abated, and we recently finished up a shaky trial with a new medicine. Done with that one for good! She actually had a fantastic weekend, and we hope her contentment will continue throughout the week. :) A friend of Sean's recently recommended seeing a chiropractor who works on babies. We are intrigued and interested in scoping out that possibility.
Oh, I hear someone waking up from her nap! More later...
(New pictures from the past month in our photo gallery!)
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