Post NICU - Physiotheraphy #1 @2 months corrected age

1st physiotherapy session post NICU was probably the scariest one of all. Nor I really knew what to expect neither I was prepared to hear bad news.

I remember feeling very happy to be with her 24/7. I was watching her very closely so I did not miss any type of delay in her development. During the process, whenever I had some time to myself, I was searching for videos and articles for development for babies and I was incorporating my fresh knowledge into my observations of her.

I know it sounds overwhelming and It was too much. I can safely say that I was becoming obsessed. I can also say that obsession slowly fades over time as things gradually go back to normal.

In the first two years of life, development of preemies is monitored considering their corrected age. Premature babies are expected to catch up with their peers (chronological/real age). That is why until she turns 2 chronologically, physiotherapy appointments are scheduled considering the corrected age.

We got discharged from the hospital when D. was 36 weeks. Our physiotherapy appointment was scheduled for three months post discharge date. She would be 2 months old considering her corrected / adjusted age. Following appointments were two months apart from each other.

Until the first appointment, I did the following consistently:

- Cuddle/Feed 24/7

- Look at each other’s eyes & me smiling at her

- Tummy time for her neck and back muscles to strengthen

- Lie on the back on the playmat with objects above her

- Expose her to black & white cards & objects with neutral colors

In our 1st appointment, I was pretty nervous. We had a nice little chat with our lovely physiotherapist. She asked questions about her and I answered. Then we moved to the physio area so she checked her body. She used mostly toys to engage D. in the session. She checked primarily the following:

- neck movement when lying on tummy

- arms, legs and hip movements

- eye contact and smile

- eye and head turning to sound (eye coordination, hands are not involved yet)

- side lying

- cooing

D. did not perform everything our physiotherapist wanted to see during the session. For example, she was not cooing much at the time. She also did not smile during the session but I knew she could smile so it was more of a confirmation during our conversation with the therapist. She was following the moving objects; however, she needed more practice. Also, I was super obsessed with tummy time, I realized I never gave her a chance to lie on the side until then.

Overall, she was doing well. There was a few areas where we could do better. We were given our homework to make the best out of it. It included:

- Move toys and objects (colored and with sound like a rattle) in the eye level so she could track

- Allow her to lie on both sides with a rolled-up towel behind her for support

I was relieved after the first session but that didn’t mean my concerns disappeared completely. There was only one thing to do: do our homework until the next session😊