OT Session #1

We had to wake Lila up this morning for her first Occupational Therapy appointment; it started at 7:30.  Hopefully the next one can be later in the afternoon... I think she'd enjoy it more. :)

We're going to Bronson's Pediatric Therapy, which happens to be right next to Jake's office.  Very convenient!  Our OT (I can't remember her name! woops!) led us through the PT room with all the big balls and toys (Lila liked that room) into a smaller room.  She had a high-chair set up on a mat with a sheet over it.  We all sat on the floor and she was very sweet with Lila, tried to make friends with her.

We spent time discussing Lila's history.  She asked if Lila likes pureed foods, and we answered with a big, fat no.  We told her that we started trying pureed foods at 5-months, but that she'd gag and wouldn't eat it, and the OT gasped and was so surprised, and kind of mad, that Dr. LaRue hadn't referred her then!  She said that pureed foods should be/are usually the easiest foods for babies to eat.  She guessed that because Lila looks so healthy (97th percentile, yo!), Dr. LaRue probably thought that she was fine... because a lot of children who are referred have failure to thrive.  After we told her that Lila has been mostly breastfed this whole time, she said that we deserve parenting awards for being so good to her and caring for her in that way, when we should have been getting help a long time ago.  That felt good to hear.

She then pulled out a few things for Lila, to see if she'd stick them in her mouth (like a "normal" baby would).  She pulled out a little stick with a spongey type thing on it, dipped it in water, showed it to Lila, but Lila didn't have a lot of interest in it.  She pulled out a toothbrush type thing that had short, plastic bristles on it, but Lila didn't have interest in that either.  She tried giving Lila "fishy lips" to see how she reacted to that; Lila let her do that without problem.  But then (with gloved hands) she stuck her finger in Lila's mouth and Lila FREAKED OUT and basically didn't trust her after that. lol.

The OT then said that Lila definitely has "oral aversion."  Normally, babies don't even care and will move their tongues from side to side, which is the motion that helps them move food to the sides of their mouths.  Lila did not do that at all.  She said that having things in her mouth hurts her, so why would she want to have food in her mouth?  Although, Lila has been much better lately with eating.  We also talked about how Lila's never really been a baby to stick things in her mouth.  The OT said it sounds like she also has taste aversions, since she doesn't like cow's milk or juice very much...

She then checked for other sensory issues.  She pulled out a plastic container filled with dried kidney beans to see how Lila reacted to it.  Lila was very hesitant, and only showed interest once Daddy started playing with it, but even then, she didn't play too much with them, not as much as she "should" have anyway.  What she really wanted to do was put the lid back onto the container, which I guess is pretty quirky for a kid.  So the OT wants us to play with things like that with her... dried pasta noodles, dried rice, beans, sand, etc... just to let her experience and feel different textures.  But as soon as she starts showing signs of stress, to just put it away and not make a big deal out of it.  We're also supposed to have her play with things like pudding and whipped cream for the same reasons.  She said it'd be great if we could get her a sandbox this summer.

One other thing we're supposed to do with Lila at least 4x a day (preferably every 2 hrs while she's awake) is to take a surgical scrub brush and rub her back, arms, and legs with it and then do joint compressions to then relax her system again.  This will also help her become "desensitized" and more like a "normal" baby.  I did it when we got home, and she didn't mind the actual brushing part, but she hated the joint compressions.  We'll have to do this for two weeks or so. And then we'll start working on "desensitizing" her mouth... which I'm afraid will be like torture for her...

When the OT was using the brushes on my arms and then Jake's arms, to show us what to do to Lila, Lila FREAKED OUT again.  I guess it's becoming clear to me how this is affecting Lila.  We jokingly asked the OT, "Don't most kids hate to eat food?"  Because this is our first child, we just thought a lot of it was just Lila's personality, but it looks like she does have real issues.

Makes me think back to certain things... like the time we were at Waylon's 1st birthday party (Lila was almost a year old herself) and there were a bunch of babies in the kitchen... the cake was on the floor and they all dug in and had fun playing with it.  Lila didn't even want to be in the room, she cried when she was in the room watching it.  That's a sign of the problem she has.  And it also explains why we haven't really had to baby-proof our house yet.

There was a point when the OT was talking about progress that we will be able to see where I seriously almost burst into tears.  I am so relieved to finally have some help!  And frustrated that we didn't get it sooner!  I love this woman (the OT) already.  She is so sweet and helpful, and was so good with Lila.  I feel like Heavenly Father chose her specifically to work with Lila.  I am so hopeful that this will really work and Lila will really start to eat foods.  I am so grateful that all along, I've trusted this instinct I've had to be patient with Lila and to move at her pace.  I had no idea that she had issues like this, I just thought she was kind of slow-moving... I'm so grateful we're finally getting help!!!