Re: Anyone else frustrated with exercises?--Amy

[Guest guest]

kudos to you moms for doing these stretches. Once sydney turned a year

I can barely get her diaper changed without her screaming. she just

wants to do what she wants to do when she wants to do it.

as for the army crawl sydney did that for about 1.5 mo before she got

up off her belly. she started early (army crawl 7 mo, reg 8.5), but I

think it is all on their own time scale. If he's doing the army crawl

now, he's probably getting stronger in his arms and will be able to do

the regular crawl soon.

-christine

sydney 15 mo starband grad

> >

> > Hi Amy:

> > I dreaded doing Sofia's tort exercises too. I had a rule to do them

> > after every single diaper change. When she was just a few months

> old

> > it was easy...she didn't really know any better. But when she

> reached

> > four months....man oh man. I hated it, as did she. I had two

> trains of

> > thought....to constantly look for opps. to do the same stretch but

> not

> > necessarily in the way the PT showed me. And also, to

> remember...this

> > is for her good. If she was 13 and crying and upset because I

> wouldn't

> > let her date an 18-year-old, I wouldn't cave, because it would be

> for

> > her own good. A 13-year-old can't see that, and a four month old

> can't

> > see this either...that's it's for their own good, and that's why

> they

> > have a mom and dad. You're a terrific mother to pursue this, even

> > though she is protesting so much. So what if you hate it? You're

> doing

> > it, and that's all that matters.

> > Sofia would scream during one exercise in particular. The straight-

> on

> > turning her head to the restricted side and stretching out while

> > holding her shoulder down on the opposite side. You know that one?

> And

> > she began to know what was coming every time I put my hand on her

> > head. So I came up with this: I would roll her onto her tort side,

> and

> > hold her head in place while letting the rest of her body " slowly "

> > roll back on to its back, if you know what I mean. It achieved the

> > same stretch as she ended up in the desired position but she didn't

> > seem to mind this. It was easier to turn her torso than her head.

> > Also....if she started screaming, I would end it after about 10

> > seconds....if she didn't scream...then I went as long as 45

> seconds.

> > It depended on the day in question.

> > My husband one day was doing her stretches with her and she was

> > balling her eyes out...I nearly killed him. If he made it so

> horrible

> > for her then she wouldn't be open to doing it all, even on a good

> day.

> > So you have a point in being reluctant to always do it even when

> she

> > isn't up to it. I mean we all have our bad days, babies too. What

> > exercises in particular are you having problems with and I'll let

> you

> > know what tricks I came up with. Always try to distract....laugh

> and

> > console, or whatever works. I'm sure you're already doing

> that...but

> > tell me about which exercises are the worst and maybe I'll have a

> few

> > ideas. My PT said she learned so much from the ones I came up with

> for

> > her. She would try to stretch Sofia and Sofia would scream...then

> I'd

> > show her what I was doing at home, and it would work so much better

> > even for her. I mean they were the same stretches the PT

> wanted...just

> > different means of achieving them. Also, I did what Jen

> said....held

> > her in both arms and did that neck tilt stretch, you know the one?

> > Listen...I can't imagine why anyone would enjoy these stretches, so

> > don't beat yourself up. But the alternative to NOT doing them is

> > awful, so you know you have to. She will get less resistant over

> time

> > if you vary them up a bit. Only do them when she's just woken up

> and

> > is happy, and energetic. That might help too.

> > Best of luck,

> > Natasha.

> >

>

>

>

>

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