Being a mother is probably the hardest job in the world. I don't care what anyone says - it just is. You are responsible for another life (or in some case multiple lives). It is your responsibility to make sure they they grow up happy and healthy.
As you all know, I really struggle with my youngest son Noah aka The Beast. His behavior just isn't getting any better and he is still not sleeping through the night. He is 18 months old and should not be waking up multiple times a night for a bottle. His dr wants me to get rid of the bottle but he just doesn't understand, if he is getting up for a bottle and there isn't one, what the hell am I going to do? How am I going to get any sleep?
The Beast has been seeing a Speech Therapist, and Occupational Therapist and an Early Intervention Teacher once a week. It has been brought up multiple times by EI (both with his last and with his new one - we moved and had to switch school districts) that he could possibly have Sensory Processing Disorder. Back when he was about 2 months old, my friend who is a therapist actually brought this up to me but I kind of shrugged it off after reading about it on line. Then, a few months ago a friend, whose children have it, brought it up to me too. It is in the back of my mind that he could possibly have this. The Beast does some things that could be taken as "normal" (I hate using that word) but when you look at the whole spectrum of his behavior, could make it all make perfect sense.
For those of you who aren't familiar, it is a relatively new thing: Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as "sensory integration dysfunction") is a condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses
-The Beast thrives when others around and being outside. It's like when he is trapped inside, he just goes crazy. He just paces from one thing to another, not really playing with one thing ever. He also never quits moving. As a newborn, you could pick him up and he was constantly moving his hands and legs and he absolutely HATES to be confined in anyway.
-He wouldn't take a pacifier until around the age of 16 months. It was very strange, I tried and tried to get him to take one and finally gave up. Then, he found one in his toy box, tried it out and hasn't taken it out of his mouth since. It has made a world of difference for soothing him. It has also made "transferring" him from the car to his crib when he falls asleep much easier.
-He loves to play with the tag on his blanket. When he is upset and has his blanket, he searches and searches for that tag and either plays with it with his hands or rubs it on his nose or face.
-My baby does not like to be held. He never has, not unless you are standing up with him. He is not affectionate and when you try to cuddle him, he arches his back and pushes away from you.
-He gets VERY distressed by diaper changes, taking clothes off and putting them on, cutting his nails, washing his face or hair
-At 18 months old, he is still not very good at things such as using a spoon and fork, drinking from a cup (he prefers the bottle no matter what), cannot identify body parts, is only speaking maybe 3 words, still puts almost everything in his mouth and loves extreme heat. (The only two nights he has ever slept thru the night was when he had a temp of at least 102).
Anyway, my struggle is: his regular pediatrician will not even acknowledge that he is "behind" in anyway and absolutely will not discuss the symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder with me. I don't know if I should make an appt with a children's hospital and have him seen and try to get him officially diagnosed or take him to a pediatric sleep clinic to try that first or just let it go. Maybe I am over reacting and his personality is just to be difficult? Since starting Early Intervention he really has made a lot of progress, maybe he just needed the few extra months to catch up because he was so early. I just don't know enough about the SPD to know one way or another and everything I read is so confusing. I also don't necessarily want to "label" him but I know in my heart there is a piece of the puzzle that we are just missing with him.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
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