I Need My Own PT

One of the apparent physical markers in a baby or toddler with Down syndrome is the low muscle tone accompanied by joint elasticity. Low tone in a baby and toddler = extra squishiness!! These factors play directly into physical development everywhere from learning to sit up, crawl, and of course walking. Now how about joint elasticity? Just think crazy flexibility and you've got the right idea! In the last couple of months before Brighton was born, my favorite ultrasound picture of her was from our 20 week scan. One of the first ones they got was of her with her foot in her face, appearing to do the splits or stretching in utero! Of course the dancer in me said, "Yes! She's ready to dance!" Of course I later looked back at that picture with a completely different perspective. That little foot was all up in her face because she has crazy flexible hips due to the joint elasticity.

From 10 weeks on we have had physical therapy pretty much every week unless B was sick, there was a holiday, or the therapist was on vacation. From 10 weeks on we have played and worked to strengthen her muscles in a way that she uses them for optimal functionality, doesn't create any weird habits, or over stretches areas that don't need to be stretched(those hips!). I have always laughed at the irony in the fact that as a dancer and dance teacher I have to spend the first three years of my child's life making sure she doesn't do the splits or doesn't turn out from the hips! Seriously, if I let her she would have a fabulous first position! Never fear, there will come a day when she can try ballet and I will let her teacher see her turnout in all its glory.

So why do I need my own PT(physical therapist)? While I have loved her squishiness, her cuddles, and her amazing ability to melt into my arms it has taken it's toll on my own body. As much as I would like to say I have done a great job keeping up with my own physical fitness the last 2+ years, that is just not the case. Granted I did have a period of time in her first year where I ran about 4 times a week for 6 months and felt great. But planning for a first birthday, company, and then the holidays hit and I slacked off before quitting altogether. Sadly I never jumped back on that horse. Here a year and a half later and I am still suffering from that fact. I am right handed and even though I am constantly trying to hold her with my left arm, invariably I switch back to my right because it is stronger. Miss B has been walking since January(insert clapping emoji here!) and this has helped tremendously. We are constantly making her walk and wanting to build her endurance, but she is also tiny and often times needs to be carried from point A to point B for safety or even for time sake. When she is sick, she not only cuddles, but at times depending on duration or severity, struggles to hold up her own weight. To keep this reality check going we'll add to the fact that if she is sick or teething that means short nights, many of which end up with me falling asleep in the rocker while holding her. Yikes! So as a result my neck muscles are all kinds of messed up. The tension in my right shoulder is crazy. And my lower back aches at times from offsetting my hips to compensate for the little sack of potatoes I am carrying around! Seriously, I can't believe I am going into this!

Why have I spent an entire post on this subject? Honestly I am not even sure. Maybe because it is one aspect of having a child with Down syndrome(DS). Maybe because it is incredibly random and when she was a wee little 6 week old baby and I was trying to process what it would mean to be a mom to a child with DS I never dreamed this could be part of it. Or maybe it's because it is just another day in the life of this Momma and I hope that somehow by sharing the highs and lows, the in's and out's, of having a child with DS it doesn't seem so scary. Or so foreign. Honestly, most days I completely forget the fact that we live with a diagnosis. We are doing life together and that is what we focus on. When I see her I see my fun loving, silly girl, who makes us laugh, and brings so much joy to our home. But for all the soreness, all the aching, and loss of my own range in motion...she is still my Little Miss B, my littlest love, and she is totally worth it. Every bit!