Physio Nazi

I stayed true to my word about doing physio with Max every time he was awake. Often this was as simple as sitting him on my lap to help his head strength and other times it was more intensive. I massaged him at least twice a day on his bad side and never left him to lie in bed staring at the TV. I often forget those early days and how far he has come since then so I thought I'd write it all down here. When he first came out of ICU he struggled to suck his dummy because his facial muscles on the right side were so weak. To counter this I always put the dummy in the right side of his mouth-within days he was sucking again like a champ. He could only turn his head left and his eyes were always looking left. His right arm was very weak and his hand always clenched. His left leg was surprisingly unaffected but I always did exercises on it anyway 'just in case'. His eyes didn't focus and he wouldn't track things with his eyes. He didn't babble or smile anymore. He didn't show any sign that he recognized me. When he did tummy time he couldn't lift his head anymore. I had to support his neck again like a newborn baby. I'm now pleased to report that now you wouldn't know that anything had ever happened to him. Bit by bit he has regained everything he lost and more. He is now back on track with his developmental milestones. the only thing that still needs work is his right arm as he still favors his left. It's so nice now to be able to put him on the floor with his toys and let him play in his own way for awhile without the pressure of physio all the time. We still do alot with him everyday but I'm far more relaxed about it now. I'm so proud of mysel for staying true to my word but I'm even more proud of him.