Music to my ears

In a lovely development this month, Talia has started singing! She doesn’t do it much on her own, but joins in when I am singing at home or in the car.
So far her repertoire includes:
- Old McDonald - she does the animal noises and the e-i-e-i-o
- Galumph Went the Little Green Frog - she says “baaaa” when I say “but” and then sings “ya ya ya” when I sing “la de da de da”
- Pat-a-cake - just the first words, only she loses a syllable, so it sounds like “pack-ache, pack-ache”
- I had a Rooster - she does the animal noises
- Wind the Bobbin up - she says “poo, poo” for “pull, pull” and claps/pats her knees at the correct times

She also claps along to the first verse of If you’re Happy and you Know it, and does the beeps in the second verse of the Wheels on the Bus.

Karaoke here we come!

In this season of joy

A number of mothers on the L’il Aussie Prems website were making or organising little gifts for the parents of babies still in the nursery over Christmas, and I thought it would be nice to contribute a little something.   So I made some little paper baubles that can later go into a scrapbook or memory box.  I know I treasure the little keepsakes I received while Talia was in hospital.

Each bauble reads:  Beautiful baby… in this season of joy, you are the most precious gift.

I took them into KEMH yesterday, and was very happy to meet several staff members who remembered us, and commented on how well Talia is doing now.

Top tips from premmie mums

This past year I have been helping produce a newsletter for the website L’il Aussie Prems. I’ve been writing articles which summarise some of the health issues affecting premature babies, and also started the “Prem of the Month” section. Each month we feature a child who was born prematurely and ask the mother about their child’s journey, and for a tip they would like to share with other mums.

Here is a selection of those words of wisdom.

I guess I could say try and “normalise” things as much as possible. So cuddle your baby/s as soon as you can and feed them, and bathe them and just love them, even if they feel tiny and fragile and you are scared to touch them in case you hurt them. They need to know you are there for them from the very beginning. L, June 2008

1) Record as many details of your journey as possible including photos and a diary. And 2) reach out and make friends with other premmie parents. When you are at the hospital you do not feel like a minority, yet when you get your baby home, you all of a sudden feel very alone and there seems to be no-one else around that understands. M, May 2008

They have their own time, own target. Each baby is different and only you know your baby so take each comment with a pinch of salt. They are special creatures and give them as much love as you possibly can… S, August 2008

Take photos everyday while in hospital. While it may not be the happiest time it is amazing to see the difference day to day and is a good way to remind yourself that they are growing. J, April 2008

Don’t ever feel guilty or blame yourself for your bubs coming early. D, September 2008

Don’t be scared to ask for help! Accept offers of help and take heaps of photos as they grow up so fast. Cherish every moment, write a diary - I never did and wish I had with both boys. If your hospital offers professional photos get them done, take their foot and hand prints, have a teddy or something for comparison photos. R, February 2008

Be positive, and take it all one day at a time. J, October 2008

Don’t compare. Its the hardest thing to stop yourself from doing. But all prems are different, so even the same gestational age babies will have different development graphs. Your baby is unique, so just focus on the positives and don’t compare to what other babies are doing. L, November 2008

Take lots and lots of photos - and make sure you keep a copy of them somewhere safe. I lost a lot of photos when my computer died and I didn’t have a backup. Also I wish I’d kept a journal, even if it was brief, because all those vivid early memories which I thought I would never forget are starting to dim now that time is passing and so many new memories are being created as Talia grows. K, January 2008

Quotes published with permission of L’il Aussie Prems.

Play and Learning

At our 12 month corrected developmental review, Talia was showing delays in all areas. We were referred to a number of services at the State Child Development Centre, including physiotherapy, speech therapy and an occupational therapist run programme called Play and Learning (PAL).

Last month I was contacted by PAL and found that it was a programme where an OT comes to your home for an hour a week, for up to 6 weeks, with a box of different toys to help with various areas of your child’s development. The OT will also advise you about anything you are interested in, so what the programme includes really varies from family to family and from week to week. We have now had 2 visits and it has been excellent, not least because recently I have been finding Talia more demanding but not really known what sort of new activities to try with her.

The first week the OT brought quite a lot of toys to help with fine motor skills and shape recognition, including a simple shape sorter where the shapes made noises when you put them in, stacking rings which made music each time you took a ring on or off, blocks with magnets in them which make it easier to stack them, and a couple of jigsaws - one with different shapes (circle, triangle, square etc) and one just all circles in different colours. The jigsaws were wooden with pegs on the back to make them easy to manipulate. There were also some books and other items. It took Talia a little while to get the hang of the toys, but then she played with them all week and by the end of it was much better at putting shapes in the right place.

On her last visit, the OT brought a different set of wobbly stacking rings, a singing piggy bank with enormous plastic coins, a ball and some more books, and toys to encourage imaginative play - a doll with bottle and bed and a set of plastic crockery. The crockery has been a great hit, as I had recently acquired a box of plastic food items. After a demonstration lesson, Talia was soon cooking up a storm, stirring a plastic bowl filled with random plastic foodstuffs and a couple of megablocks… iron chef move over, it’s time for plastic chef! I also taught her to take an imaginary sip of coffee from a little plastic teacup and say “mmmmm”.

The OT also gave me a full set of PAL leaflets, some of which I had already seen at my local Child Health Nurse, but many of which were new and very interesting. These are also available online at http://www.pmh.health.wa.gov.au/health/infant_care/play.htm

Apparently the next visit will include messy play or playdough, so I’m looking forward to it!