Tummy-Time Trauma

...And How We Got Through It. 

Ahhh, tummy-time! The importance of it is drummed into parents nowadays. Since the old fashioned advice of Dr Benjamin Spock from the late 1950s which advocated that babies be put to sleep on their tummies has been discredited and deemed a risk factor for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), it seems that in the present day babies are on their tummies a lot less than they used to be. Babies are now to be put to sleep on their backs, which lessens the risk of SIDS, but also increases the risk for the dreaded flat spot. Or spots, if you happen to be so unlucky. 

Benny Baby had quite a pronounced flat spot on the right side of his head, apparently from week two! He always seemed to prefer to lie on that side of his head, and it was virtually impossible at first to make him turn to the left. Even when held upright in my husband's arms and mine, he would strain his head to the right in such a way that we feared he wasn't able to look left! In fact, one day, Lenny tried gently to turn his head to the left and he started crying and crying! Just before we started to really panic ("maybe his muscles or nerves in his neck were pinched? Was he in terrible pain? Oh my gosh! There's something wrong with my baby!!!") he suddenly swerved his head to the left. Phew. The "good" side. 

We have him booked for an appointment to see a local osteopath, to "decompress" his occipital and parietal lobes which can be prematurely and temporarily fused together due to constant pressure. That's in about seven days time. 

The good news is that we seem to have pretty much fixed the problem already! We still plan to keep the appointment to make sure all is well, but here's how BB's strange neck and flat spot situation has been improved:

1. I became OCD about turning his head to the left when he was in a deep sleep and wasn't conscious to turn it back to the right. 

2. When I put him down anywhere, (to sleep, in his bouncer, for floor time, etc) I'd roll a blanket around him so the it was against his back with his left side to the floor; this meant he'd have to lie on his left cheek. He'd often wriggle or roll, though, so that his head would be back on his right side. That's why point #1 is necessary. 

3. The terrible tummy-time worked wonders. Twenty or so minutes a day now. We started with a few seconds a day - he absolutely hated it and would literally squeal when on his tummy. I called it his "damsel in distress" cry. He does it whenever he doesn't want to do something, like go to bed, for instance. 

Yes, that was pretty demoralising for me as a new mum. I hated seeing my BB upset, and he seemed absolutely distraught every time I put him on his tummy, so that I could only stomach it for a few seconds. Then, we had a breakthrough!

It occurred to me that he couldn't lift his head very far - at first, babies' neck muscles are not strong enough to support their head, which is considerably larger in proportion to the rest of their bodies. BB could only lift his a fraction off the ground, and only for a few moments before he seemed to give up. So, I thought to myself, I will get on the ground with him, and try to distract him! He always seemed to love colours and faces. I arranged him with his arms under him and guided him to rest his chin on his hands, then yours truly also got down on her tum tum and pretended to have tummy time too!!!

 It's amazing what a two month old baby responds to. I proceeded to (in a quiet voice at first - my husband was around) tell BB a story involving his toy ladybug and dragonfly.

It worked! He was enthralled, I forgot myself and found I could do convincing bug voices, and the husband was relieved! Finally! Tummy time didn't have to be a nightmare!

Continuing this technique a few times got Baby distracted so that he only realised he was on his tummy after a few minutes. I'm the kind of gal that snatches easy victories, so I went home happy with what I'd got and turned him over on his back as soon as he grizzled. Sometimes if he tired too easily I would roll a blanket under his chest and this seemed to take the pressure off. He was happier for longer on his tummy. Day after day of practice, and the time was getting longer and longer. Now I can leave him to himself with tummy time, with "his bugs" as I like to call them, and colourful blocks, and he's amused for at least twenty minutes. 

He's going for his dragonfly...

That's amazing progress! (Sorry about the poor quality photo... But you get the point!)

I can't say enough how relieved I am that tummy time is no longer traumatic! It is very important for BB's development as it strengthens his neck and gains him upper body strength, which he needs in order to learn to sit up, and eventually crawl. We schedule tummy time in every day, and I've learnt that some times of the day are better than others. The best time to do it is after his lunchtime nap, just before his dinner feed. It's a nice, cooler time of day (it's summer at the moment) and he's well rested because his late afternoon nap is the longest, deepest one he has. Somehow he doesn't do that well with tummy time after his morning nap. For us, it's important to schedule tummy time in, because it's so easily overlooked. It's so easy to just put Baby in his bouncer or flat on the ground (I don't have to supervise him as closely then as when he's on his tummy) and rush around doing my housework. 

So! That's the story about his tummy time so far. It doesn't have to be terrible! And it really works an appetite up in him! Here he is with me in the kitchen, waiting patiently for his dinner time feed, having just done his tummy time exercise! I probably burnt whatever it was I was cooking - I'm distracted by his cuteness all the time!!!