My Daily Reminder

As I mentioned in my previous post, our son was born five days early from his due date, which according to our math was probably also too early. Although we can’t say for certain, one of the possible effects of this early entry—besides his crabbiness and inability to sleep for long periods of time—could be his diastasis recti, shown in the video below. This visual reminder is a huge reason I'm writing this blog.

Tanget: "The Happiest Baby on the Block," by Harvey Karp, M.D., not only saved Dr. Husband and I when our son was so sad during those first eight months, he also struck a cord with us in terms of the importance of length of pregnancy with his "Missing Fourth Trimester" theory.

"In many ways your new baby is more a fetus than an infant, spending most of her time sleeping and being fed....Unlike baby horses whose survival depends on their big strong bodies, a human baby's survival depends on big smart brains. In fact, our babies' brains are so huge we have to 'evict' fetuses from the womb well before they're fully ready for the world to keep their heads from getting stuck in the birth canal."

So, yes, the baby has to come out before a fourth trimester (please don't think I'm arguing for that!), but wow is all that time in there such a gift for those brains!

Onward...

According to Dr. Husband, with his diastatis, our son can potentially suffer from:

• Structural issues such as decreased spinal curves or retroverted hips
• Low back pain
• Muscle imbalances, which can increase chance of injury

To combat these outcomes, there are some general things all parents should consider for their infants.

• Allow your baby to develop movement naturally. For example, when he starts to roll, let him do it on his terms. When she wants to walk, fight the urge to hold her hands. Though babies love to sit up, don't prop them up with pillows or baby chairs. 
• Go shoeless. When it comes to shoes, the best thing to do is not wear them! Allow your baby to be bare foot as much as possible. If he needs shoes, something with a very thin sole is best, so his feet can feel the ground.
• Limit practice of primitive reflexes. The most common issue is sucking, so wean your baby from the bottle and pacifier within the reasonable time frames. Our pediatrician suggested a full weaning from both by 18 months at the latest.

In the future:
Our son is almost two years old, so treating him is very difficult because he doesn't want to be still (ever), and forcing him is just traumatic for all of us. The above guidelines are great for infants, but if you're having questions regarding a toddler, you may consider looking into professional advice. When your child can understand the concept of being still, he or she would probably respond well to physical therapy. Dr. Husband will definitely be working with our son as soon as he can understand what the heck daddy is doing!