P.A.T.

Today was our first Parents As Teachers home visit from Mrs. Castello. I have known about the program since before Linc was born and thought that it couldn't hurt to have another person helping Lincoln develop to his full potential. I wasn't sure if starting P.A.T. now was the best idea since Lincoln already gets therapy from the private agency the hospital set us up with, but Mrs. Castello said she would come give me some info and talk and see how things went. I had spoken to her over the phone a little about Lincoln's condition, but I'm still not sure she was prepared for our visit today. She didn't understand at first my requirement of using hand sanitizer and never did end up using it, so I did not allow her to touch Lincoln. I don't think she was prepared to really work with him anyway.

She just watched me handle Lincoln as he fussed for a bit and then calmed down to play with a toy on the floor. She asked a few questions about his care, "Is he on oxygen all the time, like 24 hours a day?" "How long will he be on it?" "He seems fussy. Do you think he will go to sleep if you feed him? I know it's easy to get stuck in a routine." I explained that he is on oxygen until he is able to keep his blood saturated on room air, and that could be until after his first birthday. I also told her that gaining weight is a challenge for him (she had commented on his small size) and that his docs don't want him to eat too frequently because he will burn too many calories. Plus, he has just eaten 30 minutes before. I told her how he is very particular about what he likes as far as touch and motion and that he is just sensitive. It's always difficult getting someone up to speed on Lincoln's life who has never met him before.

Mrs. Castello asked about some of the things he is able to do since I was not able to show her everything and she was also impressed with his progress considering his 2.5 month stay in the hospital. She said that he is doing a lot of things he is supposed to like putting toys in his mouth and holding his feet up while on his back, but that his head control is a bit lagging and that his tone when he is upset seems rigid (which is often seen in preemies). She didn't really have any new recommendations for tummy time and kept saying that she didn't want to tell me something that would go against his doctors wishes, like letting him cry too long during tummy time etc. I reassured her that I totally understood that she is just giving suggestions and I am fully aware that Lincoln's situation is not completely "normal" so his doctors are very involved in his development. She did stress that I need to take time for myself more and try to not worry about getting everything done all the time. She knows it's hard being a full time mom for anyone and Lincoln is requires a little more attention on top of that. She told me not to feel guilty about anything, which is really hard.

Over the phone, Mrs. Castello had recommended I contact the Missouri First Steps program to try to get Lincoln's therapy through them. I told her that they plan to come evaluate Lincoln on Monday next week, so she was giving me some pointers on what to emphasize and said I should let the evaluator know that Linc is enrolled in PAT and to drop her name. Apparently if Lincoln is accepted to the Missouri program, he would need to be enrolled in PAT anyway. That way as he ages and doesn't need therapy anymore, they can transition into just PAT visits. She said she would call to check on us to see if Lincoln is accepted into the Missouri program, and we made an appointment for her to come back in December. She also left some literature for me to read on child development. Overall it was good to get an intro into the program, but I think P.A.T. will definitely be on the back burner for a while.