While we waited for an answer from insurance, I started to look for help with Dominick's other problems. Knowing that there were associated risks with plagio from reading the research articles I started to look for who I needed to contact and how I could make him better. It was an awful time, his muscles seemed to be getting weaker all the time, he was diagnosed with an umbilical hernia being made worse by the on and off constipation and I was afraid to lay him down or sit him in a bouncy seat for fear that it would make his plagio worse. He could not stay in a seated position even with pillows propping him up; he would slide away. I posted on the CT parents discussion board for help and got a response very quickly from a mom named Sarah. Sarah was a lifesaver and told me about the Bumbo seat, a seat designed to allow even very young babies to sit up with no pressure on their heads. We talked a bit and she told me about the Yahoo Plagio Support Group.
It was so nice to know I was not alone. I posted my story on the support board and received so many welcomes and replies. It was there I learned about Early Intervention, a state run program for at risk children birth to age three. My states program is The Infant And Toddler Connection Of Virginia, providing free or low cost services for children with physical and/or mental disabilities. I contacted them and got things started. We had two evaluations at the end of January to see if he would qualify. Dominick was found to have a two month delay in gross motor skills (he could not roll over either direction) along with muscle weakness and stiffness in his neck (side and front muscles, causing a backwards and up tilt), his legs, hips, arms, and back (especially in the trapezius muscles). Along with these muscle issues he had persistent feeding problems. He still leaked formula from the sides of his mouth and we were unable to start cereal because he would just scream as if we were trying to feed him glass or something. He hated baths and would cling to my arm like he was going to die no matter what we tried. We learned that these were sensory issues and he had few more. He would cover his face with a blanket or stuffed animal in order to go to sleep or when he was over stimulated. I think we spent the better part of 3 months trying to keep him from suffocating. He would not touch any toys other than stuffed animals, and had many other textures issues. I was so upset, how could he ever get past all this and go on to be as normal as possible. Early Intervention decided he would receive physical therapy and they would have him evaluated by an occupational therapist for the feeding issues. By the time they left I was feeling very sorry for myself and wondering how I was going to do all this with three other kids to take care of. I moped around about a day but then decided that if he was going to have a chance at living a normal life it was up to me.
Our physical therapist was Molly and Dominick just loved her. She was amazing and taught me so much in just one session. She would actually get on the floor and put herself in his position to help explain things to me and to find the best possible exercises to help him, you couldn't ask for more effort. She would come every two weeks and it was up to me to do his daily therapy. She explained that if he was going to get better it was going to take a huge commitment from me. I absorbed everything I could from her and got to work. I stretched Dominick at every diaper change, tummy time was a must after every nap, and we did a full therapy session everyday. It was hard and I had to constantly tell the other kids they had to wait or not right now. They understood most times, but it was hard on my then four year old. I thought of ways for her to help with his therapy and taught my older ones how to hold him to get a stretch and what games to play to keep him active. They were a huge help and really very good. All normal life changed and it became a universe centered around helping Dominick succeed. Now we just had to get him his Doc Band, it seemed like forever for insurance to give the precertification.
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