Maysa’s Second Cranial Sacral Therapy Appointment

I took Maysa in this morning to her second cranial sacral therapy appointment with Frances Demmerle.  She worked on her for about half an hour and noticed right off the back that she didn’t look so stiff.  She asked if I had noticed anything since our last visit and the truth is I have.  Aside from the fact that Maysa has been doing so well in her DOC band since she got it three and a half weeks ago, I have also noticed some changes in her that I can only attribute to CST. 

Ever since Maysa turned 3 months old, she started stretching her legs at a 45 degree angle, crossed at the ankles then her arms at the same degree angle while holding her hands together and she would rock them up and down with her teeth/jaw clenched and breathing hard through her nose.  I really wish I had a picture of her that I could show you.  Anyway, at our last appointment, Maysa got into that position while Frances was working on her.  I had never seen any baby doing that before my daughter and neither did Frances, but she said that after her first session of CST, she might actually stop doing so. 

I really didn’t think she would stop.  Maysa had been doing so for 7 months, everyday, several times a day.  It made changing her diapers quite a challenge because she would always stretch and cross her legs at the ankles.  Try putting a diaper on a baby like that!  Anyway, the next day after our first visit, Maysa did the same move almost ALL day long.  It was a little scary, I mean everywhere: on her high chair, on her exersaucer, on the floor, in her crib, in the bath tub, you name it.  I thought to myself, what has happened!?

Then, she got a really bad cold and an ear infection, so she was really miserable for a few days.  She is now doing a lot better but I have to admit that after that one day of getting into that position non-stop she hasn’t done it once, and that is amazing to me!  After seven months of doing this on and off several times a day, to one day of doing it all day long to not doing it at all…

When I asked Frances, she told me that when she saw her in that position she looked stressed out and like she said she hoped that whatever work she did on her would help her relax to the point where she wouldn’t do it again.  Well, like I said, she hasn’t done that in days now.

Another thing I noticed is that Maysa sleeps so much better at night and during the day.  Her daycare provider sometimes tells me that she sleeps for three hours in a row, sometimes more.  At home, she went from waking up two to three times at night to only once to nurse, and then she goes right back to sleep.

Is she just growing up or is CST really working on her?  I don’t know but I like to think that it is.  Today she worked on her as well, but Maysa was a little fussier.  She usually goes right back to sleep after waking up for an hour in the morning and Frances was messing up her schedule.  Frances started with her lower back and hips, then her upper back and then her head.  Maysa wasn’t a happy camper today and she looked more irritated than in pain, to me.

When I asked Frances about what she thought about Maysa’s progress, she said that her head and her body now feel more like a jellyfish rather than a hard stick…  I never thought I would compare my daughter to a jellyfish but funny enough, I like that idea a lot.

Our next appointment is in two weeks.  I will keep you posted.

Cranial Technologies – Headsickle

I took Maysa in yesterday to Cranial Technologies because she had a pink spot on her back left side and Amber wanted to take a look at it.  It turned out to be nothing to worry about, which is a good thing.

In the process, we talked about her progress, how to measure it, and how to take pictures.  To help me with that, she offered that I take Maysa’s headsickle home with me.  I was  a bit surprised.  I didn’t think I could, so when she said “sure of course”, I gladly took it.  I have to be very careful though because she warned me that it could break.

Anyway, the first thing I wanted to do with it is put the band on it to see how different the fit would feel.  Well, the band does not fit properly at all.  I cannot close the velcro the way I close it when it’s on Maysa’s head, and it’s been shaved twice already so in my opinion, there should be more room.  I am a little confused by it because I had seen somewhere else online how some other parents had been taking pictures of their little ones headsickle in the band throughout the process to see in which way progress was being made. 

Shouldn’t the band fit on the headsickle?  I will take pictures tomorrow when I take the band off of her head and put it on the headsickle to show you what I am talking about.

Cranial Technologies – Week 3 of Treatment

I took Maysa to Cranial Technologies this morning in Annandale, VA.  As always, the staff there is so welcoming and professional and always right on time.  We saw Amber again today and she came in with Maysa’s headsickle a little white stocking cap and her chart.  Maysa’s hair is growing so much that it’s hard to see anything unless it’s completely wet or under that stocking cap.  I asked for one so I could start taking pictures of her at home in places other than the bathtub and Amber gave me one.

Amber was very pleased to see that Maysa’s head is truly rounding out, and so am I.  It is looking so good I am beyond myself.  After trying to wiggle the band a little bit while on her head, she agreed that she needed another adjustment.  She left us for a moment to shave off some of the foam and came back with it to place it back on her head.

I asked her about the caps (or the parts of the band that partially cover the top of the band) and she said that they are there to hold the band in place so that when you put it on, the helmet doesn’t fall down more than it’s supposed to.  I didn’t know that!  She also said that it helps the rest of the helmet keep its shape.

Everything looks good.  We’ll see her again in two weeks, on 12/05/08.  I will keep you posted.

June - October - November 2008

Maysa’s First Cranial Sacral Therapy Treatment

Yesterday I took Maysa to her first Cranial Sacral Therapy (CST) treatment with Frances Demmerle.  Unfortunately I had to take my oldest daughter with us.  She will be three in December and yesterday, she didn’t get to take a nap.  Needless to say that she was a bit restless but “good” overall.

Anyway, Frances saw us right on time.  We went into this room painted in some very warm colors.  The lights were dimmed.  There were two chairs, a long table bed, a basket full of toys and one hamper where she put all of her pillows and blankets.  It was rainy outside and that room felt like the perfect place to take a nap.  Wishful thinking…

She started by asking me a couple of questions about Maysa and the rest of us and asked me why I was bringing her in.  I explained to her that her combination of plagiocephaly and brachycephaly as well as the time wasted in the wrong helmet were the reasons why I came to see her.  She took notes rather quickly and then took one of her pillows and put in on my lap.  She sat opposite of me in such a way that the pillow was also resting on her lap.  We laid Maysa down on it with her head towards me and her feet towards Frances.

While trying to keep an eye on my oldest daughter, Soraya, and listening to her I didn’t realized that she had already started to use her hands on Maysa.  She started around her waist.  It looked like she was pressing hard but Maysa didn’t seem to mind at all.  My job was to try to keep her distracted.  Frances was very focused and I stopped talking to her after a while because it seemed like she was counting mentally.

She worked her way all the way up her back, her rib cage and then her head.  She then placed her on the long table bed.  I had to make sure that she remained on her back while she had her hands on her head.  She really was putting pressure but Maysa handled it very well.  What she didn’t like is when she started manipulating her face.  She really got annoyed but never cried.

She spent most of the time on her head, twisting and turning and repositioning her hands and holding her in different positions.  Maysa did very well, but I could tell that towards the end, she was ready to take a nap.  After she was done, she said that she could definitely feel some restriction in her skull plates and that everything was squished together, especially her left side, and that today she helped ease that out.  She also said that she loosened things in her back and that she shouldn’t feel so stiff anymore.  She ended by saying that after today, with the help of the band, her skull should move more freely into a more normal position.  We are scheduled for two more sessions, ten days apart each.

Maysa’s First Week in the DOC Band

Maysa

Am I seeing things or is Maysa’s head already starting to round out after only 10 days of treatment in her DOC band?