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Quad Update at 5 months with Phyllis Eveleigh

The quads are now 5 months old and developing their little personalities and individual characteristics. All are healthy, active and seemingly always hungry. Or maybe it appears that way because by the time you finish feeding four, it is time to start over again with the first one!   There are a couple of issues that were caused by their cramped quarters before birth. Three of them ...... have begun physical therapy sessions for torticollis, a muscle tightness in the neck, and one has positional plagiocephaly, a flattening of the skull due to consistent pressure on one side.   The plagiocephaly will be addressed with a cranial helmet which is designed to move the cranial bones gently back into the more desired position. For the torticollis, therapists visit the home and mom, or dad, do daily exercises with them to help strengthen those neck muscles.   They have special pillows, that look like donuts with a small piece taken out, called boppy pillows or "boppies" for short. The baby is put on its knees with its chest on the pillow and their arms dangling over the side. This encourages them to raise their heads and look around so they are exercising those neck and chest muscles. They look like little Anne Geddes babies as the boppies are very bright and colorful.   I have supplemented their therapy with gentle Feldenkrais movements--gradually encouraging the spine and ribs to accommodate the head to turn in directions not yet familiar.   The best part is that I get to cuddle them or play with them and have them smile while I am tilting the head. Not surprisingly, they tend to turn their body so that they get their head back to the position more familiar to them.   It is my pleasure to talk and play while exploring new positions that over time will become more comfortable and part of their normal repertoire.    This is yet another example of the satisfaction and pride that I can enjoy while performing this work. However, in this case the over-riding emotion I feel, is the love for those little relatives that will one day soon call me “Great” Aunt Phyllis.