Grant said he wanted to post about our first PRIDE training session, so I haven't posted anything all week...but I can't seem to fall asleep tonight and Grant's already sound asleep (no fair)...what's that saying "you snooze, you lose!" I will still respect his wishes to share with you our first PRIDE training experience...
I returned yesterday from a 2-day paediatric feeding course learning about assessments and interventions for little ones experiencing feeding difficulties & disorders. The course validated many of the things I was already incorporating when working with children who have difficulty with feeding, but more importantly it revealed to me what I was doing wrong! One of our instructors said something along the lines of "your ideas are great, your intentions are wonderful, but not for this child." Don't worry, I will not turn this post into an OT lecture on feeding assessment and intervention; however, I will share with you what I took away from the course that impacts our adoption journey... I do hope to be able to breastfeed, but I will not stress out if I can't exclusively breastfeed or am unable to because bottle feeding and use of soothers are also important in the development of oral-motor skills. I will not obsess about finding the perfect bottle & nipple now because every baby's feeding needs and oral motor skills are different and I will need to assess what works best for our baby when he/she arrives and continue to assess as our child develops and his/her needs change. I will not try to hunt down the perfect highchair/booster seat now, I will wait until our child is ready to sit and eat (at least 6 months old) and take our baby shopping to find the highchair/booster seat that provides the best seating and positioning for him/her. I'm sure you have figured out by now (if you didn't already know this about me), I research things to until there's nothing else to read in search of "the perfect" item!! This adoption journey has been an educational journey for me - as I sat in the feeding course for 2-days I realized I have been going against all my OT instincts by trying to find things that will be perfect for our baby before seeing, knowing or holding our baby. How can I possibly find the perfect person-environment-occupation fit if I don't have the "person" yet. Of course there will be items we will need to buy before our baby arrives, like a crib, stroller, car seat and a few bottles, but I will no longer (at least try my best) obsess about stocking our home with everything that will be "perfect" for our baby - As great as the Dr. Brown bottles are, they may not work for our baby and what if our baby can't stand the stroller and prefers to travel in a sling or baby carrier?!!
FYI - my newest baby "non-obsession" is hunting down the best place to buy organic baby bedding :)
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I had no idea you could breastfeed if you didn't carry and deliver a baby. Neat.
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