The Big Day

This morning started by taking Emmett to his twelfth chiropractic adjustment appointment.

On the day of the twelfth adjustment, the original scans that were done prior to starting treatment are repeated to check in on the progress made.

We will get the results to his repeat scans on Wednesday. Although we've finally started seeing some physical progress in Emmett's behavior, I'm excited to see the progress in his results as well.

Emmett's chiropractor and I began to talk over all the changes we've noticed since his initial evaluation. The most noticeable thing to me is that Emmett is pooping on his own more. Brett and I used to have to use the Windi stick multiple times a day to help stimulate Emmett to poop and it's now been days since we've had to used one. This is huge because Emmett would strain SO hard to poop and would be so fussy and uncomfortable, so the fact that he's able to poop with more frequently and with more ease is such a relief. I don't think his reflux is as severe as it was prior to starting bodywork as well, since he hasn't had any very severe choking episodes since the scary event a few weeks ago. However, he still has a ways to go before his reflux has resolved. Something I haven't mentioned prior to this is that Emmett has an umbilical hernia, which formed fairly quickly after his cord fell off.

Umbilical hernias in infants are not usually of concern as long as the are retractable and do not persist past the age of five years old.

However, I noticed over the last couple months that Emmett's umbilical hernia had gotten worse. It went from being slightly raised on the perimeter of his belly button (picture on the left) to complete bulging like a balloon (picture in the middle). The chiropractor mentioned his hernia at the initial evaluation, as it was something that bodywork could help improve. Emmett's hernia isn't fully resolved, but it's looking way better than it did just a few weeks ago (picture on the right).

Something else I found interesting was that Emmett's chiropractor mentioned that when she first evaluated him, he did not have a response to a normal infant reflex called the Galant reflex.

The Galant reflex is seen by laying an infant on their stomach and gently stroking in a one side of their spine in a downward motion. The normal reaction of an infant is for them to flex toward the side that was stroked.

I honestly had never heard of this reflex as it's not one of the reflexes that are commonly checked in infants, but when she went to check the Galant reflex on Emmett today he had a response, which is another sign of neurological improvement!

Overall, Emmett's chiropractor said that she's so proud of his progress and that we've been able to see some improvements before the frenectomy procedure, as it will aid in a faster recovery and set him up to strive when presented with hurdles later on in life. It was so relieving to hear that she felt Emmett's progress was on track and that his procedure is happening at a good time in his recovery, as Brett and I don't want to rush things and want to ensure that we are doing this the right way.

Later this afternoon, we headed to Emmett's appointment at the pediatric dentist, where he would be evaluated and have the frenectomy procedure performed.

Of course, my nerves were out the roof as it's never easy to see your child in pain. I just kept reminding myself that this needs to be done to help get Emmett back to health and that the procedure will save him from all the pain that could come with complications of unreleased ties later in life.

The appointment lasted about an hour long, with the first half consisting of the evaluation. A dental assistant came in and reviewed Emmett's history with us.

A few things I wasn't told that I want to share with those of you going through this procedure as well is to cut your fingernails SHORT. I came with my nails short, so I thought, as I always have "man hands" but she still had me file down my nails to the point of no white showing. Also, apparently you're not supposed to let them eat for two hours prior which I didn't know (whoops!).

After Emmett's history was reviewed, the post-op nurse came in to review instructions, such as pain management with the Arnica. She said that we can use Arnica every 3-4 hours before stretches. We are to place 15 drops total on the wounds and then perform stretched right after. We will use the Arnica for 10 days total to help with inflammation. After ten days, the swelling should be resolved. She also stressed the importance of continuing the stretches for six weeks total. She said after week three the wounds will appear healed, but the point of the stretches is to continue stretching the tissue out to ensure the ties heal loosely allowing for full range of motion. She said it's normal for the tissue to regrow, but it should grow much less tight than before if the stretches are performed correctly. Next, the doctor came in and confirmed all the oral ties that Emmett needed revised. The only diagnosis that was different than what our Speech Pathologist told us was his anterior and posterior tongue ties are grade four, not grade three due to how restricted the tissue was. After speaking with the doctor, Brett and I felt so much less nervous and more confident that we're doing the right thing. He reviewed all the future complications Emmett's ties could cause, reassuring us that this procedure will be life changing for him.

After the doctor was done assessing Emmett's mouth, the nurse came back in to put topical lidocaine on the ties and then she brought our little buddy back for the procedure. It took a total of maybe 5-7 minutes. Poor Emmett was hysterical when he came back in the room and I’m shocked I didn't shed a tear, but I think my nursing instincts kicked in knowing that this had to be done to get him feeling better.

The doctor first showed us the stretches with his nurse and then they had Brett and I perform them after they were done demonstrating. The nurse said that Emmett is one strong baby, specifically one of the strongest she's seen as he was flighting his momma on the stretches the entire time. It took some time for Emmett to calm down, but once he did he fell right asleep. I pulled his bottom lip down once he fell asleep and was so excited to see that his tongue was finally suctioned to the roof of his mouth! I’m hopeful for longer nighttime sleep in the future.

Emmett wouldn't really take the bottle at all before leaving the dental office, but he's currently napping on our way home so I’m hopeful he will take a bottle once he wakes up.

Overall, the procedure went better than expected. It's so awful to see your baby in pain, but someone shared with me to remember that you're doing this FOR your baby not to your baby. Keeping that mindset will help Brett and I get through the tough six weeks of stretches ahead.

I’m planning to track Emmett's progress over these next several weeks to share with you all, as I have been super curious how long it would take certain symptoms to improve. If there's any other information you would like me to share about the post-op process, please message me and I'll be sure to include it! Please keep praying for our sweet boy as we still have a long road of recovery ahead of us. As previously mentioned, the procedure is not an immediate fix. There is a lot of therapy and retraining to fix habits that needs to be done to ensure a maximal result and recovery. Despite the long road ahead, I’m hopeful that the worst is behind us and he hopefully will only go uphill from here!💙