Outside of the usual newborn-isms (eating, sleeping, not sleeping, fussing, visits to the pediatrician), Sol’s life now involves many, many doctor appointments. On the docket are appointments with neurology, hematology, neonatology, ophthalmology, and physical (PT) and occupational (OT) therapies. Recovering from an infant stroke is not a bumpless path and we are now realizing how much work there is to be done.

This morning, we had our first follow-up with a neonatologist. When we got to the doctor’s office, one of the fellows from the NICU brought us back to the examination room. She was one of our favorites at the NICU, so we were thrilled to see her again!

Sol was very patient while the doctor examined him. We found out that while his weight and head size are only in the 3%, his rate of growth is spot on. The doctor warned us that Sol is in the midst of a growth spurt, so we should be prepared to feed him every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Yipes!

We filled the doctor in on all of our upcoming appointments, including our weekly therapy appointments. Since Sol’s eyes have a tendency to track only to the left and he has much stronger back muscles than he needs to at this age, she walked us through some activities (laying on a beach ball, infant massage, using toys to help his eyes track to the right) that will help us counter those weaknesses. I’ve been particularly worried about his eyes, unsure of what could be causing them to rest on the left side. She said that it could be neurological, and that the neurologist and the ophthalmologist would pay close attention to his eyes. In any case, she told me not to worry about it, that the exercises we are doing in PT and OT will help until we could pinpoint the issue. Me, not worry? Yeah, right. That’s a tall order for any Mom, let alone a Mom who’s baby is recovering from a stroke. Rather than worry (too much), I’ve promised myself to direct all of my neurotic energy into Sol’s therapy exercises at home and make sure we’re doing as much as we can to move his recovery along the right path.