Categories: uncategorized
Date: 02 December 2005 11:14:53
Baby birdie has had rolling sussed for some time; it is his preferred method of getting from a to b under his own steam. When lying on his tummy he is stuck in reverse, and can shuffle backwards at some pace, but has no forward gear at all. (This is why he was stuck in the cot the other day - with his legs through the bars he couldn't turn over, and unable to go forward, he couldn't get his legs out of the bars.)
No crawling though. In fact he hasn't even tried to crawl since he started to roll. He used to try, and get very frustrated, but since discovering that rolling is both efficient *and* fun, he hasn't bothered.
Which is a good reminder about focussing on mobility, rather than any particular mode of getting from a to b. Years ago, kids with spina bifida with any strength in their legs used to be encouraged to walk, with leg braces, crutches etc. Probably because walking is what 'normal people' do. A lot of those people would probably have been more mobile in a wheelchair than they were attempting to walk.
It's not uncommon for people to walk for a while, then get to a point when they decide a wheelchair would be quicker and easier - Tanni Grey-Thomson is one example of this. Also that bloke whose name I can't remember who is a paralympic basketball player, and is on that bbc link with them dancing in their wheelchairs. He had polio as a child, and had I think some mobility walking but when he got to about 13 and his favourite mode of transport was a tesco trolley pushed by his friends he got a wheelchair. (He was also on that beyond Boundaries programme about the group trekking across Nicaragua - did anyone see that?)
So: although we are obviously delighted that baby b's neurosurgeon thinks he'll walk, we have to remember that it is not the be-all and end-all. If he finds life easier with a wheelchair, so be it.
In other news: I would like it noted that someone not a million miles from here texted me yesterday, and not only was my phone on, I replied immediately!