ProCare3 Swim Therapy

Last week Casie (Vollen's momma) set up a private Swim Therapy session with her Physical Therapist at ProCare 3 Pediatrics for our Down Syndrome group.  There were 7 little ones total who showed up to participate in the "3 & under" class.  We had a FUN time!

We have learned and read that aquatic therapy can be extremely beneficial for our little one's with Down Syndrome.  Water therapy can enhance strength, endurance, and social skills.  It can encourage productive movement and expand sensory experiences.  Not only can it increase function in the areas of OT & PT, but new research shows that a child's speech can also benefit greatly by exposure to the water and utilization of proper breath control techniques, blowing bubbles, hearing their echo on the water, etc...

McKenzie & Joe check out the pool.

Vollen is READY to go!

Macy had a great time in the VERY warm water...it was like 99 degrees and so was the room.  Very comfortable.

Heather, the PT, went over water safety rules, demonstrated a few proper ways for our little ones to enter the water, how to get them used to the water, she showed us techniques to work on and improve breath control, and showed us several positions for water play and muscle strengthening and toning.

It was a JAM-PACKED hour!

Macy wasn't quite sure about these "noodle" activities just yet.

 I am so glad and thankful that Casie was able to get this class arranged for us all.  This was the first of it's kind offered here.  Heather made it very cost-efficient for us all too.  :-)  Water Therapy with other places for children with special-needs can be quite costly.  (And I'm not sure how most insurance plans recognize it's necessity, we all know how "FUN" it is to deal with the insurance company after-all!)  I discussed the idea with my Early Intervention team, they looked into it, considered it, but at the end of the day were unable to facilitate it (at least not yet).  I think their rejection of it was mostly due to liability purposes.  Which is understandable.

Bubba showing off his muscles to McKenzie, who was spectating the swim class.  The PT used him to demonstrate several skills to the rest of the class, he did a GREAT job and set a shining example for the rest of the little ones.

Well hello Miss Eisley  :-)

That's sweet Harper looking in the camera's direction.

McKenzie, Eisley & Claire talking about how much fun they had learning to swim  :-)

And she's done..."let's go home now - places to go, people to see" she says.  :-)

 THANKS CASIE FOR SETTING ALL THIS UP...AND THANKS FOR SHARING THESE GREAT PICS TOO  :)

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After Swim Class we met up with the Mallory's for some weekend camping out at Two Rivers.  It was a GORGEOUS night!!  

Little Miss Macy woke me up and had me cuddling and watching over her closely for a few hours in the middle of the night though.  She, out of the blue, developed a cruddy cough, had shallow, deep, quick breathing, her chest rising and falling more than usual, and had a real raspy voice.  I was prepared to take her in to Urgent Care first thing in the morning.  But the strangest thing happened around 5:00am.  She, all the sudden was back to 100% normal.  No more cough, or labored breathing.  hmmmm.  Our theory is that the extremely warm water and hot/humid pool room (which was like a steam room) loosened up some flem/crud that she had been building up, and she (with her narrowed airways) was having a hard time "passing it".  Apparently it PASSED at 5am.  whew.

All is well now!  The Silly goose had me worried for a bit though  :-)