Samantha's 3-yr Physical

So I have had a really hard time finding a pediatrician I'm happy with at Balboa, but since Samantha's CF dr is so fantastic (and requires our gen ped to be there) I try to look over it. And it's not just that there are some really bad doctors, it's also a bad, impersonal process. A few months ago when Samantha was sick, I stumbled on a doctor I was quite pleased with, so I scheduled both annual physicals today with him. Well, he did not disappoint!

Potty Training

Samantha is 3 1/2 and still not potty trained. There's no way to say that without embarrassment. This is the mark of a good mother, right? I keep trying to remind myself to chill out, but facts are facts so I mentioned it today. He reminded me every child goes at their own pace, and then asked me what our issues are...

A) We can't quite make the switch from me taking her every hour to her telling me that she needs to go BEFORE she wets

B) Any kind of bowel movement on the toilet is out of the question.

He gave me 2 techniques to use for kids who can have a propensity for constipation or digestive issues (CFers). I'm still going to share them because if you have a child who is #1 trained, but not #2 trained they may help you...

1. There is a body position that anatomically allows for elimination more easily than any other, and you can email me (experiencingeachmoment@gmail.com) if you want to know it. When we got home, I knew she needed to "go" before naptime, so I tried it and sure enough it works!!! Now we have a long way to go in the training area, but I'm convinced of this body position tip.
2. The other thing he said to do was spend about 15 or so minutes on the toilet after each meal. There is a reflex in the body that tells the colon to eliminate in order to make room for the food that is on its way. This is why infants will often poop after a feeding, and it's the same concept even at age 3. Right after meal time is a more likely time to be able to poop. He said stay in there whether or not she needs to, but don't make it reading time or tv watching time or anything. It's purpose is for pooping (I asked if we could sing or talk, and he said yes). I think this could also help her go longer to urinate. If she knows every 4 hours she'll be on the potty she may practice holding it. Who knows? But the intent of this exercise is for pooping.

My philosophy in all these random parenting milestones with preschoolers is that I would rather hear 100 tips if it gets me to the 1 I need that works in my situation. These may be common, but they are 2 tips I had yet to be told. So we'll try them, and if they work they work. If they don't work, we'll be right where we were before...learning to be patient!

Stuttering

One month ago Samantha started stuttering out of the blue. I don't really know how to explain it, but it's extreme. After 4 years of speech therapy (with Timothy) you would think I would have a clue, but I don't. Everything I've found online talked about kids "growing" out of it by age 7. I'm thinking that's 4 years!!!! As far as I'm concerned she can grow out of it while she's being treated. Thankfully, the doctor took this seriously. He didn't know if it would be best to go through developmental (speech pathologist) or the psychology route (behavior mod/anxiety), so he's going to find out, and we'll get a referral to one or the other!

I've got a school fair, karate, and Awana leaders meeting tonight, so I've got to scoot out the door. I'll write about Timothy's appt later!