Q and the specialist.

At the babies' one month appointment, I expressed concern over the fact that Quinn's head was lopsided. Her doctor said we'd keep an eye on it. When we got to the two month appointment, it was obvious the flatness on one side had worsened. Q always faces her left when she is laying down, and when she is up, she can turn toward her right, but she favors the left, and looks that way most of the time. The pediatrician decided it was something to get looked at by a specialist, so today Q and I went on a date to the College of Osteopathic Medicine at the university.

[to the left, to the left. everything you own in a box to the left . . . 2 weeks old.]

The specialist read that Quinn was a twin, and said, "Let me guess: Baby A?" Turns out being baby A isn't all sunshine and roses. Twins, obviously, have less room to move in the womb than a singleton. And baby A is on the bottom, so Quinn was getting squished the whole time. At every ultrasound poor baby girl's head was jammed down into my right hip while baby boy went crazy all over. (Oh, how perfectly that matches their personalities now). This means Q's neck muscles were restricted while they developed. Which leads to where we are today: one side of her neck is tighter than the other. Interesting, huh? Learn something new every day. The specialist also said something about a nerve that runs through the neck, but I didn't go to medical school, so I couldn't really tell you. But the point is, her brain is perfect, and her spine is fine (something else I was worried about, because she curves when she sleeps), but she does need treatment to help her neck and fix her head a little. We'll be going once a week for 6 weeks, and see how she is doing then.

[to the left, to the left . . . 2 months old.]

The "treatment" is somewhat fascinating, though it seems a little bit like nothing is really happening. Q was laying down, and the doctor took her head in her hands and exerted some sort of slight constant pressure and pressed her fingers into her neck. She did it for quite a while, and it was interesting to watch, but at the same time I kept waiting for something else to happen. Chris asked, "She is a specialist right? Her first name could be specialist" (name that movie!). Quinn is such a peaceful little thing. At first she didn't mind and was just looking around. Then she got a little fussy, so I gave her a binky and put my hand on her tummy to calm her. Then she fell asleep! The doctor said she doesn't get that a lot. While we were checking out, I could hear another baby screaming his/her head off. I was feeling lucky it was Quinn who needs the treatment, and not freak-out extraordinaire John. Ha!

[to the left, to the left . . . I want to eat her. yum.]

More than anything, I am so so grateful this is all it is. The doctor said Q's case was "moderate", meaning treatment is needed, but she has seen much worse. I was trying very hard not to worry that it was something more serious with her spine . . . or even her brain. That it would be a long-term hill to climb rather than 6 weeks of therapy. The original appointment where I found out she needed a specialist was on the same day as my biopsy. Talk about an emotional day. I'm feeling blessed that both of those events have played out in a positive way. And really, this means Quinn and I get a mommy-daughter date once a week, just the two of us. You can't beat that.