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Milestones in The Lodgers First Year

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 Milestones! A baby's first year is all about milestones.

For most people baby milestones mean: Rolling Over, Sitting, Crawling, Walking...

For us milestones are a little different.

I remember texting my parents from NICU when The Lodger was 5 days old to tell them he moved his arm today. It was litreally just that, he lifted his arm and it fell back down!! In our little bubble, this was a huge moment. This happened before the diagnosis of Prader-Willi Syndrome so we were still living with the hope that The Lodger was just taking a little bit longer to settle into the world than other babies.

The Lodger never required oxygen once he got home, which was a great relief to us. However due to a dislocated hip, he was in a harness for 8 weeks. I had completely forgotten about this until I had a look through his appointment diary. The dislocated hip meant a weekly visit into hospital to get the harness refitted. We used to love the day before the harness refit, as this was bath day and The Lodger loved the bath. He moved so much in the water!! This day was also harness free cuddle day!!

Week by week, The Lodger got a little stronger. I've it noted in the diary that he started to play at 16 weeks old. He was able to reach forward to move the toys hanging infront of him. At 5 months old there was a noticeable improvement in his head control. His neck didn't have the neck strength to hold his head up but could move his head side to side.



Physiotherapy plays a big part in The Lodgers day. It did when he was smaller and still does. Tummy Time was so important for him getting him stronger to lift up his head. 

We were on holidays when The Lodger surprised us with his next milestone. HEAD CONTROL!!



Just before his 1st birthday, The Lodger was able to sit!!! For his birthday, he spent most of the day sitting in a cardboard box- as it gave him great support! He also loved sitting in things, still does!



With PWS, you notice every little development that other parents might not see-
The day he started playing with his hands.
The day he started chewing his fingers.
The day he was able to lie on his back and lift his legs in the air.
The day he pulled my hair.
The day he was able to move each finger independently.
The day he was able to play with his toes.
The day he pulled his socks off.
The day he took his hat off.
The day he started laughing, smiling and finding his voice.
The day he rolled over.

Low muscle tone means alot of things are challenging for someone with PWS, as all their muscles are so weak.

There are days when The Lodger really doesn't want to do physio. For a little boy that couldn't cry, he'd have his own ways of showing us his determination for not wanting to do something. As a mother, it's hard to make your little baby work hard but seeing The Lodger reach milestones makes it all worth while.

Physio continues on a daily basis, it's always based around play and rewarded with doing his favourite activities- reading, music and lego!











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