Torticollus

Yesterday morning Traci, the Boys soonerstart therapist came out to the house to work with the boys. I mentioned on the phone that people were commenting on the bumps on their spines and tilted heads. The moment she came over she took a look at them and set up an appointment for Bill, soonerstarts occupational therapist to come over and take a look at the boys, and he ended up having a spot open to see them the next day! So today Bill came over looked at the boys and told us the tilt in their heads is torticollus. Torticollus basically is where you have a tight neck muscle which causes your head to tilt, he said it is not uncommon with multiples because they get so scrunched up in the womb and can't move or stretch out their neck muscles. Thankfully it is something that can be fixed. Bill showed Brad and I how to do stretches with the boys to correct the tightened muscle. To stretch out their neck muscles we have to grab their little head and shoulder and twist their head until we feel a bit of a stretch in the neck and then hold it for five seconds. We have to do 5 reps of this 4 times a day. The boys absolutely hate this, they scream and cry and are clearly uncomfortable. I am sure to them it feels a lot like when we sit down and touch our toes, and feel that uncomfortable stretching in our back legs. They don't understand why I am doing this to them. The occupational therapist said after a week or two the boys should be more used to the exercise... until then I am mean mama in their eyes. I wish I didn't have to do it, it breaks my heart when they cry because of something I am doing to them. But I am pressing reluctantly forward because i know in the end it will benefit them.

It reminds me a lot of John 15 1-2 when Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

How often do we experience times that are stressful, tiring. Times that leave us in tears and we wonder why God would allow us to go through all this pain and sadness? But after it all we come out better then when we went in and more fruitful all because he had his hand on us the entire time.

PS. As for the bump in the boys backs Bill said to just keep our eyes on it and keep on following up with the boys pediatrician on it. Bill, like the boys pediatrician is hoping it is something that will correct itself as they develop.