Around the time my child Cody was 10 months old, the times that he behaved like all the other babies his age became few and far between. Now what? I had a very long list of all my concerns, and it made me physically sick each time I had to write down another abnormal behavior he was doing. Around this time I had a regular babysitter name Jennifer who worked with me at the restaurant. She was 19, going to a local college and living at home, so it was very easy to have her come to my house and watch Cody. Jennifer's major in college just happened to be teaching special ed. kids, so eventually I had her keep a journal (while she babysat) of Cody's behavior.
Again I want you to know it was 1991, twenty years ago. Back then if you went to the pediatrician complaining about abnormal things your baby was doing, right off the bat, they weren't seeing it. Cody was always good at the doctor visits, and me, well I looked like a Mom with Munchhausen by Proxy Syndrome. And for the record, I was the farthest from that. I wanted no attention on me. I had no interest in anyone's sympathy (and still don't) but my bitchy step-mom (a nurse) believed I had this serious problem and I needed to find me a counselor, because Cody seemed just fine to her. Well at least the 2 times she saw him since he was born he did. I never listened to her anyway. At first her advice sounded ok, but after a couple days, I was like, screw her, she's just an old bag of poop from the Great Depression, and knows very little about babies.
There was not a day that went by Cody didn't throw up. I did have him eating solids, such as jar baby foods. I felt so bad forcing him to eat food he clearly hated and as soon as I put him in the highchair it was retaliation
central. He would start biting the side of his index finger (Jupiter), and then begin crying and swinging his arms, knocking the spoon out of my hand, grabbing my hair, spitting whatever got in his mouth right back at me. Not sure if this was how most babies operated, but who would have more kids if this was the next step? I hated it! So I tried everything. Cute spoons, straws, even those syringes(without a needle) used to give medicine, and the outcome was always the same, "throw-up" and a very upset baby.
Things were not going well, so I decided to try Ensure, (vanilla) and for the most part it worked. Cody was much happier and he was getting all the nutrition he needed. I was so proud of myself for coming up with this idea, but with all great ideas there can be obstacles that arise. Cody stopped pooping. That's right no deuces, number 2's, dumps, whatever you want to call it, he was constipated and miserable. By about the sixth day I took Cody to the Emergency Room, because I was afraid he was going to rip something from trying to push so hard. They wrote some laxative prescription, which was sure to help, but he threw it up before it even made it down his throat. I really didn't see too many options left, since now he was going on his eighth day without a bowel movement. Finally, I decided to try putting mineral oil in his juice hoping that it might work, and luckily Cody managed to keep it down. A few hours later Cody was working really hard pushing an grunting, almost like he was having a baby. Whatever was going to come out was going to be big, and may cause some serious damage. When I laid him down to check his progress I saw poop the size of a baseball trying to make it out of a tiny hole. Cody was giving me a look as though I had Carte Blanche to help remove this painful ball of poop any way I could! First, I rubbed petroleum jelly all around the opening hoping that would work, but it was just way too big. I think at this point I was crying hysterically, and I grabbed one of Cody's baby spoons and started to dig chunks of poop out. I was able to whittle it down to the size of a golf ball, and with one big push Cody gave birth to a hard green yellow round disgusting Shadoobie. He was so relieved he giggled and fell asleep, and myself, I wanted to take a picture of it. I know it sounds gross, but if you have a child with Fragile X Syndrome, there will be many poop and fart problems and stories yet to come! In fact feel free to share them, or any story, on my blog as a comment if you want!
Again I want you to know it was 1991, twenty years ago. Back then if you went to the pediatrician complaining about abnormal things your baby was doing, right off the bat, they weren't seeing it. Cody was always good at the doctor visits, and me, well I looked like a Mom with Munchhausen by Proxy Syndrome. And for the record, I was the farthest from that. I wanted no attention on me. I had no interest in anyone's sympathy (and still don't) but my bitchy step-mom (a nurse) believed I had this serious problem and I needed to find me a counselor, because Cody seemed just fine to her. Well at least the 2 times she saw him since he was born he did. I never listened to her anyway. At first her advice sounded ok, but after a couple days, I was like, screw her, she's just an old bag of poop from the Great Depression, and knows very little about babies.
There was not a day that went by Cody didn't throw up. I did have him eating solids, such as jar baby foods. I felt so bad forcing him to eat food he clearly hated and as soon as I put him in the highchair it was retaliation
central. He would start biting the side of his index finger (Jupiter), and then begin crying and swinging his arms, knocking the spoon out of my hand, grabbing my hair, spitting whatever got in his mouth right back at me. Not sure if this was how most babies operated, but who would have more kids if this was the next step? I hated it! So I tried everything. Cute spoons, straws, even those syringes(without a needle) used to give medicine, and the outcome was always the same, "throw-up" and a very upset baby.
Things were not going well, so I decided to try Ensure, (vanilla) and for the most part it worked. Cody was much happier and he was getting all the nutrition he needed. I was so proud of myself for coming up with this idea, but with all great ideas there can be obstacles that arise. Cody stopped pooping. That's right no deuces, number 2's, dumps, whatever you want to call it, he was constipated and miserable. By about the sixth day I took Cody to the Emergency Room, because I was afraid he was going to rip something from trying to push so hard. They wrote some laxative prescription, which was sure to help, but he threw it up before it even made it down his throat. I really didn't see too many options left, since now he was going on his eighth day without a bowel movement. Finally, I decided to try putting mineral oil in his juice hoping that it might work, and luckily Cody managed to keep it down. A few hours later Cody was working really hard pushing an grunting, almost like he was having a baby. Whatever was going to come out was going to be big, and may cause some serious damage. When I laid him down to check his progress I saw poop the size of a baseball trying to make it out of a tiny hole. Cody was giving me a look as though I had Carte Blanche to help remove this painful ball of poop any way I could! First, I rubbed petroleum jelly all around the opening hoping that would work, but it was just way too big. I think at this point I was crying hysterically, and I grabbed one of Cody's baby spoons and started to dig chunks of poop out. I was able to whittle it down to the size of a golf ball, and with one big push Cody gave birth to a hard green yellow round disgusting Shadoobie. He was so relieved he giggled and fell asleep, and myself, I wanted to take a picture of it. I know it sounds gross, but if you have a child with Fragile X Syndrome, there will be many poop and fart problems and stories yet to come! In fact feel free to share them, or any story, on my blog as a comment if you want!
