Bathing

Been a quiet time on the blogosphere for me however I am keeping up with the quick Facebook updates.

Joe and I had decided that we needed to move into a bigger house with a more accessible bath for Thomas. Bathing Thomas is not easy and I know how much Thomas loves the experience, that I don’t want an awkward bath to discourage from regular bathing. It was awkward because the access to get into the bath had a set in glass panel covering half the bath. It meant that I had to do a majority of the bathing because I am smaller and can manoeuvre myself around the glass panel while supporting Thomas in his specialised seat. I was managing the bathing quite well for awhile there until Thomas started to get longer and heavier. My poor back was not coping and due to Thomas’s growing length, his foot or hand would sometimes get caught on the way in or out. Sometimes he would be fast enough to grab onto the glass panel. Cheeky monkey!

It took a good few months of looking around to finally settle on a place that would suit us. Trying to find a place to rent in Auckland is not easy within itself but to also have specific requirements like ours was even more difficult. Most houses we looked at didn’t have baths or had lots of stairs. Some were on busy roads or clustered with lots of other houses. We were hoping to find somewhere calmer.

Success at long last in Te Atatu Peninsula! A lovely warm home in a much quieter spot. Not crammed in and yes, an accessible bath. Thomas has the biggest room too for all of his equipment. We were running out of room at the other house so what a luxury to have more space to sit and play with Thomas. We have all settled in very quickly and I am feeling less confined, and more at ease to live in house that feels more like a home.

You can see the glass paneling above. The kind of chair we use is called the Riften Blue Wave Bath Chair. http://www.rifton.com/products/bathing-and-toileting-systems/blue-wave-bath-chairs

Thomas above in the new bath. Below are the last pics of Thomas in his old bedroom. We had him sleep on a mattress for a night or two as the crib was packed up ready for the move. He enjoyed being closer to the wall and spent about an hour or more exploring it with his fingernails. All we could hear on the monitor during the earlier part of the night was ‘scratch, scratch, scratch.’ Cheeky monkey!

Two things…

1. Water.
2. Thomas.

Put the two together and what emerges is a happy little fella. It wasn’t always this way though, oh no. For the first six months or so bath time was an unhappy time for Thomas and myself. In the end we had to resort to wrapping him. Due to Thomas’ cerebral palsy, his muscles move involuntarily without warning so bathing was tricky business but because Thomas has CVI (very low vision – almost blind!) this contributed to his anxiety levels being on high, constantly. Bathing was an especially anxiety inducing experience. When Thomas gets a fright, he will stiffen up and his arms and legs spread out wide. Imagine this in a baby bath! Fun times!

So the wrapping was recommended and boy did it make a difference. It wasn’t a sudden difference, more a gradual thing. I can remember when Thomas was wrapped and I unwrapped one arm to clean him and then I must’ve forgotten and left it unwrapped for a moment and when I realised this I noticed that Thomas was okay with this for a short duration. It was a gradual process of this overtime that encouraged Thomas to feel confident enough to have his arms free. He eventually moved into a specialised bathing chair and it wasn’t until about a few months ago that I stopped wrapping him for bathing. I would wrap him to keep him secure at the beginning of the bath and then unwrap during. After his bath, he would get quite unsettled due to being transitioned from different areas. I resorted to keeping his arms secured until he was quickly transferred into a towel where I then wrapped him up tightly. The crying would continue once the creams and clothes were initiated.

I think that time is the biggest factor for Thomas. He has needed more time to adapt to his environment. I have learnt a few tricks like wrapping and distraction but I believe that time and a solid routine are key. What I also find interesting is that not only has Thomas adapted to the experience of bathing, he actually has a love for water. It is also such an awesome thing that Thomas can communicate his love for water in different ways. When in the bath he will open his mouth for me to trickle the water in with the detachable shower head. I give him a countdown for when the water stops and he cries in protest! When cup feeding him water, he becomes really animated by making noises like happy sighs and even a couple of squeals!

When in the pool, wow! Very animated also! Smiles and happy sighs and a bunch of exciting noises! It’s his happy juice!

Enjoy the video!