Development

Here’s the new toy which Coraline’s lady from Portage (home visiting educational service) brought over on her fortnightly visit last week. It’s actually in our house now “on loan” because Coraline liked it so much. She cried out when it was taken away. This toy encompasses “cause and effect”, concentration and expressing preferences!

We do express gratitude for all the National Health Service (N.H.S.) support we have for Coraline and for the light and expertise each expert brings with them.

Coraline currently has fortnightly home visits from the health visiting team to weigh her, portage visits to work on developmental goals through play, and speech therapy visits. She also has physiotherapy visits to work on core strength and body awareness due to her lower muscle tone; for example, babies of Coraline's age can typically sit up, but Coraline cannot yet do this due to her lower muscle tone. We see our beloved Paediatrician Dieudonné every few months, and are also registered with a Community Paediatrician. We have a couple of dietitians and of course Coraline’s Cardiologist for regular checks. 

“You might want to keep one day free where you have no healthcare appointments at all,”

said the lady who came over for our initial visit from Portage when Coraline was a few months old. That phrase really stuck with me. We haven’t got to that stage yet but the notion of it just really makes you much more aware and appreciative of considerations others may have in their day-to-day lives, once you have them in yours. 

We find the upshot is it basically makes us more conscious of being really grateful for all the care around us and for simple pleasures.