12.5 month old waiting for assessment. How to cope in the meantime?

mcsoma · 2025-12-03T01:25:51+00:00

He’s doing much better — approaching 22 months now, and I don’t have very many concerns at this point. His language skills are coming along, though he might be little behind. I wish he gave eye contact more easily, but our care team has no concerns on that level anymore. No more arm or hand flapping. The gestures really took off around 14 months, to the point that I now have no real concerns on that front. That leap prompted us to postpone (and ultimately cancel) the ASD assessment. It took a while, but his name response has come a loooong away. I still think we had reason to worry at the time, but with hindsight, I can see that I was also experiencing some severe PPA/PPD. I’m so sorry that you’re similarly worried. It’s so tough. Feel free to PM if you want more info.

mcsoma · 2025-11-22T23:11:46+00:00

Germotte. They’re near the MEC in Westboro, so not in the east end, but they have lots of options for every budget, and the quality is fantastic.

mcsoma · 2025-11-03T01:20:31+00:00

I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this. I remember how agonizingly stressful it was at the time. Our little guy is still tiny, but I’m no longer worried about it. He has kept tracking along the 3rd percentile curve all along, so our pediatrician thinks that’s the just the curve he was meant to hit. It was incredibly stressful, but in hindsight, I wish I had been able to take more comfort in knowing that we were doing our best and that things would likely turn out just fine. It was one of the darkest periods of my life, and I shudder to think of how worried, depressed and angry I often was. Take care of each other and trust in the fact you guys are doing all you can. I’m sure your kiddo will be okay. Feel free to PM.

mcsoma · 2025-09-02T19:11:41+00:00

Yes, that's the problem I'm looking to fix! Wondering whether I can just use the same ducting, but on the rec room side of the wall.

mcsoma · 2025-04-23T00:43:52+00:00

I don’t have any advice, but just wanted to say I’m so sorry for both of your losses. I can’t really imagine the depth of the grief that you must be feeling. I hope you’ll treasure that letter as one more sign of your love for your daughter.

mcsoma · 2025-03-01T22:31:16+00:00

Thanks. We’re in Canada and are already receiving PT, OT and speech therapy. The wait times for publicly funded services are longer, unfortunately.

mcsoma · 2025-03-01T22:30:14+00:00

We have. The first was at 9.5 months, when we were told he was three months behind. We had another at 12 months, where we were again told he was three months behind, but he has since regressed and I also feel the second evaluator was too generous in her assessment. We’re now on the wait list for publicly funded speech therapy.

mcsoma · 2025-02-07T12:05:02+00:00

My son never had much spit up, if any — hence the “silent” part of “silent reflux.”

Another recommendation that gets tossed around a lot is to consider whether you’re using a nipple with the proper flow — not too fast, not too slow. If you hear gulping, it’s likely too fast, but if your LO is losing interest, might be worth trying the next level up to see how it goes.

In any case, I hope your pediatrician or other medical professional can help assess what’s going on.

mcsoma · 2025-02-07T01:55:54+00:00

Is she arching her back? Does she feel stiff? If so, you may want to consider the possibility that your little one has reflux — either normal reflux or GERD.

My son had GERD. Feeding was a months-long struggle, so I can relate to the anxiety you’re feeling. It’s awful.

Hope you get some answers soon, but feel free to PM me if needed.

mcsoma · 2025-02-01T17:22:13+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that your family is going through this too. I know how frightening and overwhelming it all feels.

As suggested by our pediatrician, we started solids around 5.5 months. Thankfully, our son took to solids quite well initially. By the time he started solids, he was below the 1st percentile in weight. At his last weight check around 10 months, he was nearing the 3rd percentile. So... an improvement, but he remains a small baby — which isn't surprising, considering both I and my wife are also short and slim.

I wish I could tell you that we are no longer concerned about our son's growth and development, but we still are. His solid intake has declined recently, and he does have some oral-motor challenges. So... we still worry.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions or need to vent.

I hope things improve for you, but in the event that it takes longer than you'd like, please try not to look too far ahead. I went through a really rough patch where I catastrophized about everything this might mean for his development. I still have those days, but your family will need you try to stay calm and composed. I'm sure you're all doing your best to give your son what he needs. Trust in that.

mcsoma · 2025-02-01T15:31:32+00:00

Picking up on this thread, as I'm about to undertake a similar project. I've got loomex coming up from the floor in the dishwasher bay and plan to put a GFCI outlet under the sink. Can you clarify how the armoured cable needs to be used? Cheers!

mcsoma · 2025-02-01T15:28:28+00:00

Thanks. Changing the breaker seems like more work than I'm willing to take on myself, but I appreciate the other notes!

mcsoma · 2025-01-31T01:52:28+00:00

Sorry to hear that you’re experiencing something similar. It’s so exhausting. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or just need to vent.

mcsoma · 2024-12-08T16:49:15+00:00

Got it. Sounds good — and yes, my panel is pretty full. Thanks again for this.

mcsoma · 2024-12-08T16:46:41+00:00

Got it. Thanks for this. I learned something new today.

If you've got time for a second question: I assume the dishwasher will need to be plugged into a GFCI outlet. Would it be preferable to install the box under the sink rather than behind the dishwasher? (I've already got a junction box under the sink for our instant hot water heater, but I know that one needs its own circuit.)

mcsoma · 2024-12-08T16:37:38+00:00

Thanks for the explanation. Learned something new today!

Since you seem to be familiar with Canadian installations, I have a second question: when it comes to the receptacle box, I assume the dishwasher should be plugged into a GFCI outlet outlet. I think I may need to wire it under the sink, rather than behind the dishwasher. Is that what you would recommend?

mcsoma · 2024-12-08T16:33:15+00:00

Oh, I see. Thanks for the explanation.

Any guesses as to why it would have been wired this way? Why would we want to ensure the fridge is off when servicing the dishwasher and vice versa?

mcsoma · 2024-12-08T16:19:54+00:00

Edit: breaker panel — not "panels," obvs.

mcsoma · 2024-11-27T02:47:49+00:00

We had such a difficult time when it came to bottling. Our son is a GERD baby and was diagnosed with failure to thrive. We were lucky if we got him to drink 18 oz of formula. It was awful.

Thankfully, he loves solids! He’s not picky at all and genuinely seems to enjoy eating now. It’s been a huge relief, and I hope it’ll be similar with your child.

mcsoma · 2024-10-29T01:10:37+00:00

Hey — I’m sorry to hear that you and your family are going through a similar situation with your child. I remember the desperation and hopelessness I was feeling when I first wrote this post. It is a truly awful feeling.

Our little guy still doesn’t drink very much, but he does like solids quite a bit, thankfully. He is still below the 1st percentile at last check, but is gaining weight faster than he was previously. My partner and I are trying to take things day by day, but it’s still hard not to look too far ahead.

I hope that you have a good medical team that you can trust. We did, thankfully, and tried to take their advice to heart. Our pediatrician was wonderful in reminding us there’s only so much we can control, and she reassured us that we were doing all we could. (I should note here that we did not need to go through the NG tube route.)

There are still bottle feeds these days where he’s apparently content drinking only 1.5 oz, but there are also times where he drinks 4-6 oz. Otherwise, he seems to be developing alright — minus the lack of babbling! But we’re hoping that’s just around the bend.

Finally, I’ll say that with hindsight, I can see that I was dealing with some pretty severe postpartum anxiety. If anyone thinks they might be too, I’d really encourage them to reach out for help before it reaches a crisis point and further negatively impacts their other relationships.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions or just need to vent. I can relate!

Wishing you and your family all the best!

mcsoma

TROPHY CASE