The Lanksters: Smart Vest Therapy

So the new vest has not been going as smoothly as we hoped. To say Lilly is terrified of it is an understatement. To say how much we love it is also an understatement - having the vest do the therapy is frankly so much easier on us physically. Moreover, the difference between the vest and our hand therapy is amazing - the vest is so much more effective. After seeing how it works, I feel like I could have pounded on her chest for a year and never have the effect that the vest has in 20 minutes of therapy. Lilly, though, is not a fan. I don't think it is the noise. I think it is the newness of the experience. The second she sees the vest she starts hysterically crying. She grabs me with a death grip and will not let go. Jeremy and I have to wrestle her in the vest. Ironically, once it starts, she becomes quiet. The first few times, she just buried her head in my chest and made the most pitiful sounds (if she wasn't so pitiful, you may have laughed because her voice shakes in the weirdest way during therapy). Then she started to just look at us with a hateful look, as if looks could kill. Now we can at least distract her with a book while we do therapy. I think that initially we had the vest set at too many Hz, which resulted is some pretty powerful pounding, for lack of a better term. We dialed it down to ease things up and we plan on slowly easing her into the amount prescribed by the doctor, or up to 16 hz for 20 minutes, two times a day. I know it isn't hurting her because she does calm down during the therapy and only tunes up again after it is over, wailing and burying her head in my chest. What she doesn't realize is how wonderful this invention really is. It is so effective. It will give her independence one day. But acclimating her to it has not been easy (not that I really expected it would be with a 16 month old - but one always hopes) and I have hated the process. But things are improving so we hope she will become accustomed soon.