NOVEMBER 14TH IS PREMATURITY AWARENESS DAY

Not all preemies are special needs but all preemies are special.

Tuesday November 14th is prematurity awareness day. As a mom of a preemie, I feel compelled to do my part in improving the lives of not just my preemie but all preemies and in increasing the awareness of family, community and the world about these very special babies.

Fitness and Physical Therapy are my passion but we all can get involved. Share your world so others come to know about life as or with a premature child.

Contribute to fundraising directed at stopping premature labor.

Contribute to fundraising directed at building inclusive/"everybody plays" playgrounds.
These are safe play areas that age appropriate and special needs kids can play together.

Visit the March of Dimes website and help in any way you can.

Help an expectant mom on bed rest or out in the community. Maybe that little bit of
help delays a premature birth by even a day or a week.

Help a new mom or family with a preemie so she doesn't feel alone, scared or overwhelmed all
of the time.

Maybe you have age appropriate full term kids? Have you considered having them attend an
inclusion program or class. Inclusion classes are schools with age appropriate developing
children learning alongside children with special needs and disabilities. Some may have been
premature or may be not. What a great way to set the foundation of learning acceptance and
tolerance of all.

Have you or your family considered volunteering for organizations or special projects that
impact the lives of other kids with needs like those born prematurely?

There are many ways to honor prematurity awareness day. It's my belief that we all can participate in some form of movement and that includes preemies as well. Preemies need fitness too!

Here are a few ways to develop and maintain fitness through play. Find something you can do with your child, with any child or for a child. Remember health and fitness are importatn for us all.

Try:
Roll over games by getting your baby to lie on his or her back while tracking their favorite
toy. Contiue moving the toy in the direction they are looking until they track so far they have
to roll over to reach for it or continue tracking it.

Place your baby or young child in the center of a blanket and have a sibling or parent hold 2
corners each. Swinging is a calming activity that you can incorporate music. laughter and
lots of fun. It's a great upper body workout for everyone especially if your kids are bigger.

Play copy cat movement games with your baby or child so they can explore how they like to
move their bodies by reaching, hiding, squatting, crawling or moving any way they
like. Create lots of opportunity for exploration.

Create a mountain climbing game using couch cushions or a mattress slanted against a couch
to encourage climbing and balance play. Lots of kids love the opportunity to fall and crash on
the soft cushions.

Build towers out of small blocks on a table or couch while the child kneels or use really big
blocks and have the child stand and reach high to see how big of a tower they can build. It's
great way to learn balance, stretch and be creative.

Thank you for taking the time for a tiny introduction to prematurity. Maybe this was your first time learning about prematurity, or you were a preemie or you have a preemie. Whatever the case, thank you for taking the time to discover something new and honor our tiniest angels both earthly and heavenly.

Yours in health for all babies,
Proud preemie mom,
Trish
Trish Muse, MPT, CSCS
Physical Therapist
Polestar Pilates Practitioner
PowerBar Team Elite Fitness Expert

www.bodyproductions.com

www.fitnesscontinuum.blogspot.com