Talking about our three bonus senses with Brittany Aquart, DPT

Brittany Aquart is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Board Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialist, and mom of two, one of whom had a NICU stay. 

Quick Takeaways from the Episode:

• Going through the NICU with her own child is an experience that changed her perspective as a Physical Therapist and her practice.
• She understands that it is really easy to feel insignificant in the NICU and like you don’t have a role with your baby while they are there.
• Now, as a provider, her practice aims to remind parents that they are the experts in regards to their child. 🤍 
• When she brought her baby home from the NICU it felt like a whirlwind. She had the discharge packet, and had set up the follow ups, but she realized she was riding the adrenaline from one day to the next. 
• Her advice? Recognize that you have been through something really life-altering and it’s ok to just "do nothing" for a while.
• The part of our brain that makes decisions, (executive function), and that focuses on things like planning, and organizing, basically goes offline when you’re working from a fight-or-flight response. It’s no surprise that things can go by the wayside (like remembering to make follow up appts) when you’re dealing with something as life changing as a NICU experience. 
• Give yourself a couple weeks. The early intervention therapy will be there. Take the first few weeks to build that connection you desire with your baby.
  • Sign up for the NICU Alumni Grad Guide Series to receive timely reminders so you can focus on what matters - spending time with your baby!
• What is a Neurodiversity Affirming Approach?  A connection-based approach to therapy where the foundation is nervous system regulation (commonly impacted in babies that have had a NICU experience).
• We talk about our three bonus senses which Brittany also wrote about for the NICU Alumni Resource Library:
  • Vestibular sense
  • Proprioception
  • Interoception

Brittany’s NICU Alumni Grad Guide - advice for after the NICU -

• Build the right team for your baby
• You can get 2nd opinions and advocate for the best fit for your child and for your family
• How to play with your baby infographic by Lemon City
• Toy Guide and Sensory Guide by Lemon City

You can reach out to Brittany through via instagram @lemoncitycollective or through their website www.lemoncitycollective.com

Let's stay in touch!
You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website, www.nicualumni.org.

A special thanks to the Prolacta Bioscience Foundation for supporting the NICU Alumni podcast!

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The purpose of this podcast is for entertainment only and should not be viewed as medical advice.