cf infants and attachment/bonding problems

DanaInSeattle · May 12, 2008

In my own case, I remember being told that as an infant, I cried constantly. Since I wasn't diagnosed with cf until I was 13, I imagine it was tough for my parents to understand. I think maybe in some ways this affected the way interacted with me. This is just speculation, and my parents aren't alive for me to ask, so I'll never really know. But like I mentioned in my initial post, there appear to have been some studies done on chronically ill infants, and infants with cf in particular. There's a school of thought in psychology about 'attachment' and how it stems from infancy and stays with us all our lives.

DanaInSeattle · May 12, 2008

In my own case, I remember being told that as an infant, I cried constantly. Since I wasn't diagnosed with cf until I was 13, I imagine it was tough for my parents to understand. I think maybe in some ways this affected the way interacted with me. This is just speculation, and my parents aren't alive for me to ask, so I'll never really know. But like I mentioned in my initial post, there appear to have been some studies done on chronically ill infants, and infants with cf in particular. There's a school of thought in psychology about 'attachment' and how it stems from infancy and stays with us all our lives.

DanaInSeattle · May 12, 2008

In my own case, I remember being told that as an infant, I cried constantly. Since I wasn't diagnosed with cf until I was 13, I imagine it was tough for my parents to understand. I think maybe in some ways this affected the way interacted with me. This is just speculation, and my parents aren't alive for me to ask, so I'll never really know. But like I mentioned in my initial post, there appear to have been some studies done on chronically ill infants, and infants with cf in particular. There's a school of thought in psychology about 'attachment' and how it stems from infancy and stays with us all our lives.

DanaInSeattle · May 12, 2008

In my own case, I remember being told that as an infant, I cried constantly. Since I wasn't diagnosed with cf until I was 13, I imagine it was tough for my parents to understand. I think maybe in some ways this affected the way interacted with me. This is just speculation, and my parents aren't alive for me to ask, so I'll never really know. But like I mentioned in my initial post, there appear to have been some studies done on chronically ill infants, and infants with cf in particular. There's a school of thought in psychology about 'attachment' and how it stems from infancy and stays with us all our lives.

DanaInSeattle · May 12, 2008

In my own case, I remember being told that as an infant, I cried constantly. Since I wasn't diagnosed with cf until I was 13, I imagine it was tough for my parents to understand. I think maybe in some ways this affected the way interacted with me. This is just speculation, and my parents aren't alive for me to ask, so I'll never really know. But like I mentioned in my initial post, there appear to have been some studies done on chronically ill infants, and infants with cf in particular. There's a school of thought in psychology about 'attachment' and how it stems from infancy and stays with us all our lives.

momtoCory · May 12, 2008

Not Case with Cory and I. I would say I have a stronger bond with him than the other children.
Cory started his chest percussions at 6 weeks old. We used that as bonding time. Even today(Now 22) Cory jokes when it is time for the chest percussions. Mom "I am ready for bonding time". We have always spent the time talking, reading, laughing to avoid it being a "chore".
He has always been in the hospital a lot and I made it a point that I would NOT hold him down for an IV, or be part of the discomfort of the hospital. That was until he was older and he would request my presence. I use to be an RT and I would not even give him his treatments when I was working.

momtoCory · May 12, 2008

Not Case with Cory and I. I would say I have a stronger bond with him than the other children.
Cory started his chest percussions at 6 weeks old. We used that as bonding time. Even today(Now 22) Cory jokes when it is time for the chest percussions. Mom "I am ready for bonding time". We have always spent the time talking, reading, laughing to avoid it being a "chore".
He has always been in the hospital a lot and I made it a point that I would NOT hold him down for an IV, or be part of the discomfort of the hospital. That was until he was older and he would request my presence. I use to be an RT and I would not even give him his treatments when I was working.

momtoCory · May 12, 2008

Not Case with Cory and I. I would say I have a stronger bond with him than the other children.
Cory started his chest percussions at 6 weeks old. We used that as bonding time. Even today(Now 22) Cory jokes when it is time for the chest percussions. Mom "I am ready for bonding time". We have always spent the time talking, reading, laughing to avoid it being a "chore".
He has always been in the hospital a lot and I made it a point that I would NOT hold him down for an IV, or be part of the discomfort of the hospital. That was until he was older and he would request my presence. I use to be an RT and I would not even give him his treatments when I was working.

momtoCory · May 12, 2008

Not Case with Cory and I. I would say I have a stronger bond with him than the other children.
Cory started his chest percussions at 6 weeks old. We used that as bonding time. Even today(Now 22) Cory jokes when it is time for the chest percussions. Mom "I am ready for bonding time". We have always spent the time talking, reading, laughing to avoid it being a "chore".
He has always been in the hospital a lot and I made it a point that I would NOT hold him down for an IV, or be part of the discomfort of the hospital. That was until he was older and he would request my presence. I use to be an RT and I would not even give him his treatments when I was working.

momtoCory · May 12, 2008

Not Case with Cory and I. I would say I have a stronger bond with him than the other children.
 Cory started his chest percussions at 6 weeks old. We used that as bonding time. Even today(Now 22) Cory jokes when it is time for the chest percussions. Mom "I am ready for bonding time". We have always spent the time talking, reading, laughing to avoid it being a "chore".
 He has always been in the hospital a lot and I made it a point that I would NOT hold him down for an IV, or be part of the discomfort of the hospital. That was until he was older and he would request my presence. I use to be an RT and I would not even give him his treatments when I was working.

TestifyToLove · May 12, 2008

I have a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder, and we adopt older, special needs kiddos, so I'm well versed in Attachment Disorder and attachment and bonding issues.

The current theory on attachment is that there is not one set formula. For whatever reason, every baby seems to have their own preset point of trauma/pain/inattentive care which will cause them to shut down and stop being receptive to attachment. For some children, absolutely the traumas, treatments, illness, pain, and time out of mom's arms associated with CF and the varied medical ailments and problems that can come in the early years can in fact interfer with attachment with the primary caregiver.

In a mother who is not well versed in attachment, if she doesn't know to combat these risks, she can end up not well attached to her baby. I've assisted a mother with a son with cleft lip and palette who suffered PTSD and attachment issues related to his medical condition and treatment. I've also assisted another mother whose infant suffered from pyloric stenosis and then Dad was the primary caregiver for the first 2 years of her life due to their work situation. That child has RAD, the worst of the attachment spectrum.

In our situation, I'm 100% positive that our son's Hemophilia combined with his early severe neglect and repeated loss of caregivers resulted in his RAD. But, I've strongly suspected from the start that treating his Hemophilia complicated his attachment disorder. And I can tell you that until we got his medical treatment to a point where we were not causing pain and I was personally removed from the treatments entirely, he couldn't even begin to work on healing from the attachment struggles.

If you read Nancy Thomas' information on attachment, she absolutely puts medical conditions requiring lots of treatments on her list of risk factors to developing attachment issues or even Reactive Attachment Disorder. Doesn't happen to every baby, but it can happen to a baby with a medical condition, especially one requiring lots of interventions and treatments and especially of those interventions and treatments are associated with lots of pain.

TestifyToLove · May 12, 2008

I have a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder, and we adopt older, special needs kiddos, so I'm well versed in Attachment Disorder and attachment and bonding issues.

The current theory on attachment is that there is not one set formula. For whatever reason, every baby seems to have their own preset point of trauma/pain/inattentive care which will cause them to shut down and stop being receptive to attachment. For some children, absolutely the traumas, treatments, illness, pain, and time out of mom's arms associated with CF and the varied medical ailments and problems that can come in the early years can in fact interfer with attachment with the primary caregiver.

In a mother who is not well versed in attachment, if she doesn't know to combat these risks, she can end up not well attached to her baby. I've assisted a mother with a son with cleft lip and palette who suffered PTSD and attachment issues related to his medical condition and treatment. I've also assisted another mother whose infant suffered from pyloric stenosis and then Dad was the primary caregiver for the first 2 years of her life due to their work situation. That child has RAD, the worst of the attachment spectrum.

In our situation, I'm 100% positive that our son's Hemophilia combined with his early severe neglect and repeated loss of caregivers resulted in his RAD. But, I've strongly suspected from the start that treating his Hemophilia complicated his attachment disorder. And I can tell you that until we got his medical treatment to a point where we were not causing pain and I was personally removed from the treatments entirely, he couldn't even begin to work on healing from the attachment struggles.

If you read Nancy Thomas' information on attachment, she absolutely puts medical conditions requiring lots of treatments on her list of risk factors to developing attachment issues or even Reactive Attachment Disorder. Doesn't happen to every baby, but it can happen to a baby with a medical condition, especially one requiring lots of interventions and treatments and especially of those interventions and treatments are associated with lots of pain.

TestifyToLove · May 12, 2008

I have a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder, and we adopt older, special needs kiddos, so I'm well versed in Attachment Disorder and attachment and bonding issues.

The current theory on attachment is that there is not one set formula. For whatever reason, every baby seems to have their own preset point of trauma/pain/inattentive care which will cause them to shut down and stop being receptive to attachment. For some children, absolutely the traumas, treatments, illness, pain, and time out of mom's arms associated with CF and the varied medical ailments and problems that can come in the early years can in fact interfer with attachment with the primary caregiver.

In a mother who is not well versed in attachment, if she doesn't know to combat these risks, she can end up not well attached to her baby. I've assisted a mother with a son with cleft lip and palette who suffered PTSD and attachment issues related to his medical condition and treatment. I've also assisted another mother whose infant suffered from pyloric stenosis and then Dad was the primary caregiver for the first 2 years of her life due to their work situation. That child has RAD, the worst of the attachment spectrum.

In our situation, I'm 100% positive that our son's Hemophilia combined with his early severe neglect and repeated loss of caregivers resulted in his RAD. But, I've strongly suspected from the start that treating his Hemophilia complicated his attachment disorder. And I can tell you that until we got his medical treatment to a point where we were not causing pain and I was personally removed from the treatments entirely, he couldn't even begin to work on healing from the attachment struggles.

If you read Nancy Thomas' information on attachment, she absolutely puts medical conditions requiring lots of treatments on her list of risk factors to developing attachment issues or even Reactive Attachment Disorder. Doesn't happen to every baby, but it can happen to a baby with a medical condition, especially one requiring lots of interventions and treatments and especially of those interventions and treatments are associated with lots of pain.

TestifyToLove · May 12, 2008

I have a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder, and we adopt older, special needs kiddos, so I'm well versed in Attachment Disorder and attachment and bonding issues.

The current theory on attachment is that there is not one set formula. For whatever reason, every baby seems to have their own preset point of trauma/pain/inattentive care which will cause them to shut down and stop being receptive to attachment. For some children, absolutely the traumas, treatments, illness, pain, and time out of mom's arms associated with CF and the varied medical ailments and problems that can come in the early years can in fact interfer with attachment with the primary caregiver.

In a mother who is not well versed in attachment, if she doesn't know to combat these risks, she can end up not well attached to her baby. I've assisted a mother with a son with cleft lip and palette who suffered PTSD and attachment issues related to his medical condition and treatment. I've also assisted another mother whose infant suffered from pyloric stenosis and then Dad was the primary caregiver for the first 2 years of her life due to their work situation. That child has RAD, the worst of the attachment spectrum.

In our situation, I'm 100% positive that our son's Hemophilia combined with his early severe neglect and repeated loss of caregivers resulted in his RAD. But, I've strongly suspected from the start that treating his Hemophilia complicated his attachment disorder. And I can tell you that until we got his medical treatment to a point where we were not causing pain and I was personally removed from the treatments entirely, he couldn't even begin to work on healing from the attachment struggles.

If you read Nancy Thomas' information on attachment, she absolutely puts medical conditions requiring lots of treatments on her list of risk factors to developing attachment issues or even Reactive Attachment Disorder. Doesn't happen to every baby, but it can happen to a baby with a medical condition, especially one requiring lots of interventions and treatments and especially of those interventions and treatments are associated with lots of pain.

TestifyToLove · May 12, 2008

I have a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder, and we adopt older, special needs kiddos, so I'm well versed in Attachment Disorder and attachment and bonding issues.
 
 The current theory on attachment is that there is not one set formula. For whatever reason, every baby seems to have their own preset point of trauma/pain/inattentive care which will cause them to shut down and stop being receptive to attachment. For some children, absolutely the traumas, treatments, illness, pain, and time out of mom's arms associated with CF and the varied medical ailments and problems that can come in the early years can in fact interfer with attachment with the primary caregiver.
 
 In a mother who is not well versed in attachment, if she doesn't know to combat these risks, she can end up not well attached to her baby. I've assisted a mother with a son with cleft lip and palette who suffered PTSD and attachment issues related to his medical condition and treatment. I've also assisted another mother whose infant suffered from pyloric stenosis and then Dad was the primary caregiver for the first 2 years of her life due to their work situation. That child has RAD, the worst of the attachment spectrum.
 
 In our situation, I'm 100% positive that our son's Hemophilia combined with his early severe neglect and repeated loss of caregivers resulted in his RAD. But, I've strongly suspected from the start that treating his Hemophilia complicated his attachment disorder. And I can tell you that until we got his medical treatment to a point where we were not causing pain and I was personally removed from the treatments entirely, he couldn't even begin to work on healing from the attachment struggles.
 
 If you read Nancy Thomas' information on attachment, she absolutely puts medical conditions requiring lots of treatments on her list of risk factors to developing attachment issues or even Reactive Attachment Disorder. Doesn't happen to every baby, but it can happen to a baby with a medical condition, especially one requiring lots of interventions and treatments and especially of those interventions and treatments are associated with lots of pain.

DanaInSeattle · May 13, 2008