Even if you’re experienced, being a parent raises many questions.

For Jackie Blaszczak, the birth of beautiful little blue-eyed Arielle completed her family. But her pediatrician noticed something that, if left untreated, would cause Arielle pain and other problems as she grew. So Jackie made an appointment to visit Sitrin’s Maternal Health and Infant Wellness Program.

There Jackie and Arielle met occupational therapist Elizabeth Lockwood, who is certified in pediatric and maternal health. Liz developed a plan to correct Arielle’s torticollis, the medical term for a twisted neck. In infants, the condition may be caused by fetal position or childbirth. Arielle also had plagiocephaly, which means a flat spot on her head. This common newborn ailment is most often remedied by frequently changing an infant’s position.

Jackie and her husband, John Geissinger, both attended some of Arielle’s therapy sessions to learn proper positioning and ways to help her stretch the tight side of her neck. This involved lots of tummy time, encouraging the baby to stretch, limiting infant chair time, and special techniques to position the baby for sleep.

“Liz was wonderful,” Jackie said. "She explained everything in great detail – the condition, the exercises, other things to try.”

“It’s actually pretty common,” Lockwood says. “Ninety percent of the pediatric cases I see have these two diagnoses.”

“I would definitely recommend Sitrin,” Jackie says. “We had a really good experience here – everyone was warm and welcoming.”

Liz says as a therapist – and a mom -- she knows how important it is to align with a parent’s goals for their child.

“Arielle and her parents were a joy to work with,” says Liz. “Arielle made tremendous progress and graduated from the program sooner than expected, in great shape to take on all the adventures of being a toddler!”

A parent can’t ask for more than that.

A physician referral is needed for therapy. For more information, click here or call 315-737-2246.