20 hrs

Yesterday has been Hallie's hardest day so far. There were a lot of tears. I think there are a few things going on: she is realizing how much she has to wear it and is not liking it, her body isn't used to it so it is agitating her which makes her more sensitive to everything. I definitely was the bad guy yesterday. We had many talks on how she is going to have to think about or do something to keep her mind off of it because we can't take it off every time she is uncomfortable or she will take it off all day. We actually made it through the night last night. She used lots of pillows and propped herself up a bit. That is a big start. We tried wearing it at the tightness it was suppose to be at. She only made it about an hour. So now that we are at the 20 hrs, I think I might try every couple hours tightening it for an hour and then have a couple hours with it looser. She does not like it super tight, so I am definitely going to have to stick to my guns on it and set some time goals because I find her already trying to work it so she can have it looser. It is tight enough that it effects the way she breaths so I understand why she doesn't like it, but we have to get where the marks are or it won't do its job. I think it is important to ease into it so her body will adjust and her mind will adjust. Her skin is adjusting fine. She tends to have dry skin which is a plus for wearing a brace because it can get sweaty in there. I gave "Bracie" a bath for the first time. I just use the soap she uses and give it a quick wash. The straps tend to take a while to dry, so I tried blow drying them and that worked.