Slow going

Roxy and I have colds, and I feel like draping myself on the sofa 24 hours a day. So I'll be brief.

I think Roxy’s cold is slowing down the already glacially-paced feeding training we’re doing. At least once a day, while she’s getting a tube feeding, I sit Roxy in her highchair and put baby food (applesauce, to be precise) on her tray to play with. Once she’s warmed up to the idea that there’s food on her hands (and face, chest and neck, depending on how perky she is), I’ll hand her a baby spoon to play with. Then I’ll try to coax the empty spoon into her mouth, which she’ll usually accept and chew on. But when I put a small coating of food on the spoon, Roxy shakes her head, spits it out, and clamps her lips shut. Sigh. Repeat daily.

We’ve tried lots of different purees, dry food, adult food, everything. She’s just not going for it, and it’s frustrating. She doesn’t have oral aversion, because she’ll put her hand, toys, etc. in her mouth. She has an aversion to food, and I don’t have a clue why. I’m working with two different swallow therapists, and they say the above process is the way to encourage her to eat.

So the tube is still her only source of nutrition at this point. Thank God it’s an NG tube now, because she’s pulled it out twice in the last few weeks, and I can put it back myself, rather than go to the hospital. I grabbed the opportunity to take a photo of her tube-free face. So cute.

Here's another adorable shot that Erin posted on her blog, taken at the May Revels event. I'm too lazy to create a link today, but here's the photo. Thanks, Erin!