Graham went to the pediatrician in July for an asthma follow-up. The doctor is satisfied with his breathing but was concerned about his weight. Graham had only gained half a pound since January. Finally, somebody besides me is concerned that he isn't gaining weight. The pediatrician wants us to offer Graham what we eat at each meal and if he doesn't eat, then he will be hungry enough to eat at the next meal. FALSE. Graham is a picky eater but he is also often not interested in eating even when we give him his favorite foods. Graham also likes to drink water all day long and the doctor said to stop letting him do that because water has no calories and he is filling up on water and then not hungry for food. So we are trying to limit his fluids and only give him milk, not water. Because mommy is drinking water all day to stay hydrated for the pregnancy Graham wants his cup too. This results in milk being dripped all over our living room. Sigh.
We are offering Graham 2-3 foods that he has eaten before at each meal, plus offering whatever we are eating. Sometimes he eats and sometimes he doesn't. We try letting him bite from a big piece instead of cutting things up for him. We try letting him use a utensil to keep his interest. We are putting butter, cheese, and mayonnaise on everything and buying full fat everything.
We went back to the pediatrician after 6 weeks and Graham had gained 4 ounces. The pediatrician referred us to a feeding specialist to make sure that nothing is wrong with the mechanics of Graham's eating. Last week Graham had his appointment with the feeding specialist and she identified some immature eating techniques such as mashing food with his tongue against the top of his mouth instead of chewing with his teeth. She suggested Graham start feeding therapy once a week. We started Graham on reflux medicine because we think we can hear his food coming up and watch him swallow it back down. So far it doesn't seem to be helping.
Matt took Graham for a modified barium swallow test yesterday. Basically they coated his food and milk with barium and watched him eat on x-ray. Thankfully Graham was fairly cooperative for the test. We will get the results on Friday. Graham went for a check-up with the neurosurgeon yesterday and she said that children with stenosis (narrowing) in the neck can have issues with feeding so she was glad he was going to start feeding therapy.
We are praying that there is no major physical issue and he is just behind in his feeding development and perhaps having some reflux or digestive issues. We are praying that he will start eating better and gaining weight! We won't even have to buy new clothes for this winter b/c he is the same size he was last winter.
Development:
Despite Graham being uncooperative during physical therapy lately, he is continuing to make progress. He can climb the stairs all by himself. He is getting braver and steadier with his walking, taking 8-10 steps between objects. Our prayer and hope was that Graham would be walking by his 2nd birthday (Oct. 2) and by the time the twins were born. It looks like that is a very possible goal! We are so encouraged by his progress during an otherwise difficult time for our family. Thank you, Lord!
I took this video earlier this week of Graham walking! He is so proud of himself!
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