Feel so depressed & sad about feeding
TheShellSeeker
member
I was just reading the post below about how a 1 year old should be eating table foods only and it really hit me hard. DS is 11 months old and we still cannot get anything into him except formula, and that isn't exactly easy most days, either.
He has such a huge gag reflex - I tried him out with 1/3 of a baby spoon of stage 1 applesauce (yeah, the stuff 4 month olds eat) yesterday (it had been a month or so since I last tried - I've been trying since he was 6 months old) and he got this wave of horror/terror/nausea that overcame him once the applesauce touched his lips. I've never seen such a look on his face before. Then came the gag, then came the spit-up. I immediately threw the rest out feeling defeated.
We have an appt in mid-August for a feeding therapy evaluation. It can't come soon enough. I just want to cry when I think of other babies his age on table food when all I can do is mix formula every day. It's just so upsetting. Sigh.
Re: Feel so depressed & sad about feeding
Take a deep breath. This too shall pass. Oral aversions are tough and it f takes a lot of patience (because we all haven't had enough to deal with since the birth our little ones, right?) but he'll overcome it. But just because he gags doesn't mean you should give up entirely. Wait a few minutes, distract him with something pleasant that he does like, then offer it again. He might surprise you.
Most days I get the same reaction from both boys that you described and if I wait just a bit, offer something to drink that I know they will take on their own terms voluntarily, and then try again I will get at least one spoon full in there, and that is quite an accomplishment for the day. Watch his ques and he will clearly tell you no, I"ve had enough mom. The way my guys tell me is they grab their paci and put it in their mouth. THat's the all done sign. He'll do his own sign and you'll know you've tried. Keep trying, it will all work out.
Hang in there, babe. Robbie's eating is almost non existent. He's 99% G tube fed. I try solids several times a week I'd like to say I try every day, but honestly, it's so exhausting, such a chore, and so unsuccessful, that I just don't make it every day.
One thing our OT has us doing is just introducing flavors. She doesn't care if he doesn't take 1 tsp of anything.. Just put the flavor on his tongue.. teach him that sometimes, that mouth brings pleasure. Most of the time, I have to pinch his cheeks a bit to even get that in, but it works.. and sometimes, he almost seems like he likes something. It's nice to see occasionally.
Also, ditto Laura on the signs. Sometimes Robbie will start gagging, but if you give him another minute, he'll take another bite of it and do okay. When he starts turning his face with his nose up, he's done-done. Sometimes that's immediate, but sometimes I can get 3 or 4 tastes into him.
My Blog
Big hugs to you. Eating issues are so hard. Something as simple as eating should be well...simple.
Beyond what others have said - here are a couple of ideas you can try.
Dropper - A behavorist that my mom works with suggesting using a dropper to encourage Olivia to swallow. Start with water. Put literally one drop or two in and then wait. If he indicates more than do more. Once he gets water down than switch to juice. Olivia personally likes pickle juice (the kid is weird). Sometimes kiddos need a small trigger that it's okay and safe to swallow.
You can do a similiar thing with a spoon. You can start with an empty spoon and just put it to his mouth and get him to open (cheer/reward him). Then do water. Then do a tiny bit of yogurt.
Our feeding therapist has often suggested to just swipe a tiny bit of yogurt or a bit of smashed up cracker. Swipe it across his lips and then don't say anything. See what happens. Hopefully he'll get a tiny bit of taste/texture in his saliva and then go from there.
Take care my dear. It's hard but slowly they will get there.
((HUGS))
Feeding issues are frustrating and everyone gave really good suggestions. I just wanted to say that my daughter also hates certain textures of things and sometimes it takes a couple attempts before she will eat what I feed her. I have to distract her a lot when introducing new foods because it will go in her mouth and then immediately come out.