Today Ian definitely cried a lot less at meal times. Don't get me wrong, it still feels like a huge ordeal to feed him a few bites, but in reality we've made a LOT of progress over the last two weeks in that I'm not holding his hand or face, and I'm not feeding him when he's crying. The last two days he only had four meals because he refused to eat the other times I tried to feed him. Today he ate all five times. I didn't offer him any of the tomatoes and pasta today. That's not exactly his favorite meal. He also wasn't keen on the cake and milk mixture so I altered the oatmeal "recipe" to include two packets of oatmeal, one banana, one piece of pineapple cake, and a little water. Put all that in the Magic Bullet and serve. I figured I should pick my battles, and if my main focus is teaching him that we don't cry or hit while eating, then I'd just focus on that and serve him something he deems less objectionable. I do plan to bring back out the pasta and tomatoes as he does need to work on texture again, but for now I'm focused on extinguishing the crying. He hasn't had any reaction to the eggs thus far. YAY! Of course I haven't give him eggs straight up yet. For now we're just sticking with "baked eggs" as the allergist called it. Nadia and I also enjoy the pineapple cake thankfully, as it would take Ian awhile to eat an entire cake by himself! The next step will be to take him off the Singulair and then two weeks after that we'll reintroduce another food (peanuts, soy, or milk). Whenever I get frustrated with how difficult it is to feed him, I try to remind myself that at least he's not throwing up any more. We're moving in the right direction!
The timer that the OT loaned us is the first one pictured
on this website. I agree, Regina, that Ian seems a bit young. Karen said that she has had success with this with 2 year olds she works with (she works with kids birth to 35 months), and she said she thinks Ian is a smart cookie. I was dubious if he'd figure it out, but I thought it was worth a try. I don't want to mess with the success at night by removing the darkening shade as he sleeps at least 11 hours and sometimes closer to 12 hours at night now. Today he cried for 5 minutes, played for 5 minutes, slept for 15 minutes, and then screamed for 35 minutes until I got him because his hour was up. Later we went out and he fell asleep in the car around 4pm, which proves a 15 minute nap is not enough for him. I had put a ball, two books, and two cars in bed with him. I was hoping he'd at least play quietly rather than scream for so long. No dice. Maybe I'll need to buy him a nightlight he could hold, if that helped Wyatt.
1 comment:
The exact light we got was Glomate from MOBI. I think this is it:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/MOBI-GloMate-Plus-Portable-Nightlight/15939834?findingMethod=rr
I got it while in Walmart (baby section) one day on a fluke. If you get it be sure not to leave it on the 15 minute mode. Wyatt can turn it on and off at will. I don't know if it will work for you but for us it has been WONDERFUL. He would literally scream the entire 2 hour nap time in the afternoon. He screamed every time we put him in the bed. Has OT or speech recommended a certain tooth brush for you to brush his teeth with? Our OT recommended the rechargeable oral B that has replacement heads. It has a small head that is a good size for them. Bailey screamed of course but I refuse to give up. Has your Dr mentioned that because he does not chew that he is at risk for bad teeth? Our pedi told us that this week. I had heard other preemie moms say this, but I assumed it was all the boost or pediasure they drink. I also wondered if a nutritionist was following Ian. I can't remember if you have mention one. I hope you have one so they can help with making sure he is getting enough calories and nutrients.
Post a Comment