Rory's Feeding Evaluation

Rory had her feeding evaluation yesterday at the IWK at 11:30am. I took her on the bus so Mike didn't have to miss another day of work. He'll have to miss a day next week for her endoscopy. Anyway, she threw up her morning bottle all over herself and the aisle. I had to hold her shirt out so she could finish puking. AND I didn't have a change of clothes, a cloth, nothing. I was mortified and so mad at myself for not taking a change of clothes. I should have known the bus would make her puke. So, I had to strip her off to her diaper and put on her coat. Then I bought her a shirt at the dollar store. LOL.

So, we get there and they want to feed her the foods she will eat first and then try the foods she won't normally eat. They showed me how to use positive reinforcement....they had all kinds of cool toys and she only got to play with them if she took a bite. They blew bubbles and had boxes that they shook and she could only see inside if she took a bite. They caught on very quickly to how curious she is. Then if she didn't take a bite, all four of us were to turn away from her for 20 seconds and start the process again. She caught on very quickly and decided to eat bites of bologna, cheese, soup, bread, pear and kiwi!!!!! ALL OFF THE SPOON!!! And she was playing peekaboo with them and smiling and laughing and eating and everyone had a gay old time except me. I was just about in tears. Mike and I KNEW this would happen. It's not that I was upset that she ate, just that she won't do it for me AND she made me look CRAZY!!!

They did say that she was delayed with her chewing skills, which is typical of refluxers. They want me to stop giving her pieces of things at mealtime that take forever to eat, and start giving her regular people food pureed and/or mashed, so that she gets more calories per bite...HMMMM....why didn't I think of that?? SHEESH!!! She won't eat purees...maybe a couple bites, that's it. So, we will be going back on July 2 to do another feeding evaluation using purees. If they can get her to eat purees off the spoon, I will be STOKED. It's so much easier. Obviously, she CAN eat, so it is most likely a behavioural issue, so this should work. After that they will provide support by phone. They said she doesn't have oral-motor problems and that the tongue thrust is just a preference thing.

I just don't feel like they can get it based on one feeding. But they are the professionals I guess. I've resolved to stop stressing so much about her eating, and just let her go at her own pace. She is growing and is healthy, and hopefully that will remain the case, even if she is always a poor eater. I've done all I can with trying to get her help. If positive reinforcement is the prescription, then we will fill it.

Her scope is next week, and if it comes back clear, my obsession with getting her to eat will come to an end. We will look forward to the future and getting her off medication.

They were no help when it comes to cup training, or giving formula advice. We were advised to discuss this with her pediatrician, and will be seeing her on July 17.