Long post. Background: FTM to a 9.5 month old boy. We started solids at 6 months and it was going well. He put hands in food and then in his mouth or eat some off a spoon. Then he had a string of sicknesses that involved a lot of vomiting. So for a while he didn’t get any practice with food. When it came time to try again there was pretty much only rejection or if he did eat some then he would gag until vomiting. We started feeding therapy with someone I work with. He also produces tears and snot sometimes so she wants to rule out aspiration. We have been in feeding therapy for a month now and she has noticed some improvements but it doesn’t translate to improvement at home. He always goes well in therapy too. At home he barely touches anything to his mouth and he is making a face. Like less than a tablespoon. Or just starts screaming. Won’t really put his hands in his mouth. I feel so hopeful that everyday it’s going to get better and then it never goes well. So I go through white the cycle of emotions every night.
Last part: I have been very fortunate that I have been able to produce milk this whole time for him. I’ve recently realized I’m feeding him way too much so we have started cutting back. But if we can’t figure this out then he is going to have to go on toddler formula to get his nutrients. It’s a little defeating that I’ve done all this work to pump and then he might still need to use formula. There is nothing wrong with formula AT ALL, just selfish thing to note in this whole process. He may not need it but with only 2.5 months to go until a year I don’t feel hopeful.
So if you made it this far (thank you), do you have any tips that heped you through this process? Any success stories?
We have been very lucky that this is the first speed bump we have encountered in raising him (other than sickness and high probability of needing tubes). And yes I know he is going to eat one day. Just hard to believe it.