Christmas countdown & feeding clinic

We're quickly approaching December, and mom and Belle are definitely in the Christmas spirit. 

This is going to be Arabella's first Christmas, and it's going to be one to remember. You can count on it! The countdown is officially on...

Unfortunately, we're not going to take Belle out for any visits during the holidays. We decided not to take any unnecessary risks this winter - so we'll just have to make sure to have a holly-jolly time at home.

We have a ton of fun at home, as you can see 😊

So many people have gotten sick around us lately, so we're constantly being extra cautious. When we see our pediatrician, for example, we avoid the crowded elevator and take the stairs. We have Bella wrapped up and covered until we're finally in the patient room (which is usually waiting for us as soon as we arrive). We're away from potentially sick patients, and that gives us some peace of mind. 

We're also avoiding trips with Belle to the chiropractor for that very same reason, but the good news is that the chiropractor now comes to us! Home visits are the best!

Here she was at her last chiro visit...

Being a brave and strong girl! She got another scan that showed that her spine was much more aligned compared to the first time we took her. We're making progress!

Hopefully we can make it through this winter, but it's not going to be easy. 

Bella already received her first shot to protect her against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), so at least she's covered in that way. Those were the costly $1000+ shots that only the most fragile kids get covered for. Again, it's peace of mind, and everyone we talked to said it was absolutely necessary. RSV shots save lives, apparently. 

Here's Belle at yet another feeding clinic, this time at North York General Hospital. We were really pleased with the staff because they offer a slow and simple approach. 

And Arabella was showing a lot of good early signs...

It's all about 'going back to the basics' - no bottle feeding, no force feeding at all. Arabella is in complete control over what goes into her mouth, and the idea is to reconnect that pleasure drive associated with feeding by mouth. 

And here we are at home, practicing with these so-called 'hard munchable foods'. Since Arabella is now reaching and grasping at objects (and bringing them to her mouth), she's ready to explore these types of foods. And since the food is hard to break down, it's a perfect time to encourage her to bite down, move her tongue, and help her become aware of different tastes, textures, and sensations. 

These important early steps will help develop chewing skills needed to handle different textures and foods later on. 

So 3 times a day we place her in her highchair and let her explore these munchies. We place them on the tray and allow her to reach for herself. 

Sometimes she just wants to play with the food. Sometimes she doesn't really care for it at all. And that's totally alright. It's hard to always be in the mood for munchies.

Eventually we'll move on to 'meltable hard solids' such as dry thick toast. As the toast becomes wet (and melts with her saliva) the texture will change gradually. It's another sensation in the mouth, and it will help her get used to how different foods feel in her mouth and what she needs to do to break it down, chew, and liquefy it for swallow.

Since she still associates pain or discomfort with her feeds, it's going to take a long time to undo the refusal behaviours. So everyday we do things like massage her gums (while singing to her) so that she starts to make positive connections again.

Given her reflux (and all the gagging and throwing up that she does during the day), I'm surprised that she puts so many things into her mouth. So we need to take advantage of this time and see if we can help her make some positive connections again. 

It's been a long and uphill climb, but we're on the right track now I think. Lucky for us, things should only continue to get better...

Here's hoping!