Feeding therapy!!!

Asa rocked at feeding therapy Thursday!!! YAY, finally! First, he had 1/2 a Popsicle. Then he had some Gerber Lil' Crunchies things that were cinnamon flavored. Now just so you understand how great these two things are, let me tell you how feeding therapy usually works!

Asa can tell right away the weeks it is feed therapy not speech therapy! He gets a little nervous and is very, very watchful of everything! Jill and I chit chat a lot and try to not make a big deal of the food. She'll put some food on his tray and try to get him to at least play with it. Sometimes I try to distract him so she can slip in a bite of pudding. Many times I "help" him take a bite by holding the back of his head with one hand and keeping his face forward with the other hand. If you read that as "I hold him down so he will take a bite" you are kinda right. But I rarely have to "hold" it is more of him just feeling my hands on his head and face. Not so much pressure but a security of me being there. And even so, I only "help" with one or two bites. If he still refuses then we move on!

Now you might thing we only have to do this with gross food like broccoli or brussel sprouts. But no, this happens with pudding or even favored foods like applesauce and yogurt. He has aversions nearly each time we offer the food no matter if he eats it at every meal! It is really a mental thing for Asa. If it is a textured food then he really has a reaction!! Although he hasn't gagged in a long time!

So for Jill to "offer" the popsicle and me "helping" a few times, and Asa taking the bites on his own, is great!!! And for the Gerber Lil' Crunchies! Wow that was amazing!! I ate one to show him it was safe. I helped a few times. Then he let me and Jill both feed him a few pieces!! He never self fed it but he was close!!! We were so excited! Funny though, we can't really celebrate out loud because Asa is already so on edge that we have to just keep talking and basically ignoring the fact that Asa is awesome!

When Jill taught Asa to drink from a straw a few weeks ago, it really changed our lives. I know a juice box isn't much for most people but for us it was great!! I told her if she got him to eat popsicles then we'd be on cloud nine!! Easy, fun, normal ways to keep him hydrated! YAY!!!

Oh and add to the mental picture I just painted for you, Cade jabbering away and wanting Asa to try goldfish! I pretty sure he just meant HE wanted the goldfish! That is how it happens at home. I try something for Asa and when it doesn't pass the test, Cade and Gracie get to fight over who finishes it off!

Even after all the great feeding advances, Asa has puked every day for a week or more! Always in the late afternoon or before bed! No matter how good he gets at the eating part, if his GI system isn't working right, it will not matter! We have a GI appt on Monday with a new GI!! Praying she has some answers for this and many other questions!!

Now with all of those food sensory issues in mind, this is how we found Asa when the pump alarmed "DOSE DONE" at the 3pm feeding today!





Usually we insert the extension into the button and twist it to lock it. I think this button has is faulty since it has leaked some from day 1. Either it didn't lock or Asa unlocked it, which would require great OT skills! Whatever happened, Asa sure did have a blast "feeding the table" while no one was watching! He was splashing all in the sticky Pedisure! Notice his foot but on the table too! The boy is flexible! It always amazes me!!

Oh and he went to another ball game tonight! He did great! YAY!!