the drama continues...

[Saacsmum]

Not sure where to post this so will put it in here. We are at meltdown point yet again. Apologies to those who know us and who we havent contacted. DS for those who dont know was born wiht a hole in his bowel and had surgery at three weeks old, he then developed allergies and reflux. Anyway here we are at almost 9mths and still cant see the light on the horizon. DS is beautiful and social and loving. DS is also a hell of a lot of work. We are not having success with solids or sleeping or settling and I am having a really hard time managing to stay on top of things.
Feeding: DS is not interested in solids he will try them happily enough but turns his head and grizzles after one or two bites. He is still fussy on the breast and feeds better over nite than during the day. He gags on any lumps and finger foods. Generally things with food are getting worse rather than better. He is offered solids b4 bfeed but makes no difference. I offer spoon feeds morning and lunch and let him just explore his food for dinner, putting it on his highchair tray and letting him feel it, lick his fingers etc. He grizzles and fusses through almost all meal times.
Sleeping: As I said he feeds better over nite than during the day so he wakes for a feed around 12, 2 and 5. He also wakes between these times and will resettle if we just sit beside him for a few minutes or if that doesnt settle him, we rock with him.
Settling: He wakes at 7/7.30 and is unsettled by the time I have him dressed. He enjoys going out and we do this at least once a day. Otherwise, I try for a balance of floor play, songs and stories, time in the swing, outside time, different rooms/ positions/ activities.
He is not mobile.
Currently he is under specialist care and top theory at the moment is that his bowel is still not functioning well and that he is getting backed up and this is squashing his tummy therefore he is uncomfortable accounting for the unsettledness and the waking and the lack of interest in food. Recommendation has been prunes which he has been on for about ten days. He has had two motions in this time but it is quite difficult to convince a wee man not interested in food to eat the prunes so he may not be getting the 'dose' he needs. Anyway that is where we are at, thanks for reading.. lets hope life gets better soon.

Hi saacsmum, my sympathy! I'm afraid I've no real practical advice, being very new to parenthood, but one thing did occur... if he won't eat well, how about prune juice?

If it is any help at all, my ds is/was much the same but has no bowel problems whatsoever. Just a real lack of interest in food.
We started pureed foods at 6 months with very little success. He was just barely showing interest in them at around 9 months. At his first birthday he picked up pieces of banana off of his cake and ate them. We were thrilled! However, he did not do this again until this week - 10 months later almost to the day. He has done well with cheerios, arrowroot biscuits (for the most part) and those Gerber puffs - do you have those in the UK? But lots and lots of food textures put him off. Practically any and every vegetable still has to be pureed.
Having said all of this you may be wondering where his is developmentally. Actually he excels in every other category. Very early walker, talker, etc. So, I keep telling myself that every child has his own pace with certain things and we continue on.
Hang in there, it will get better!

Hi Saacsmum

Huge sympathy. You must be exhausted - but probably also relieved that you are still feeding so that you know your little one is getting lots of goodness. He sounds a lovely little boy, but such hard work for you. Try ripe pieces (or mashed up, if preferred) of mango, or stewed cooking apples, with a little sugar added or little satsuma segments as an alternative to prunes. They can have the same effect, and may be more to his taste.

I do agree with Jabberwocky - some children just are not very interested in food (particularly if they are getting three good feeds at night). Neither of mine really wanted solids until around 18 months. They are both very social and would much rather play and chat and cuddle than eat. I "went with the flow" and let them try different healthy foods, keeping meals focused on the things that they enjoy - fruit, yoghurt, breadsticks and cheese flavoured ricecakes saved my sanity. At five, DS1 now eats wonderfully healthily, although still from a small range of foods - pasta, fresh fish, broccolli and fruit are his favourites.

We also slept with the boys until quite late - DS1 was three - just for our own sanity to get some sleep. Don't believe the books that say that kids that bedshare with parents won't learn to sleep on their own! Once weaned, he slept for England and rarely ever gets up in the night.

Look after yourself as much as possible. Keep your energy up as much as you can and don't feel that there is a right or wrong way to feed your little one. It sounds as if you have a supportive doctor. How is ds's weight?

VTM