advice for weaning 28 week reflux, alllergies, refusing food

[JPK123]

Hi

Just wondered if anyone else had dealt with similar probs and could advise me atall.

My 28 week DD is on lansoprazole and neocate for reflux and multiple intolerances and seems to have a bit of an oral aversion having been in hospital with severe oesophagitis. she still doesnt enjoy milk and gets through a feed (takes her an hour and doesnt usually finish it) wriggling and writhing. The paeds have said think her reflux is well controlled and this is mostly habit now.

we started weaning her about 4 weeks ago and have got nowhere. i know it will take time but she wont even take a spoonful of anything. she initially seemed a bit interested and had a couple of spoons of baby rice and one of squash but none since. she just turns her head away and closes mouth.

i always eat with her, use my fingers, eat what she does, tip it out on her tray etc etc try to get her to see other babies eating, make it fun. i think she will be better with blw but she cant seem to do it yet. the other trouble i have is that she cant have apple or lemon - all the ready made stuff seems to contain this! am supposed to be introducing foods really slowly one at a time but as she wont take anything i cant move on to something she might like.

i read that being over tired can be a cause of poor eating - she gets about 13 hours in 24 and although i agree she might still be tired on occassions i cant seem to get her to sleep for longer. has anyone else had any experience with this and what did they do.

i really thought solids would be better than liquids with nightmare of reflux but seems not!

she has about 700mls of neocate a day and i try to offer her food half way through a milk feed.

any advice????

Poor you - that all sounds very difficult for everyone. No direct experience of this but I have weaned a very allergic child and am currently doing the same with dd2 (who also looks like she will be allergic - already a reaction to banana/avocado which landed us in A&E, more as a precaution than anything).

I would just say that you need to be very patient. The instincts surrounding food/drink are incredibly strong I think. Your poor little one is used to things hurting her when she puts them in her mouth. Her oesophagus is probably still healing and she is quite reasonably suspicious of new things. Maybe offer her some finger food so she is firmly in charge - sweet potato or courgette in batons maybe. Then it is entirely up to her if she has a go or flings it on the floor. It doesn't matter which, nutritionally, at 28 weeks.

For a couple of weeks after her allergic reaction DD2 seemed to be highly suspicious of anything green (which makes me suspect it was avocado not the banana). I didn't push it and she tentatively sucked on some sugar snaps, discovered they were different from that horrid stuff that made her itchy and sneezy and is now back to full confidence.

Finger food also gives them a chance to smell and feel things before they put them in their mouth - to check if they are going to hurt them.

Good luck - I would try not to get too stressed about it (easier said than done I know) and just take the softly softly approach.

Just re-read that you don't think she can do blw yet. Why not have another go and if not wait until she can. There really is no rush, although it feels as if there is I know...

thanks, sorry didnt see i had a reply tothis thread until today. i think will follow your advice thanks. dietician is referring her to specch and language for assessment but like you say i think there are some obvious reasons.

its good to hear you say about instincts. mine have been right about everything since she was born and i am soooo sick of DH telling me im overreacting, making stuff up, being ridiculous when each time if id trusted my instincts it would have saved some pain. i also agree that LO are astonishingly good at telling what will and will not be ok.

she wont put anything other than fists or cloth in her mouth - no toys etc so i think she must have a sensitive mouth. not helped by a syringe-ful of meds twice a day. apparently there is a cloth bag you can buy to put food in which they can suck. so going to try that too.

her iron is low and she is clearly hungry for more than milk so those are my only concerns but i think her own pace is def best.

thanks again, take care