Mom notes

Wow, we have only been in Intensive Feeding Therapy 18 days and we are making AMAZING progress on our goals.

3. We want Gabriel to be off the bottle.  Today I was able to pack Gabriel's bottles up and get them out of the house.  We will not be returning to the bottle for Gabriel.  How exciting, I am amazed that we are already at a point where I know it is okay to pack up the bottles and get them out of the house!  We are currently on the squeeze bottle. There are several versions of the squeeze bottle.  Many parents of children with eating problems know the Honey Bear Cup in it's various forms.  Feeding therapy uses hair dye applicators to achieve the same thing.  They are not as cute as the Honey Bear Cups but they are more cost effective. I also believe they do not use the Honey Bear Cups because the applicators give them more control with the amount they are squeezing out. Next week we will be working on the open cup!!!!! Gabriel does not have the muscles and skills required to drink from a straw or a sippy cup.  He is unable to work his tongue enough to suck.  This means one less transition we will have to make in the future.

2. We want to be able to brush Gabriel's teeth with out all of the drama.  Gabriel is allowing the therapists to brush his teeth with an actual tooth brush 15 seconds on the top and 15 seconds on the bottom.  He is clearly uncomfortable with them putting the toothbrush in his mouth and even more uncomfortable when they begin to brush but he is allowing them to do it.  His anxiety is becoming less and less each time they brush. We will have tooth brushing down before his practice teeth start falling out!

1. We want Gabriel to eat.  Gabriel is eating!  He is eating everything pureed that therapy is putting in front of him and everything I am putting in front of him.  Next week we will be transitioning textures during therapy and possibly at home.  We would like to work him off the pediasure. The more food Gabriel is able to intake the sooner he will be off pediasure.  Therapy still believes we will be off pediasure before we are done.

I am learning so much with feeding therapy.  The methods they are using at therapy work very well with Gabriel.  He is responding better than he has for any of his other feeding therapists.  I am worried.  These methods are not being used by therapists outside the feeding program.  We know Gabriel is going to require continued therapy when he is done with the program.  He will still have to strengthen his jaw muscles until he is strong enough to chew before he can start eating solid foods.  I do not want to go to a therapist who does not understand the program and puts our efforts on hold or even backward.  I do know that we will be 

checking in with the program on a regular basis once we are released.   I believe other programs would really benefit from seeing how things are run at the intensive feeding program.  Every single child is improving.  Some have more challenges than others but every single child is improving.

I will try to get Gabe to record an at home feeding so that others can see what we are doing at home.  I am so happy to see that what Gabriel is learning in therapy we have been able to translate at home!  It is amazing!

Isabella, did not want to be left out on the open cup skills so she decided to show how amazing she is. My smart little girl decided to drink water out of a water bottle. She drank the water with less spillage than her mother does. Oh wait, she did not spill any water. What a super star!

Sorry for the bad picture, I ran though my batteries while taking pictures of the kids playing outside today so I had to use my cell phone to take pics in a dark house.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS about the intensive feeding program, what we are doing, why we are doing something please leave a comment. I will do a post answering questions if there are any. :)