Open Wide!

OUR BOY IS EATING!!!!!  I can't tell you how overjoyed we are to write that sentence!  Last week was a very rough oral stimulation week as James was just coming off a formula that made him sick.  The added reflux from stomach irritation caused him to refuse items headed toward his mouth.  So, last weekend, his feeding specialist revamped the plan.  James likes biting the rubber baby spoons so we moved in that direction.  A big part of James' path to eating is learning how to control his posture.  Because of his low muscle tone his arms and legs naturally fall to his sides in an overextended position.  That means it takes more effort to bring his hands to center because he has a longer distance to move them.  Also, as he lays flat, his jaw tends to drop, making it difficult to use his mouth muscles.  So:

Part 1: Positioning

It is difficult to swallow while laying prone, legs and arms splayed.  Try it, you can feel the tension around your throat.  So, in order to facilitate muscle ease we first concentrate on helpful positioning.  In the past we used pillows to create an elongated posture, but James liked to roll off these pillows.  So, our new approach is to put him in his car seat, preferably on the kitchen table, propped to a 80 degree angle, and sit in a chair below.  This keeps his spine and chin elongated and looking down, aiding the muscles as James opens, closes, and swallows. (We sometimes cheat and sit on the floor as you will see in the pictures below.)

Part 2: Play

James needs to learn to enjoy eating.  With the original nose feeding tube and his reflux issues his throat has gone through a lot of unpleasant feelings.  So, to make him feel at ease we sing songs and play with puppets, showing him that his car seat is a fun, safe place.  His favorite is "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

Playing with puppet!  The puppet "kisses" James up and
down his body to stimulate nerves and muscles.

Part 3: Food

Once James is comfortable and having fun, we hold a spoon of sweet potatoes to his nose, allowing him to smell, preparing to "welcome" it into his mouth.  We encourage him to play with it, buzz his lips, spit it back out, so that he becomes comfortable with the taste and texture.  James has been doing well taking bites and swallowing, but today he beat his record!  He ate a whopping three spoonfuls of baby food!  Way to go, James!

With love.

Excited to eat!

He wants more!  What a wonderful sight!

Tastes yummy!

He is so big and he knows it!