1000 calories

OK, so it's been a long while. I know. But as far as excuses go... I forgot not only my password for this blog but also the email address it's attached to. Yeah, I really am that flakey.

I'm going to work on catching up!

After a chance conversation with Lamb's speech therapist she came out to the house to do a feeding assessment for Lamb. Feeding has been difficult since day 1. Hour 1 even. All through toddler hood he vomited everyday. Frequently more than once a day. The old health visitor would make me feel terrible every check up because my baby just wasn't putting on enough weight. If she'd had her way I would have been force feeding him. It wasn't a particularly fun stage of childhood or parenthood. It started to get better by the time Lamb had turned 3 but it was still a pretty nervey experience taking him some place like McDonalds. The doctor told me it was behavioural, nothing wrong. Well 6 years later and the speech therapist says something most definitely is wrong, was always wrong and should have been looked at as soon as Lamb was taken to the doctor about it all those years ago.  The good news is that food seems to be going to the place it is supposed to go to, rather than into his lungs but we need to keep an eye on it. Less than good news is that Lamb's oral muscle strength is incredibly weak, and may or may not improve. Which accounts for his poor speech and feeding problems. The SP says it's surprising that he's even managing the little food that his does get down as his muscles really are that weak. A feeding tube is an option, but not one that we're going to follow up on unless things get really bad. Facial massage is something that the SP wants us to give a go, but with the sensory issues no one is sure how that one is going to go! But good news... He is coping. Despite the challenge of having a mouth that doesn't really work very well, he is coping!
So what's the 1000 calories a day all about? Aha, that's the milkshakes! 400 calories everyday with fresubin 2cal vitamin shakes, and 600 calories a day in the calshake supplimentary nutrition. Though Lamb eats so little I doubt he's getting his recommended calories even with the1000 boost, and even the milkshakes are not something he enjoys having. I feel a beast hassling him to drink his milkshakes but feeling a beast is better than him getting poorly because he isn't eating.
That's the eating news...